Corporate E-Learning

We live in a knowledge based society, and the more critical you think the better your knowledge will be. Critical Thinking provides you with the skills to analyze and evaluate information so that you are able to obtain the greatest amount of knowledge from it. It provides the best chance of making the correct decision, and minimizes damages if a mistake does occur. Critical Thinking will lead to being a more rational and disciplined thinker. It will reduce your prejudice and bias which will provide you a better understanding of your environment. This workshop will provide you the skills to evaluate, identify, and distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information. It will lead you to be more productive in your career, and provide a great skill in your everyday life. Before we begin with the main points of this course, however, we first need to complete some activities to help focus and maximize our learning experience. In Module One, we’re going to cover topics such as basic housekeeping, parking lot, workshop objectives and action plans and evaluation. So, let’s get started.

Critical thinking is akin to the study of logic. Critical thinking relates to how we make decisions and use our judgment. Critical thinking is more than just thinking about thinking or metacognition. It is also about how we take action. Critical thinking involves many components, and we will address a number of unique components in this module.

As we learned in the previous module we can approach critical thinking and problems in a step-by-step fashion. This is called linear or vertical thinking. However, often we tend to not line up the premises in a normal step-by-step fashion. When we approach a problem in a different order, we are using non-linear thinking. Sometimes, non-linear thinking is also called lateral thinking.

Logical thinking is a process which involves steps. In general logical thinking involves checking the components of the argument and making connections between them, which is what we call reasoning. The four major steps of logical thinking are 1) asking the right questions, 2) organizing data, 3) evaluating the information, and 4) drawing conclusions. In this module, we will analyze these basic steps.

What are some characteristics of critical thinkers? Do they have innate abilities that make them better at thinking critically? In module five and six, we will examine eight characteristics of critical thinkers. The four characteristics we will discuss in Module five are: • Active Listening • Curiosity • Self-Discipline • Humility

In the previous module, we began to examine characteristics of critical thinkers. In this module, we will continue to look at more characteristics to help us improve our critical thinking capabilities. Four additional topics are presented in this module. They are: • Seeing the big picture • Objectivity • Using your emotions • Being self-aware

A big challenge in the process of critical thinking is how to evaluate information. We have already looked at some steps in evaluating information with the process of logic. In this module, we will delve deeper into evaluation. The best critical thinkers are those people, as Winston Churchill noted, who are capable of gleaning through information that may be unclear or conflicting.

We have already determined why critical thinking is important. We know in particular that critical thinking helps us make better decisions and to rationally apply information. While there are many benefits of critical thinking, in this module, we will examine only four. They are: • Being more persuasive • Better communication • Better problem solving • Increased emotional intelligence

The interesting thing about perspective is that everyone has one. Earlier in this course, we learned how important having an open mind is in critical thinking. One aspect of open-mindedness is that it makes us receptive to other viewpoints. In this module, we will examine further the concept of changing our perspective.

A major function of critical thinking is it gives us the ability to solve problems. Regardless of our vocation or profession, we are presented daily with a host of decisions and problems to solve. In this module, we will learn some steps for problem solving. Some psychologists define a problem as a gap or barrier between where an individual is and where they wish to be. In other words, a problem is the space between point A and B. Problems then essentially consist of the initial state and a goal state. All possible solution paths leading to the goal state are located in the problem space. Some researchers say that problem solving has three primary stages: 1. Preparation or familiarization 2. Production 3. Judgment and evaluation

We have learned many new skills for logic and critical thinking. Now, we need to learn how to combine these new skills. A skill is only beneficial if it is easy to apply. In this module, we will in particular learn how to: • Retain your new skills • Reflect and learn from mistakes • Always ask the right questions • Practice critical thinking

Although this workshop is coming to a close, we hope that your journey to improve your Critical Thinking skills is just beginning. Please take a moment to review and update your action plan. This will be a key tool to guide your progress in the days, weeks, months, and years to come. We wish you the best of luck on the rest of your travels!