Critical+Thinking

1. Introduction
Critical thinking is an approach to thinking about a topic or a problem, in which you examine different perspectives, to see which are better, more useful, or more appropriate for what you have in mind. In the process of examining these different perspectives, you also need to explore where those perspectives come from, and how your own point of view informs how you see things. There are many kinds of perspectives, or ways of looking at events and issues. They may be based in tradition, culture, scientific method, professional rules and regulations, personal or social histories, or a combination of more than one of these.

When you have arrived at an appreciation of different perspectives on a topic, and an awareness of the basis for those perspectives, you can then come to a **critically informed** view on the matter: a view that is aware of, and is informed by, the different possible ways of thinking about the issue, and the different ways in which different groups of people (including the groups you belong to!) think about the issue.

perspectives: pop up box link …


 * ==Perspectives==

Different perspectives are different ways of looking at things and events, or different points of view. Each one is based in different professional practices, different histories and different cultures.

Even within one profession you may distinguish many different perspectives. For example, nurses, patients, doctors and the new ‘health managers’ and ‘bed managers’ often see things a bit differently, as do policemen, judges, prison warders, solicitors and probation officers. ||

We will use some examples to explore some different ways of thinking, each with its own perspective:
 * 2. Exploring Different Perspectives **


 * Useful Links [|Gordonstoun] school ||


 * 2.1 Cold showers are good for you. **

Lets take a well known scenario… A famous school, such as Gordonstoun in Scotland, enrolls a number of young boys. As part of their education they are required to take a cold shower each morning, right through the year. Girls are now enrolled too, but presumably they are not required to take their showers cold.


 * ===== Activity: Cold Showers =====

Ask a few people what they think of the idea that cold showers are good for you, and why. Ask them to be brief!

You might like to describe the context in some detail. (You might find that this practice is no longer the case at Gordonstoun, but that’s not the issue here).

Write down two or three people’s responses, and try to explain what **different kinds** of arguments you think they are using to support their views. Ask people if there are ‘cultural’ or ‘scientific’ reasons why cold showers are thought to be good for you, and on what basis they would allow girls to have hot water in their showers, or not.

Post each quote, with its explanation, to the **Cold Showers** discussion. And comment on at least one other person’s posting. ||


 * 2.2 Sharing the Experience? **

So, critical thinking requires us to look at things differently. Lets explore an example of how we can think creatively about this issue, which will open up new perspectives, and engage us in different ways of thinking about it.


 * = Activity: Sharing the Experience =

The next scenario is that the Governors of the school have decided that both girls and boys must take cold showers as they are, in their view, commendably character forming and besides, it would be discriminatory to only require one gender to forego their hot water.

Describe a creative way of getting the girls to willingly take cold showers. You can use your imagination, but keep it clean.

Post your ideas to the Sharing the Experience discussion, in no more than 100 words, and briefly describe how you came up with your creative ideas, and what new or different perspectives you engaged in your attempts to solve this problem. ||

To think critically is to be aware of different perspectives, and how your own personal, professional and cultural ways of thinking relate to them. But its not just thinking about different points of view, its also about taking up a point of view, once you are aware of all of the related issues.
 * 2.3 Evaluating Different Perspectives**

In other words, thinking critically leads into acting critically: or acting in a critically informed way.

But first we need to explore how we decide which perspective is best, and how do we evaluate and choose between what different perspectives have to say on the same issue?

Lets take another look at our examples and discussions so far …


 * ====Activity: Evaluating Different Perspectives====

It is probably clear from the examples and discussions that there are a number of different ways of looking at the same event or issue. Even within the same perspective, its possible to argue in favour of, or against cold showers. Differences between perspectives can be even larger. For instance, from the perspective of a ‘tough’ culture cold showers are character forming, but from the perspective of a human rights culture they could be both discriminatory and punitive.

And the scientific basis for what at first appear to be a ‘rational’ argument is often questionable. Two questions arise from this:


 * 1) Within a cultural perspective, on what basis would you decide which argument or point of view you would agree with? Who would be likely to agree or disagree with you, and why?


 * 1) Within a scientific perspective, how would you decide which argument you would agree with? Would someone else be likely to come to the same conclusion, and why?

Write a brief response to the issue of deciding between


 * Cultural arguments, [or]
 * Scientific arguments [or]
 * Between a scientific and a cultural argument.

Post you responses to the Deciding Factors discussion, in no more than 200 words. Comment on at least one other person’s posting. ||


 * 3. ** ** Developing Critical Thinking **

Critical thinking is key to your professional development. It is, as we have said, an ongoing process, which you use to develop your awareness of different perspectives on issues. You can approach this in two ways:

· Starting from the concepts · Starting from practice.

This is what we have been exploring in the previous parts of this section. This can be summarised in four steps:
 * 3.1 Starting from the concepts **

To which we could add a fifth phase:

5. What does this mean in terms of the particular role I see myself occcupying now, and aspiring to in the future, in terms of my identity as a practitioner/ professional in my field?

and so on ....


 * 3.2 Starting from practice **

Critical thinking is about taking a fresh and open view on an issue, and developing your own awareness of it, and of the views of others including, importantly, your own profession. We can do this, as we have done so far, by starting with the concepts. But we can equally well start by observing actual practice in your field.

Professional practice is messy and full of surprises and challenges. So how can you make sense of it as a **‘critical practitioner?** In brief, by:

· Observing, and building up a record of the evidence.

· Reflecting on how your own views and perspectives inform what you see, and how you see it. · Exploring the theories, research, and policies and procedures in your field, and reflecting on how these ideas might help you make sense of the evidence, and help you to plan how to deal with the issues before you.

We will explore some examples in your field. Work through the activities one at a time, and complete each activity before you proceed to the next one. Avoid reading other people’s postings before you have posted your own.

You will have 3 days for each activity and discussion.

Watch the video [link to short video] and observe carefully. Describe what is happening, and who and what is involved. Write this up in a maximum of 250 words. Indicate what you think are the most important events.
 * Activity: Observation**

Post this to the Observations discussion board, and comment on at least two other people’s observations. Look out for the interesting differences between what you and others observe, and try to reach an understanding with them as to why your observations differ.

Activity: Assumptions
Revisit your own observations, and if you need to, review the video.

Reflect on the assumptions that informed your observations.

What did you assume about:

· The context: what series of events, or circumstances did you assume preceded or generated the events you observed?

· The people: what did you assume about who the people were in the events?

· Intentions and consequences: what did you assume were the intentions of the people in the events, and what did you think was most likely to happen next?

List the most interesting assumptions you brought to your observations, and briefly discuss how these influenced what you observed.

Post your thoughts to the Assumptions discussion, and see if you can find common ground with others on the types of assumptions you made, and the ways in which your assumptions influenced your observations.

Revisit two aspects of the events you have observed, and explore some of the theoretical and professional perspectives and theories in your field (which you will find in the Useful Links and the See also … boxes in the right hand column) to see what they might contribute to your interpretation of these two aspects you have chosen.
 * Activity: Perspectives**

Write up your conclusions on the two aspects you have chosen, indicating which other perspectives you have taken into account, in arriving at your ‘critically informed’ view of the matter. Post these to the Perspectives discussion.

Comment on other conclusions, and see if you can find common ground with one or two others, to start to build up a ‘professional consensus’ on the events, and what should be done next.