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Lecture 3- Critical Thinking

Basic Engineering Design GEN 1003

Critical ThinkingLECTURE 3


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Start Thinking... What does it mean to think

critically? Critical thinkingis to think actively, with an

awareness of potentialproblems in the informationyou encounter, whether it'sfrom the Internet,television, radio, something

in print or any other source
http://www.thrall.org/criticalthinking/page1.htm


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"Imagination is more important thanknowledge."

A. Einstein


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"You cannot teach a man anything;

you can only help him to find it within

himself"

Galileo


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"Each of us may not do great things,

but all of us can do small things in a

great way."


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Why Critical Thinking?

When we make students struggle with

their thinking, we are making them

struggle with thought itselfOften the

struggle of writing, linked as it is to the

struggle of thinking and to the growth

of a persons intellectual powers,

awakens students to the real nature oflearning. (Bean xiii)Bean, John C., Engaging Ideas, San Francisco: Jossey-

Bass, 1996.


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Why Critical Thinking?

You think what you write/You write what you

thinkwhich is true?


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Asking the Right Question at the Right

Time

A student and his professor are backpacking

in Alaska when a grizzly bear starts to chase

them. They both start running, but its clearthat the bear will eventually catch up with

them. The student takes off his backpack,

gets his running shoes out, and starts

putting them on. His professor says, Youcant outrun the bear, even in running

shoes! The student replies, I dont need to

outrun the bear; I only need to outrun you!

Defining the True Problem


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1. clarification: Why do you say that? How does this relate toour discussion?

2. probe assumptions: What could we assume instead? How

can you verify or disprove that assumption?3. probe reasons and evidence: What would be an example?

4. aboutviewpoints and perspectives: What would be analternative?

5. probe implications and consequences: What

generalizations can you make? What are the consequencesof that assumption?

6. about the question: What was the point of this question?Why do you think this question was asked?

Thinking Critically Means Learning to Ask

the Right Questions About a Problem


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Thinking Critically Means Applying Skills to

Solve a ProblemAnalyzing: separating or breaking a whole into parts to discover their nature.

Applying Standards: judging according to established personal, professional, orsocial rules or criteria.

Discriminating: recognizing differences and similarities among things or situationsand distinguishing carefully as to category or rank.

Information seeking: searching for evidence, facts or knowledge by identifyingrelevant sources.

Logical Reasoning: drawing inferences or conclusions that are supported in orjustified by evidence.

Predicting: envisioning a plan and its consequences.

Transforming Knowledge: changing or converting the condition, nature, form orfunction of concepts among concepts.


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Thinking Critically Means Adopting

Certain Habits of Mind

Confidence

Contextual Perspective

Creativity

Flexibility

inquiring

Intellectual Integrity

Intuition

Open-mindedness

Reflection


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The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and

to think critically. Intelligence plus characterthat is the goal of true education.

Martin Luther King, Jr.


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Critical thinking is needed to solve the complex

problems in the world today.

Fallacies in Reasoning

Thinking


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Making Generalizations

Assume all members of the group are the same

Example: All lawyers are greedy-All education

systems are the same


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Attacking the Person We attack the person rather than

discussing the issue

Example: Attacking the President to

sidetrack the issues

L 3 C i i l Thi ki


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Appeal to Common Belief

Just because it is common belief does notmake it true

Example: At one time people believed that

the world was flat

L t 3 C iti l Thi ki


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Common Practice

If everyone does it, it must be OK

Example: Its OK to cheat on your taxes.

Everyone else does.



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Appeal to Tradition

Weve always done

it that way

Example: Somejobs are only for men

and others only for

women



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Two Wrongs It is OK to do something wrong because

other people do it

Example: Someone cuts you off on the

freeway so you pull in front and cutthem off



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Slippery Slope Dire consequences

Example: If you fail this class, you are afailure for life

Lecture 3 Critical Thinking


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Alternative Views

Issue

Person

Topic

Individual Point of

View Based on:

Experience

Values

Beliefs

Culture

Knowledge



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The Critical Thinking Process State the problem in a clear way

Identify the alternative views

Watch for fallacies in reasoning

Find at least 3 different answers

Construct your own reasonable view



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Tips for Critical Thinking

Beware of your mind-set

Be willing to say, I dont know.

Practice tolerance

Understand different points of view

Understand before criticizing Emotions get in the way of clear thinking

Examine the source



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Critical thinking is always there, even without being conscious about it.



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Critical Thinking Exercise

Philip, who teaches first grade, believes that educational television

programs such as Sesame Street promote reading ability in youngchildren. He announces his hunch to his students and tells their parents

about his idea during a PTA meeting. Some parents respond

enthusiastically when he asks for volunteers to participate in a three

month experiment to test his hypothesis. Ten volunteers are assigned to

the experimental group and instructed to have their children watch theone hour Sesame Street program each day after school. The parents of

ten other students, who are picked at random from the remaining

members of the class, receive the same instruction, except that the

program they watch is a one-hour non-educational cartoon. After the

three-month period, Philip administers a standardized reading test toboth groups. He is delighted to find that the average test score of the

students in the experimental group is substantially higher than that of the

students in the comparison group.



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What is the focal behavior of the study?What is the focal behavior of the study?

What is Philips hypothesis?What is Philips hypothesis?

What is the independent variable?What is the independent variable?

What is the dependent variable?What is the dependent variable?

List three variables that are controlled during the experiment.List three variables that are controlled during the experiment.

List three variables that are not controlled and explain how they mightList three variables that are not controlled and explain how they might

have affected Philips findings.have affected Philips findings.

Was the research a valid test of Philips hypothesis?Was the research a valid test of Philips hypothesis?

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