Here is a course to help you enhance your critical thinking...
Recently Laura de Molière was interviewed and said that one of the biggest challenges to facing behavioral science graduates was that (and for that matter many other industries) "we’re...mass-producing behavioural scientists without always equipping them with adaptable skills. I’ve seen too many absolutely brilliant graduates come out of master’s programs with very similar skill sets, but not much critical thinking. It’s frustrating - they’re being boxed in by the narrowness of the field."
I can really resonate with what Laura said - and I think this issue of critical thinking is accelerating given the fact that more and more work is being outsourced to AI based tools - where people want the quick answer and not be too bothered if they are even asking the right question.
To help us, we all need to get better and be better at critical thinking.
So what is critical thinking anyways?
As per Monash University
"Critical thinking is a kind of thinking in which you question, analyse, interpret, evaluate and make a judgement" It applies to things we do every day like -> what people say, what they mean and how we might respond to those things.
"The term critical comes from the Greek word kritikos meaning “able to judge or discern”. Good critical thinking is about making reliable judgements based on reliable information."
Paul and Elder (2001) also have their version : "Critical thinking is that mode of thinking – about any subject, content, or problem..in which the thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking by skillfully taking charge of the structures inherent in thinking and imposing intellectual standards upon them.
Paul and Elder also give some examples of what the characteristics of a good critical thinker are:
- Raise vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly and precisely -Gather and assess relevant information, using abstract ideas to interpret it effectively -Come to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them against relevant criteria and standards; -Think open-mindedly within alternative systems of thought, recognizing and assessing, as need be, their assumptions, implications, and practical consequences; and -Communicate effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems
In our client projects at Aim For Behavior we apply critical thinking because when you are dealing with change and complexity you need to account for it, work hard at it and keep learning and practising it.
So in this new year, why not upskill yourself with some critical thinking...
The course can be found on coursera - or let me know and can pass the link..