The Art of Critical Thinking part 1
Knowledge is power.
Education is important to acquire knowledge. Nothing can be done without knowledge, and little can be done with limited knowledge. Knowledge is more powerful than strength. A large army of strong but dumb brutes can overpower a small country, but without knowledge they will not be able to run the country and all that force will have been for naught.
With knowledge you can empower yourself to make informed decisions. If you don’t know there is a choice, how can you make a choice?
Knowledge is freedom.
I worked with refugees in the late 2000’s. They came from an area of the world where women are not taught to read. They each had many children, one year apart in age or less. And many had several children who had died as a side effect from poverty.
By giving them knowledge: health, the woman’s reproductive cycle, birth planning, rhythm method birth control as their culture frowned on birth control, reasons why it’s important to space pregnancies- her own body recovering, more nutrition for the nursing child, less poverty, etc, the women were able to make informed decisions to greatly impact the lives of their entire families.
There are some who looked down upon this acquiring of knowledge. There is a reason women are not taught to read. One may be kept this way so they do not know there are choices and different way of doing things. When kept with little knowledge they do not question, and therefore serve the agenda of their leaders without argument.
But every woman we taught came out of the program with joyful tears. Each one was grateful and happy, and developed a tremendous thirst for more knowledge. I have never seen anyone more excited to receive a library card.
"Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. In its exemplary form, it is based on universal intellectual values that transcend subject matter divisions: clarity, accuracy, precision, consistency, relevance, sound evidence, good reasons, depth, breadth, and fairness..."
~ Michael Scriven & Richard Paul, presented at the 8th Annual International Conference on Critical Thinking and Education Reform, 1987
Thinking critically is truly an artform, and one not often taught in primary education atmospheres. How do you teach how to think?
By starting with a question.
What do you wish to know more about? Ask the question. Avoid questions with an easy one dimensional yes or no answer. It must be something you wish to explore thouroughly and understand on a deep level.
This is the critical first step in any critical thinking endeavor.
Essential, open ended question must be developed. Questions to inspire a hunger for knowledge. Questions to lead a passionate quest for problem solving.
These are questions that inspire a quest for knowledge and problem-solving. Formulate questions to provoke gradually higher levels of learning. This supports critical thinking skills beautifully.
Question Everything
Examples of critical thinking questioning paths:
After formulating your question, ask some of these questions:
What do we already know about...?
Why is it important?
What are the implications if...?
How does it affect...?
Why is it happening?
Do you agree or disagree?
What do you think causes it?
How would you explain it to someone who has never heard of it?
What is a solution?
What is the nature?
How does it tie in with what you already know?
What are the strengths and weaknesses?
What might have happened if...?
What is another way of looking at it?
You must ask varying questions to gain depth of knowledge and train the brain to automatically apply critical thinking to all you learn.
Student ability and learning outcome starts with remembering. You can see in the chart above how cognitive learning progresses as the ability to think critically is learned.
When you ask the question, encourage brainstorming amongst peers. Sharing ideas opens each learner to different points of view and new ideas.
Write down possible answers for all to see as a reference to build from. This is one of the easiest yet biggest parts of defining and dissecting the answers to the question. Have in-depth discussions, and remember that no question is a dumb question.
Sources: Inquiring Minds Really Do Want to Know: Using Questioning to Teach Critical Thinking~ Alison King. Images via Unsplash and Pexels
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A good introduction to critical thinking kitty ;)
I have found that the third point you listed has become most important to me in recent years: "What are the implications if...?"
If one goes on to remain a critical thinker, even of the things he thinks he knows, he (or she) will eventually have to start forming paradigm groups or probability avenues as I like to call them ;)
This is because we can not know all the facts pertaining to a single question or a group of them, and different answers will affect other areas of inquiry greatly. For fundamental issues this is most important, because it would be foolish to discard that whole other stream of probability altogether just because one is more inclined to answer a certain question the way he has....
hmmm.... an example would be good. Instead of making it too abstract.
Ok how about this:
If one is to analyze the dangers of the AIDS virus for example, it may have a great impact on his views about health, sexual choices and precautions. It may lead to all sorts of other inquiries, as well as to a variety of 'soft factors' like an increased sense of fear for engaging sexually with newly met strangers, heightened worries about coming into contact with other people's body fluids, etc.
But then, would you automatically discard anyone claiming to have evidence that the AIDS virus is an invention altogether?
If so, you are not a critical thinker, you are simply clinging to your new program thinking you have it right already. When in fact it may not be correct at all, just convincing.
On the other hand, should you stumble upon good evidence that the AIDS virus is in fact an invention or a hoax, would that automatically make you discard all the ramifications you have learnt from the time when you saw it as a major threat? If so, that might be equally foolish as it might preclude you from finding out more about the dangers of the Virus, the workings of the 'immune system', and so forth.
At a certain point it comes in handy, to know how your assumptions and probabilities interlink and interact, how they cancel or prove each other and what the ramifications of both paradigms are to you as a researcher. Holding both views in your mind in terms of current likelihood at the same time has really helped me to keep organized with all the input I have bombarded myself with over the years.
Anyway, amazing story of the refugees, thank you for sharing that. I can literally see them crying happy tears when their 'first' lightbulbs went off through the fruits of their own efforts, and inspiration from people like yourself.
Talk about a paradigm shift huh?
I like your thinking. Reminds me of Karl Popper's falsifying method on philosophy of science; Instead of aiming to verify a hypothesis, the aim is to test and attempt to falsify it. The more a hypothesis can take falsifying attempts, the more likely we can think of it as true. But 100% certainty is never there.
That sounds intriguing, I have not read Popper, will put that item on my list.
Holding (or rather considering) two ore more opposing views at the same time is often frowned upon in our society. Some claim it is an inability to take a standpoint. I disagree. It allows one to approach complex patterns of interconnections with the highest chance of eventually figuring it out, or getting close to the solution.
I could have never broken it down as eloquently as you have here though.
"The more a hypothesis can take falsifying attempts, the more likely we can think of it as true." is just a brilliantly simple way of putting it. Thanks man, will look into Karl tonight.
You got another follower ;)
No problem :D I haven't read Popper by myself but that particular idea of his remained on my memory from my high school's philosophy classes.
Thank you for the follow!
Intriguing. Popper is on my reading list also :)
Everyone, hop on to Popper!
I'm a closet quantum theory nerd to the 9th degree ;) Yet I'm one of the weird ones, I question the questions in a way where I am shunned by the physics forum mods ;) This Popper fella might be a refreshing view for me.
Little bit of Popper in their food would help them a bit, I'm sure ;)
I’m a bit this same way!
Holding both views in your mind in terms of current likelihood at the same time - I was just talking about this with my youngest son.
He is at the point in adolescence where he believes only one view is right. And, strangely enough, its always his view that is the correct one at the time ;)
I have been implementing various critical thinking techniques all his life, so I realize it is just that particularly difficult stage of teenagerdom that's talking, but I still gotta be Mama and have been trying to figure out a way to get him to be openminded and stop being black and white.
A week ago today he was arguing something for the sake of arguing. I said, "it is a sign you are taking steps toward adulthood when you can look at something from another perspective and realize there is more than one truth."
He grew silent, stared at me with his jaw down, flipped 180 degrees and proceeded to march right up to his room.
He has been thinking more carefully before arguing (sometimes) since then ;)
I have another story of how a certain little refugee changed a number of our lives, by just being himself :) https://steemit.com/lighttheworld/@arbitrarykitten/light-the-world-day-4
I'm so happy moms like you exist out there, makes me proud to be a human being.
I tend not to see that way of raising kids so much unfortunately - except in my hippie vacations at the dancefloor where parents are like you have just described here.
When I'm out, here, I am often confronted with moms treating their kids like little idiots at the supermarket or train station, yelling at them, forbidding things, shushing them with no good reason - and the kid will revert back to his smartphone instead. Gruesome and sad.
You can already tell that kid is somewhat numb by years of this, and has himself become a little nuisance because he had been treated as such for years.
High Five for open an minded raising of the next generation! You remind me of the way my mom raised me.
He has become a nuisance because he is hungry for attention. And at this point any attention is good attention.
My approach to kids is I am entrusted with raising someone's husband someday. Someone's father. Someone's brother in law... Plus, hell, I have to live with this creature for a few years ;) Might as well enjoy these people :)
Great motivational reframe for one's own sanity when he is twisting the dog's tail again for the 38th time this week!
So, I have heard many reference the bible and the story of Adam and Eve to explain why women should not be given such power of knowledge. While I am not Christian today, I do come from a woman who is Christian, but who is also half pagan and always encouraged knowledge as a great defense against oppression.
Recently, I listened to part of a video by Dr. Jordan B Peterson, where he explains how the story of Adam and Eve is about awakening, illumination and acquire knowledge. He says that such knowledge can be dangerous because it's not fun to be awake and understand things on such a deep level that sets you apart from those who have not gained that knowledge yet. But, he also says that it's how you use that knowledge, what you do with it, that determined the morality in your soul.
It is not that women are dangerous with knowledge, it is representative that knowledge can be dangerous, but with that power comes responsibility. Knowledge leads to critical thinking and thus to awakening and illumination.
In other words, in the terms that are commonly used online these days, Adam and Eve got woke, yo.
I give this as an example because I used to not enjoy hearing about those stories, having chosen a different path, because everyone who tells it on the most part, just read it and takes it literally and does not dissect it in a critical thinking sort of way. Jordan Peterson take these stories to a whole new level, he analyses them, thinks critically. He's a devout Christian, and yet he challenges these stories and everything most people believe about them in a way that makes me appreciate the religion more than I could have otherwise. This does not convert me to Christianity, but it allows ME to think critically and to compare that religion and those stories with my spiritual beliefs and stories about the Celtic people and the De Dannan and all those ancient tribes .
His critical thinking allowed me to understand a religion I used to frown upon due to other people's lack of critical thinking. My mother was the only Christian I knew for a long time who thought outside the Christian box, probably because of our Celtic roots. And I went through a phase where I didn't want to have ANYTHING to do with anything Christian AT ALL.
Today, I'm okay with all our celebrations being mixed in our family and be the cultural traditions they've always been. My mother and I have different religious paths, but I am able to appreciate hers in a new light.
And once again, I write an elaborate comment hehe
Interesting point.
Ignorance is bliss.
Once you understand and see things others cannot, you are "cast out"- both by your own doing as its difficult to find likeminds to converse with or you lack the patience for those who have not awakened, and you are ostracised by others.
In many ancient cultures, women were equal or even worshipped. As the ultimate creators of life- yes the men play half the part during conception, but after that his part is to provide so that she may take the lead role in the nurturing, health and rearing of the children-their importance was honored and respected.
Somehow, somewhere, some guy decided woman was dangerous. Woman had too much power. And he bad to knock her down a couple notches.
Where would society be had this never happened? How would the world look right now?
Perhaps the opposite from what is happening now and maybe men would be the oppressed gender and women would have become overzealous and have been too overbearing with their power.
Or maybe, women would be revered, men would be revered, as both would understand the divine within each and we would have a much better connection to nature.
I'd opt for the second options :)
"Knowledge"
Important message you have @arbitrarykitten. Knowledge - and the lack of it - can be huge factor in controlling people and limiting their sense of options.
My Grandpa instilled a great love of learning in me. He taught me to read, and I was three quarters of the way through the Little House on the Prairie series when I started American Kindergarten.
But I never fully realized the importance of just reading until I met people who were denied.
Sounds like your Grandpa was a wise man.
@celestal My Grandpa was an Alcoholic................
Sorry to hear that...
Discuss the historical philosophers, and their philosophies (at whatever level appropriate to age).
Start this with the little people, (not leprechauns) and the problems of how to create critical thinking - as a process- will be fixed.
Incredibly simple - and that's why the establishment try to avoid implementing it by any means possible.
The establishment and it's systems - would be shooting themselves in the head! 20 years, and they are toast!
I was part of an awesome program called innovations for my last year of highschool. It was based on the ideas of critical thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration. Basically I designed my own projects starting with a 'big question' and then had to answer that question, often very elaborately, using only resources I found myself. Beforehand I was already big on critical thinking, but this forced me to learn this way, the natural way in my opinion, and now I am incredibly confident in my ability to research and think critically about what I read. It has led me to some very in depth projects that I still am elaborating upon, and which I even use as steemit content! Critical thinking is a favorite skill of mine, and I hope more schools will adopt this innovations program.
You are very fortunate that they offered this. I, too, wish more would. But then more people would know how to think. And that would be bad for business... lol