How to develop critical thinking. Techniques and skills. Meet the new. Developing critical thinking skills
Every day your long-suffering head is faced with a huge flow of information. Most of it is happily forgotten; the rest of the facts one way or another shape your worldview and influence your decision-making.
The advent of the Internet, along with access to alternative points of view, should have made the path to truthful information easier, but instead it has completely entangled us in a labyrinth of verbal manipulation. Some people can be convinced of anything, while others don’t trust anyone at all, just in case.
Individuals with critical thinking are capable of distinguishing facts from their interpretation. Fortunately, this quality is not given to us from birth, which means it can be developed.
Use deductive reasoning
The ability to come from a general hypothesis to a particular conclusion through logical reasoning is the basis of critical thinking. If this method helped Sherlock unravel the most complicated detective stories, it will also help you get out of the abyss of false information into an island of knowledge close to the truth. To ensure that your thinking remains under the rule of arguments rather than emotions, consider the following points:
- the hypothesis with which the reasoning begins should not be contradictory. The starting point is to make a clear, unambiguous conclusion, otherwise all further logic will go to hell. Moreover, the hypothesis must remain unchanged throughout the entire deliberation;
- the hypothesis must be related to the conclusion. The obviousness of this rule does not at all negate its value. One of the dangerous pitfalls of reasoning is the substitution of concepts when, for example, they begin to compare incomparable things;
— Reasoning must take into account opposing opinions and counterarguments. You don't have to agree with them, but it's best to take note.
Doubt
House has spent eight seasons teaching us that everyone lies. Let's not be like this crazy misanthrope and take another statement as the basis for critical thinking - everyone makes mistakes. Now go back and read the word “all” again. Once again. The fact is that people tend to simplify, so they tend to take many statements on faith.
Check the facts
The most tedious and necessary skill. Since anyone can make a mistake, it means that any information must be sifted through your own sieve of skepticism. Following several rules will help you with this:
- Avoid selective argumentation. Even if you really want to come to a certain conclusion, be honest and take into account all the arguments, and not just those that confirm your hypothesis;
— assess whether there is enough information to make a choice in favor of any decision;
- Use every opportunity to check the facts. The ideal option is to go directly to the source;
- make sure the conclusion makes the situation clearer.
Don't follow the crowd
Not only can any person make mistakes, but any number of people can make mistakes. Mass popularity should never become an argument in favor of the reliability of information. Don’t forget that most of the crowd is just a herd that was too lazy to develop its own opinion or find the right answer and prefers to join the general opinion.
Develop creativity
The brain is an efficient, but very lazy asshole. He is trying in any way to make his work easier and standardize your life. The development of creative thinking will stretch your brain, force you to look at things in a new way and take into account the most unexpected options.
Consider the specifics of the work of journalists
According to University of Oregon psychology professor Paul Slovic, people tend to overestimate risks if the situations causing them are widely covered in the press.
However, the media are very subjective in choosing colors for their picture of the world. The only genre that has any claim to authenticity is investigative journalism. As for the hastily concocted notes that abound in the news feed, it is more important for them to create a beautiful story than to understand what is happening.
Even if we are talking about scientific facts, you should not rely entirely on the opinion of a particular researcher. Basically, journalists only try to convey the essence of the article in a simplified form and do not bother looking for alternative opinions.
Don't trust exact numbers
No matter how much we repeat that the media lies, 46% of Russians continue to believe press reports. Thanks to a specific figure, this phrase sounds much more convincing than “many Russians continue to believe,” but it does not become more reliable. Sometimes numbers are just tricks that help the author gain the reader's trust.
If we are talking about research, then it is important that the text not only states the results, but also shows the mechanism for conducting it. It is not clear what age these 46% of Russians are, what types of media they believe in, or what specific question they were asked.
The sign of a critical mind is skepticism. An educated person cannot believe in miracles and is rarely deceived by illusions. While simple-minded contemplators admire the next “inexplicable and incomprehensible,” he tries to understand the causes and consequences.
It is not thoughts that need to be taught, but thinkingImmanuel Kant
A person who has critical thinking is a skeptic. For him there are no truths and authorities that he blindly trusts. He doubts everything and doesn’t believe anyone, like Muller, the hero of Leonid Bronevoy in the film “Seventeen Moments of Spring,” who instructed Stirlitz: “You can’t trust... anyone, sometimes even yourself.” (However, he then ironically added: “I can.”)
“Is the earth round? Prove it!”, “Bigfoot has appeared in the mountains? Where is the evidence? - the skeptic will ask, or he will rummage through mountains of literature in search of the truth. And the more complex and extraordinary the statement, the more evidence it will need to refute the thought or agree with it. The skeptic operates according to the rule “Trust, but verify.”
The ideas of extreme skepticism and doubt were expressed by the empiricist Scotsman David Hume, who wrote that “a true skeptic is as distrustful of his doubts as of philosophical writings.”
Skeptics, who never take anything for granted and ask questions, cannot be compared with cynics who critically perceive any statements and deny them without any doubt, without the desire to get to the bottom of the truth.
Psychologist Benjamin Bloom wrote that “critical thinking does not mean unreasonable criticism or negative judgments. This is a balanced approach to any statements, the ability to not take anything for granted without evidence.”
Some people don't want to think critically
Probably, it’s so convenient for them - they don’t need to strain their brains, because someone has already decided for them that “The Party is our helmsman!”, “Go to work with joy, and leave work with pride!”, “Drink, children, milk - you will be healthy! etc. They choose idols and believe them unconditionally, without giving themselves the trouble to doubt the truths they preach.
The desire to know how this world works arises in early childhood; it is not for nothing that young children are called why. Why is the grasshopper green, why does the Sun not fall to the ground, why cats meow and dogs bark - and many other imaginable and unimaginable questions a child asks his mom and dad every day. “Because “because” ends in “y,” some parents answer, pleased with their wit. Although, most likely, they themselves do not know the answer, because no one taught them not only to think critically, but to think in general.
Most schools also don't teach children to question what is written in their textbooks. There is no need to doubt - you just need to memorize, memorize what is presented as truth.
Why you need to think critically
So children just have to believe. Why do they need critical thinking skills?
After all, there are probably those interested in people’s lack of healthy skepticism, because then it is easier to control them: they blindly believe the media, what is broadcast from television screens, and do not give themselves the trouble to doubt the facts presented and check them. Therefore, many try to treat serious illnesses with hydrogen peroxide or urine and trust psychics.
Unable to think critically, they allow themselves to be intimidated and thus themselves. After all, as you know, most people, until they satisfy basic needs, in particular food and safety, will not think about spiritual development.
The lack of critical thinking also leads to the fact that some mythical and scientifically unconfirmed statements become true. For example:
“The eyes are the mirror of the soul.” How many poetic words have been written about them! “The eyes can speak, but they cannot lie,” “The tongue can hide the truth, but the eyes never!” etc. In reality, eyes can lie, and the owner of beautiful, trusting eyes may well turn out to be a fraud;
“Opposites attract. A marriage will be stronger if a man and a woman have different characters - they will complement each other.” However, the difference in character is not at all the key to a successful marriage. On the contrary, different habits, views, lifestyles can later, when feelings subside, become the cause of quarrels or divorce;
“The human brain is only 10% active.” This statement, with reference to some research by psychologists, is not true and is pseudoscientific. The films “Lucy”, “Areas of Darkness” and others played a significant role in the fact that it was replicated. However, neuroscientists, in particular Barry Beyerstein, provide scientific arguments refuting this myth. It can be developed with the help of exercises, but in the work of a healthy person’s brain, all its parts are actually involved.
There are many such myths that have become firmly entrenched in our lives due to people’s lack of the habit of questioning everything and checking before trusting.
Is a lack of critical thinking harmful? Without a doubt.
As an example, we can cite a case that took place in real life. The woman took in the girl, but she began to be bothered by the fact that the girl did not have filial feelings for her, as she wanted. And then she turned to “psychologists” who practiced rebirth techniques. They suggested that the girl's biological mother had a difficult, painful birth, which caused the newborn to experience stress that prevented her from loving her mother.
These “psychologists”, for 30 thousand dollars, undertook to organize a second “birth”, which was supposed to give the girl the opportunity to be reborn and free her from the captivity of the fears blocking her consciousness. A “favorable” environment was created: to create the appropriate atmosphere, the mother’s lower body and the entire girl were covered with several blankets, and one of the “psychologists” also sat on the girl. She screamed that she did not want to be reborn, but her screams were considered natural, corresponding to the process of birth. As a result, the girl suffocated. All participants in this action, including the “mother,” were arrested and convicted.
This is how the inability to think critically and doubt, blind faith in “psychologists” with their “innovative” method led to such a sad outcome.
Is it possible to develop critical thinking?
It's not difficult at all, you just have to want it. You just need to not be lazy:
1. Ask questions and not take for granted everything that is offered to us.
The more complex the statement, the more questions there should be, because a complex statement is more difficult to refute.
“Eating lard is harmful - it increases cholesterol,” we were convinced yesterday. “To cleanse the blood vessels of bad cholesterol, you need to eat lard,” we hear today. “Drinking coffee is harmful, it can provoke a hypertensive crisis, it washes calcium out of the body,” and we refuse coffee. “Coffee helps prevent Parkinson’s disease, stroke and cardiovascular diseases,” we sigh with relief and brew it again for breakfast. Where are the questions with which we determine the truth?
The question mark is compared to a fish hook that catches fish. Anyone can have such a hook, but will everyone be able to catch it? The word “question” does not sound like question, and it comes from the word quest, which means “search”. The role of the question is to trigger cognitive activity aimed at finding a solution to the problem. Humanity will not develop if people stop asking questions. But only an intellectually developed person can ask a good question.
“Only those who know how to think know how to ask questions,” says psychologist A. King. She states the fact that the vast majority of people ask primitive questions, answering which requires only a slight strain of memory. But the skill of asking questions, she believes, can be developed;
2. We are looking for evidence that confirms or challenges the information received
A complex statement requires more significant evidence. The statement “All people are mortal” or “A square has equal sides and its opposite sides are parallel” is much easier to prove than the statement “Every night flying saucers land on Earth and aliens abduct people.”
The last statement was expressed in all seriousness by leading ufologists. They noted that in 1988 alone, more than 17 thousand people disappeared without a trace in the USSR, and linked these disappearances with the aggression of aliens. Their articles were published in well-known authoritative publications of the time, in particular in the magazine Ogonyok and Komsomolskaya Pravda.
Collecting and analyzing data that would prove or refute the opinions of authoritative scientists was not easy back then! Now, in the Internet era, this is easier to do. Moreover, many people speak foreign languages and have access to more information that allows them to draw an objective conclusion;
3. We accumulate knowledge, expand our horizons
To know where and how to look for information, to be able to objectively evaluate it and reject false ideas, you need to have certain knowledge and have a broad outlook. The more a person knows, the easier it is for him to understand the issue and the more difficult it is to confuse him and force him to take the wrong path.
It is important to be able to admit your mistakes, be objective and not be led by your prejudices, accept someone else’s opinion and agree with it, even if it contradicts ours, but all the evidence testifies in its favor.
The ability to think outside the box is a competitive advantage for any freelancer. Critical thinking is a way to get ahead and create something truly new. Of course, in many cases you can get by with template solutions, simply following fashion trends, but sometimes this is not enough. In the world of information technology, everything changes so quickly that sometimes there are simply no templates to complete a task, and then you have to “turn on” your brain. The fourth industrial revolution is raging around us, but many people, including freelancers, do not feel it, they are simply rushing along in the rapid information flow along with everyone else.
Meanwhile, last year the World Economic Forum published a very interesting report on the skills that will be in demand in the coming years. The ability to solve complex problems ranked first among the most important skills. Critical thinking skill took fourth place in the ranking. But that was last year. According to experts, by 2020 critical thinking will become the second most important skill for specialists working in the field of information technology. And this is already serious.
What is critical thinking? The Department of Philosophy of the University of Hong Kong defines it as follows: a person with critical thinking should have the following skills, abilities or abilities:
- See logical connections between different ideas
- Be able to evaluate and systematize arguments
- Find inconsistencies and common errors in reasoning
- Determine the importance and relevance of ideas
- Correctly evaluate your own views and beliefs
These six points clearly show how important critical thinking is. These skills help in solving complex problems, promote communication, force you to think logically and enhance creativity. And this is exactly what a successful freelancer needs.
Information Management
We live in an information world and are constantly exposed to new ideas, data or opinions. Constant access to the Internet, a huge number of information flows and the continuous generation of new ideas mean only one thing: you have a large amount of information to analyze, and you need to do something to make sense of it all. This is where critical thinking comes in handy.
Perhaps critical thinking should be seen not as a set of useful skills, but as a way of life. The idea is not new. Siddhartha Gautama, better known as Buddha, spoke about this:
“Don't trust what you've heard; do not trust traditions, as they have been passed on from generation to generation; do not trust anything if it is rumor or majority opinion; do not trust if it is only a record of the saying of some old sage; don't trust guesses; do not trust what you consider to be true, what you are accustomed to; do not trust only the naked authority of your teachers and elders. After observation and analysis, when it agrees with reason and promotes the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live according to it.”
At its core, critical thinking is the path to truth. Following this path, you will have to solve complex problems, come up with unusual ideas and build new connections between different concepts. Critical thinking is a part of our lives, but this skill can be developed and strengthened to become a true expert in our field.
Ask: "Why?"
In critical thinking, the main question is: “Why?” And this question is not as simple as it seems at first glance. Many people tend to accept different opinions, especially if they are supported by at least some authority, as immutable facts. However, a critical thinker does not rely on faith. He is asking. Why, for example, is this presidential candidate better than his opponent? Why is this view mainstream? Where did this information come from? Why is it believed that a certain interpretation of events is correct? On what grounds can such a conclusion be made? Questions, questions and more questions. "Why?" can take many different forms, so don’t deny yourself the pleasure of asking. Sometimes even the most innocent question can completely change the picture of the world, which is certainly useful, especially for creative people.
Everyone had questions about why in childhood, but an adult should not ask this question with the same naivety. However, when communicating with other people or simply in a mental debate, you cannot do without correctly posed questions. This helps in conducting your own research, which is how you can gain a deeper understanding of the issues being discussed. They may not look very complicated when first approached.
Let's take games for example. As a child, everyone played games. But today everyone plays, from young to old. Of course, this is no longer hide and seek, but various video games, if we talk about adults. But the question is: why do people start playing? And not only on the computer, because now, right before our eyes, the popularity of board games is rapidly growing. The history of many board games dates back centuries, so what do people find in them? Questions like these make you see different aspects of a problem and help you find the most effective solutions. You just need to not be afraid to think critically. The answer “board games are popular because they always have been” is the wrong answer. This is formulaic thinking, not critical thinking.
Reading
One of the best ways to develop critical thinking skills is to learn about the lives of other peoples, their habitats, their cultures and their history. It is quite possible to obtain this knowledge; all you need to do is start traveling around the world, but not everyone can afford it. But you can start reading. And the more, the better.
Today on the Internet you can find almost any information on any topic of interest. Not all content presented will be useful, so it is important to be able to work with facts and not trust their interpretation. You need to read a lot and not only what you like. We need to be familiar with other points of view, even if they contradict our philosophical, political or religious beliefs. And it doesn’t matter who said what, a philosopher or the most ordinary person, the truth always remains the truth.
The more a person reads, the more he learns. And the larger the body of knowledge, the easier it is to develop critical thinking skills. There is no need to focus on scientific articles and similar content, fiction is also important: novels, stories, plays also help to understand how other people think and live.
But don't forget about critical thinking while reading. If someone has formalized his thoughts in the form of a book or a policy article on an Internet forum, this does not mean at all that everything that is said there is true.
Forget about multitasking
Modern culture and technology make it easy to multitask. Conventional wisdom says that multitasking allows us to get more done, but science has proven this to be true over and over again. Multitasking distracts a person from the main thing and prevents him from thinking truly seriously. This is the exact opposite of what is needed for critical thinking.
In order to solve a complex problem, you need to fully focus on it, which cannot be achieved by multitasking. Reading, creativity, collaboration, discussion of various issues - all this requires extreme concentration, especially when it comes to achieving a real goal.
If you really need to think about a problem, it's best to get rid of anything that might enable multitasking. Don't check your email. Turn off your cell phone. Close unnecessary browser tabs, especially if they are social media tabs. All this makes it difficult to think. Not only does this prevent you from thinking critically, it prevents you from thinking at all productively.
Many freelancers may not agree with this point of view, well, perhaps someone can manage to think about a complex problem while doing several things at the same time. People are all different, this is quite real. But for most, juggling tasks and thoughtful thinking are incompatible.
Time to Observe
When faced with a problem or the need to come up with a new idea, it is better not to rush off the bat, but to take time to observe. Some things take time to process, especially if past beliefs and experiences conflict with some events or statements. Today, everything changes so quickly that it is easy to get confused by all the diversity of ideas and points of view.
Most people at such moments prefer to retreat “to previously occupied positions”; they do not want to part with their usual way of thinking. But to learn to think critically, you need to be able to observe in order to correctly assess the situation. Sometimes it’s useful to follow the development of a discussion on Facebook for several days in order to form your own opinion on an issue of interest. It is tempting to insist on your point of view, but observation can provide a clearer picture of what is happening.
The modern way of life greatly interferes with reflection. It even seems a little wild: how can you just think without doing anything else? However, focused thinking is one of the best ways to develop critical thinking. In order for your own voice to sound in your head, it is important to drown out all other voices. And this is difficult because there are so many distractions around.
Everyone has their own way of thinking. Some people go for a walk, while others find it easier to concentrate while working with pencil and paper. Any convenient solution will do. The main thing to remember is that for critical thinking it is important to establish connections between ideas. Decide on the direction of thought. Outline the range of issues and identify problems relevant to the task at hand.
This is especially difficult if you imagine that right at the same time thousands of people around the world are thinking about similar ideas. Information flows are seething and there is a desire to simply find a ready-made solution on the Internet. If you want to develop critical thinking skills, you will have to think for yourself. Yeah, that doesn't sound like a productive use of time at all. But this is the only way great ideas emerge. Some people are so lucky that they can generate amazing ideas while working hard on a project. However, many people need silence and solitude. And time. Just to think.
Instead of a conclusion
Everyone can think critically and live effectively. It is not difficult at all and does not require much intelligence at all. Critical thinking is simply a way to think with your own head, questioning any, even the most interesting ideas. Of course, critical thinking won't solve all of a freelancer's problems, but it's a good habit to get into. And the more he thinks, the more effectively he will work, learn, communicate and generate creative ideas.
Every day we are bombarded with a stream of problems that supposedly require immediate solutions. Some turn out to be insignificant, others can really change our lives. To assess the problem, and even more so, to make a responsible decision, you need to weigh all the options and analyze the situation. Critical thinking is an essential skill that is often overlooked. There are techniques that will help develop critical thinking and keep a cool head in the most nervous situations.
What is critical thinking
Critical thinking helps to analyze events or facts and then come to certain conclusions. The main tools are the ability to find cause-and-effect relationships and logic, with the help of which a person forms an objective view of the problem and outlines a path to its solution.
Those with well-developed critical thinking question information and do not take information received on faith. They are able to predict the further course of events, identify patterns, and find connections between objects and phenomena.
Critical thinking is not always related to educational level or intelligence.
A small child who cannot read and write, without much life experience, is able to think freely. Free from stereotypes, children often find a non-trivial and unusual technique for solving problems that adults would not have thought of.
Of course, a certain level of knowledge simplifies the process of critical thinking. For example, to understand whether a device is useful, you need to understand how it works.
It is believed that critical thinking skills are formed and developed constantly. Psychologists argue that special attention should be paid to this process during the period of personality formation and the formation of a life position. Nevertheless, it is possible and necessary to work on critical thinking at any age, fortunately there are enough techniques for this.
Under the influence of parents, children develop a certain worldview and a system of life values. Sometimes everything that was laid down in childhood remains unchanged throughout a person’s life.
Sometimes the “standard” decisions that were taught to be made in the family are not suitable. A person who knows how to think critically is able to see new ways to achieve goals and look for non-standard answers to questions posed.
Why do you need to develop critical thinking?
Critical thinking in professional and everyday life contributes to more accurate and accurate work, helps to separate the important from the unimportant, and solve problems effectively and quickly.
Critical thinking also plays an important role in education.
It will help you learn key ideas from textbooks and sources, draw on various theories, and provide compelling evidence.
In addition, with the help of critical thinking, it is easier to find a common language with other people, not to succumb to provocations in disputes and to avoid other unpleasant situations when communicating with others. Also among the obvious advantages of developed critical thinking are attention to detail and observation, the ability to think analytically in any life situations.
A person who masters critical thinking automatically acquires other important skills. In particular, he is able to convey his thoughts logically, be convincing in his reasoning, correctly interpret data, make the most effective decisions, and so on.
In the modern world, developing critical thinking is especially important. It helps to filter the numerous information that we receive every day from the media, advertising, social networks and in personal communication. To better navigate the information flow and easily distinguish truth from lies, you need to compare and critically evaluate data from different sources.
Simply put, it is better to check the accuracy of the facts more often.
This does not mean that you need to question everything, doubt everything. However, thanks to critical thinking, a person is able to form his own point of view, alternative and independent. He can look at the whole situation, see where he is going wrong, and change his position based on arguments or facts.
Methods for developing critical thinking
The most famous technology for developing critical thinking was developed by American scientists from Northern Iowa. In Russia, the same technique began to be used in 1997. It is called RCMCP - development of critical thinking through reading and writing.
First of all, this technique helps to develop basic thinking skills and apply them in practice. The main channels through which we receive and transmit information are texts (reading and writing).
In accordance with the method of critical thinking, a person must carefully read all materials related to a particular topic, and then analyze the data obtained.
This includes not only written materials, but also speech, video and audio recordings.
The method of developing critical thinking is based on three stages of processing material: challenge, comprehension and reflection.
At the first stage, a person collects all the knowledge that was previously obtained, looks for shortcomings in it and determines whether it is necessary to obtain additional information. At the comprehension stage, analytical work with the text occurs. Compiling tables and keeping diaries can help with this, in which you can note the level of understanding of the information received and specific facts.
At the reflection stage, knowledge reaches a new level and is applied in practice.
At this point, a person can already form his attitude towards the text and discuss it with others during the discussion.
Critical Thinking Techniques
There are a number of critical thinking techniques. Among them, several options for active writing (cluster, table “Z-H-U”), active reading and listening (insert), as well as organizing group work stand out.
Cluster. This is one of the most popular critical thinking techniques today. It is needed in order to visually display the mental processes that occur while working with text.
To use this technique effectively, take a sheet of paper, write down a key word in the text in the center, and then mark similar ideas, images, or facts around it. As they appear, they are connected to the keyword by straight lines. In the course of work, the “satellite words” of the key concept acquire their own “companions”.
As a result, a diagram appears that clearly shows how the thought process took place.
Experts advise writing down everything that comes to mind, building as many different connections as possible, even non-standard ones. The only drawback of this technique is that unnecessary words and information may appear that will interfere with perception and overload the diagram.
"I know. I want to know. Found out" (“Z-H-U”). This is another technique for developing critical thinking. It was developed in 1986 by Chicago professor Donna Ogle.
You need to create a table consisting of three columns. The first one - “I know” - is filled in at the call stage. You can add prior knowledge, hypotheses, or associations there. The second column, “I want to know,” is dedicated to the purposes of learning information. The last part of the table - “Learned” - is filled in after finishing working with the data. This technique helps to better analyze new information in order to be able to subsequently apply it in practice.
Insert. This technique is used while reading a text. Notes are made in the margins in accordance with the researcher's attitude towards the information. Four markers are used for this:
"V"- the researcher knew this before;
«-» - the data contradicts what is already known;
«+» - the researcher has not encountered this data before;
«?» - the information is unclear, more accurate information is needed.
Subsequently, all this is entered into a special table. Using this technique, information can be distributed depending on its value and the experience of the researcher.
All of the technologies mentioned are useful for developing critical thinking.
Everyone can choose the most suitable technique or combine several.
Using critical thinking technology, you can identify and solve problems based on available information, search for and evaluate solutions. In parallel with the development of critical thinking, the entire system of human mental work changes: different points of view no longer cause protest, and alternative ways of solving problems help to live.
