Chapter 7
THINKING
Why
How
• The ability to think
creatively and critically
helps you succeed in
any course.
• Skim this
chapter for three
techniques you’d
like to try this
week.
What if…
• I could could solve
problems more creatively
and make decisions with
more confidence?
What
• Power Process:
Embrace the New
• Fifteen common
mistakes in logic
• 4 ways to solve
problems
• Service Learning
©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
EMBRACE THE NEW
• “What if that were true?”
• “How could we make that
idea work?”
• “What could we do
differently this time?”
Are you open to
unfamiliar ideas
and
experiences?
©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
©2015
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EMBRACE THE NEW
Power Up Now
Flex your Creative and Critical Thinking –
• Think of three outlandish claims (maybe something
said by a conspiracy theorist or an alien believer, or
a tall tale) and discuss with a partner, asking:
• “What if that were true?”
• “How might that be true?”
• “Would I change in my beliefs if this were
true?”
©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
©2015
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A PROCESS FOR
CRITICAL THINKING
©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
©2015
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CHECK YOUR
ATTITUDES
• Be willing to find various points of view
on any issue.
• Practice tolerance.
• Understand before criticizing.
• Watch for hot spots.
• Be willing to be uncertain.
©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
©2015
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CHECK FOR
•
•
•
•
•
•
LOGIC
Define key terms.
Look for assertions.
Look for arguments.
Remember the power of assumptions.
Look for stated assumptions.
Look for unstated assumptions.
©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
©2015
6
CHECK FOR
EVIDENCE
• Look carefully at the evidence used to
support arguments:
• Facts
• Experts in a field
• Examples
©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
©2015
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15 COMMON MISTAKES IN LOGIC
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Jumping to conclusions
Attacking the person
Appealing to authority
Pointing to a false cause
Thinking in all-or-nothing terms
Basing arguments on emotion
Faulty analogy
Creating a straw man
Begging the question
Confusing fact and opinion
Creating a red herring
Appealing to tradition
Appealing to “the people”
Distracting from the real issue
Sliding a slippery slope
©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
©2015
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THINK CRITICALLY
ABOUT INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET
•Distinguish between ideas and information
•Look for overall quality.
•Look at the source.
•Look for documentation.
•Set an example.
©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
©2015
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4 WAYS TO SOLVE PROBLEMS
Experiment with the four Ps
• Define the problem
• Generate possibilities
• Create a plan
• Perform your plan
©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
©2015
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4 WAYS TO SOLVE PROBLEMS
WHY?
• Why is one solution
more workable than
another?
HOW?
• How would this possible
solution work?
WHAT?
• What is the problem?
WHAT IF?
• What if there are several
possible solutions?
©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
©2015
THINKING ABOUT YOUR MAJOR
• Discover options
• Make a trial choice
• Evaluate trial choice
• Choose again
©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
©2015
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SERVICE LEARNING:
TURN THINKING INTO CONTRIBUTION
Getting the most from service-learning
• Follow your interests
• Choose partners carefully
• Learn about the organization
• Handle logistics
• Include ways to evaluate your project
• Build long-term impact into your project
• Build transferable skills
• Make use of mistakes
• Connect service-learning to critical thinking
©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
©2015
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