Alaa Y. El-Daly Assistant Lecturer – English Department sinaiuniversity.net INDEX Scientific thinking patterns Slide Definition of thinking patterns Slide Creative thinking Slide Extensive documentation Slide Strong powers of observation Slide Synthesis of information Slide Taking advantage of serendipity Slide Use of technology and resources Slide 3 5 9 11 13 15 17 19 @Sinaiunieg info@su.edu.eg www.su.edu.eg Thinking patterns Everyone thinks; it is our nature to do so. But much of our thinking, left to itself, is biased, distorted, or partial. Yet the quality of our life depends precisely on the quality of our thought. @Sinaiunieg info@su.edu.eg www.su.edu.eg Thinking patterns Shoddy thinking is costly, both in money and in quality of life. Excellence in thought, however, must be systematically cultivated. @Sinaiunieg info@su.edu.eg www.su.edu.eg Thinking patterns Thinking patterns are cognitive models able to approximate the real world and to help us understand the environment we are living in. A thinking pattern is composed of three main functional structures: 1. A knowledge basis, 2. A set of inference rules, 3. A set of fundamental reference values @Sinaiunieg info@su.edu.eg www.su.edu.eg 1. A knowledge basis It contains all the data, information and knowledge one person may have at a certain moment of his life. The more data, information and knowledge one may have the more powerful his thinking model is. @Sinaiunieg info@su.edu.eg www.su.edu.eg 2. A set of inference rules The set of inference rules contains all operations which actually contribute to information and knowledge processing, and decision making. In this step, we use mathematical and logical operations to draw a conclusion and perform any qualitative and quantitative analysis. @Sinaiunieg info@su.edu.eg www.su.edu.eg 3. A set of fundamental reference values A set of fundamental reference values are actually, cultural values specific for a given education which stand up as reference values for any decisions we make. Basic reference values can be changed in time, but it requires a strong motivation, hard work and a stimulating environment. @Sinaiunieg info@su.edu.eg www.su.edu.eg For example: Basic cultural values for an American thinking model might be different than those specific for an European model or a Japanese model. For instance, in the American model some of the most common values are individual working and competitiveness, while in the Japanese model they are team-working and cooperation. @Sinaiunieg info@su.edu.eg www.su.edu.eg 3. A set of fundamental reference values @Sinaiunieg info@su.edu.eg www.su.edu.eg Characteristics of scientific thinker A cultivated scientific thinker: • raises vital scientific questions and problems, • gathers and assesses relevant scientific data • comes to well- reasoned scientific conclusions • thinks open-mindedly within different systems • communicates effectively with others @Sinaiunieg info@su.edu.eg www.su.edu.eg Characteristics of scientific thinker A cultivated scientific thinker is: • self-directed, • self-disciplined, • self-monitored, and • self-corrective @Sinaiunieg info@su.edu.eg www.su.edu.eg Thinking patterns What kind of thinking you do often? @Sinaiunieg info@su.edu.eg www.su.edu.eg 1. Creative Thinking; 2. Extensive Documentation; Types of thinking patterns 3. Strong Powers of Observation; 4. Synthesis of Information; 5. Taking Advantage of Serendipity; 6. Use of Technology @Sinaiunieg info@su.edu.eg www.su.edu.eg Creative thinking is the ability to consider something in a new way. It Types of thinking patterns might be a new approach to a problem, or a new result from a data set. * coming up with new ideas , * thinking outside the box, @Sinaiunieg info@su.edu.eg 1. Creative Thinking www.su.edu.eg There are several skills you’ll need to develop to enjoy the advantages of the creative thinking techniques. Types of thinking patterns Some of the creativity skills may include: • Experimentation • opposing views • asking questions • Communication 1. Creative Thinking • organization @Sinaiunieg info@su.edu.eg www.su.edu.eg Examples: Constructing a research model to test a hypothesis Types of thinking patterns or devising a computer program to automate a billing process. Coming up with new procedures to improve quality or suggesting a way to improve customer service. @Sinaiunieg info@su.edu.eg 1. Creative Thinking www.su.edu.eg Example Sir Isaac Newton Types of thinking patterns To build on the earlier ideas of Galileo on the Nature of the Universe, Newton was faced with the challenge of proving his laws of gravitation. He needed more developed math concepts and they did not exist, so he invented Calculus to work on such issues. His ideas were published in his most famous book Principia @Sinaiunieg info@su.edu.eg 1. Creative Thinking www.su.edu.eg 2. Extensive documentation : Many scientists keep detailed notebooks, drawings and correspondence of comments, suggestions, and revisions of their ideas , lectures and experiments. @Sinaiunieg info@su.edu.eg Types of thinking patterns 2. Extensive documentation www.su.edu.eg Types of thinking patterns Example Sir Isaac Newton Newton kept detailed notebooks, even as a young student. The notebooks were found in a metal box after 200 years. They included over three million words. @Sinaiunieg info@su.edu.eg 2. Extensive documentation www.su.edu.eg 3. Strong Powers of Observation: Is the ability to notice and pay close Types of thinking patterns attention to things. Observation is the collection of certain data or values recorded by any scientific instrument during a scientific activity or experiment. @Sinaiunieg info@su.edu.eg 3. Strong Powers of Observation www.su.edu.eg 3. Strong Powers of Observation: The Observation skills are: Types of thinking patterns * Communication * Emotional intelligence * Critical thinking 3. Strong Powers of Observation * Attention to detail @Sinaiunieg info@su.edu.eg www.su.edu.eg Example Barbara McClintock Barbara McClintock’s intense observation and exceptional ability to read patterns of genes in the chromosomes of kernels of corn led to a Nobel Prize for medicine for the discovery of transposition. McClintock used only the ordinary microscope and observation. @Sinaiunieg info@su.edu.eg Types of thinking patterns 3. Strong Powers of Observation www.su.edu.eg 4. Synthesis of Information: is the process of analyzing and evaluating information from Types of thinking patterns various sources, making connections between the information found, and combining the 4. Synthesis of recently acquired information with prior Information knowledge to create something new. @Sinaiunieg info@su.edu.eg www.su.edu.eg 4. Synthesis of Information: Scientists often support ideas Types of thinking patterns by looking across work in the field and synthesizing it. They work in collaboration, and are open to ideas of others, and communicate 4. Synthesis of Information effectively with colleagues. @Sinaiunieg info@su.edu.eg www.su.edu.eg Example Jones Salk Types of thinking patterns Salk brought together a series of findings of other scientists while working with Thomas Francis Jr., developing an influenza vaccination. 4. Synthesis of Information Along with other scientists, he focused on three strains of the polio virus. @Sinaiunieg info@su.edu.eg www.su.edu.eg 5. Taking Advantage of Serendipity: Serendipity helps to create unplanned and unintended, but remarkable innovative value by taking advantage of unanticipated, unexpected and unsought information and make accidental discoveries. @Sinaiunieg info@su.edu.eg Types of thinking patterns 5. Taking Advantage of Serendipity www.su.edu.eg 5. Taking Advantage of Serendipity: Types of thinking patterns Many discoveries happened while scientists were looking for something else, Not all science is explored solely by controlled 5. Taking Advantage of Serendipity experiments. @Sinaiunieg info@su.edu.eg www.su.edu.eg Example Sir Isaac Newton Types of thinking patterns Newton saw an apple fall from a tree and reasoned that a force must have pulled the apple to the ground. He saw a connection between this force and the orbit of the moon around the earth. @Sinaiunieg info@su.edu.eg 5. Taking Advantage of Serendipity www.su.edu.eg 6. Use of Technology : Types of thinking patterns Scientists used the techniques available at the time (the internet, email, word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, electronic databases, robots and artificial intelligence) and had a vision of what was 6. Use of Technology to come. @Sinaiunieg info@su.edu.eg www.su.edu.eg Example Leonardo da Vinci Types of thinking patterns Da Vinci lived at a very enlightened time in Florence and had several wealthy patrons. Leonardo was fascinated with the latest inventions of his time and if the technology was not available he imagined what could be used @Sinaiunieg info@su.edu.eg 6. Use of Technology www.su.edu.eg THANK YOU For any questions feel free to contact me by mail Alaa.eshaq@su.edu.eg Alaa Y. El-Daly Assistant Lecturer – English Department
