Thinking Matters Critical Thinking As Creative Problem Solving

The ancient Roman orator Horace (65 B.C.-8 B.C.) wrote, 'Control your mind or it will control you.' In today's society we are faced with more information, and more complex information, than ever. Faced with making decisions, we can feel overwhelmed and helpless. One way to become less helpless — to gain control over our lives — is to gain control over our own thinking. We can feel helpless when faced with this barrage of information, opinions, data, and conflicting arguments if we lack the skills to quickly grasp and critically evaluate them. This book is designed to impart these kinds of skills.Any course in a university should do more than teach information — in nearly every field, 'facts' become obsolete quickly. The goals of Thinking Matters are to help you: The text is punctuated with exercises or 'personal experiments' to challenge and stimulate your curiosity. These exercises may take the form of an inventory to be taken, a puzzle to be solved, or some thoughts to ponder.The first module Thinking Matters: Critical Thinking as Creative Problem Solving introduces the student to all the above topics — logic, probability, argument forms and fallacies, ethical reasoning, algorithms, and computational thinking — through logic puzzles and games and mathematical magic tricks.

The ancient Roman orator Horace (65 B.C.-8 B.C.) wrote, "Control your mind or it will control you." In today's society we are faced with more information, and more complex information, than ever. Faced with making decisions, we can feel overwhelmed and helpless. One way to become less helpless - to gain control over our lives - is to gain control over our own thinking. We can feel helpless when faced with this barrage of information, opinions, data, and conflicting arguments if we lack the skills to quickly grasp and critically evaluate them. This book is designed to impart these kinds of skills. Any course in a university should do more than teach information - in nearly every field, 'facts' become obsolete quickly. The goals of Thinking Matters are to help you: to be more creative, fluid, and perceptive in solving problems; to identify the implicit premises, fallacies, or moral principles that are presupposed in the arguments of others; to be able to advocate for what you believe by effectively refuting opposing arguments and presenting persuasive arguments of your own; to understand the logic of scientific testing to distinguish between science and pseudo-science; to develop your own style and intuitive powers of logical deduction, probabilistic reasoning, and computational thinking. The text is punctuated with exercises or 'personal experiments' to challenge and stimulate your curiosity. These exercises may take the form of an inventory to be taken, a puzzle to be solved, or some thoughts to ponder. The first module Thinking Matters: Critical Thinking as Creative Problem Solving introduces the student to all the above topics - logic, probability, argument forms and fallacies, ethical reasoning, algorithms, and computational thinking - through logic puzzles and games and mathematical magic tricks.

Creative ability in business.

Is your life in the right direction? Are you in control of your destiny? How our lives go depends on how we think? Shoddy thinking usually creates more problems that you don't anticipate. On the other hand, critical thinking is like an avenue for endless possibilities. We use it in managing businesses, budgeting, deciding whether to proceed with plans or not, and even in simple things like knowing the appropriate words to say in a particular situation. Critical thinking brings about excellent resolutions to problems, yet, it needs to be developed so that it can work, which requires you to have a sound strategy for success. It is important to bear in mind the fact that your own brain is unique: after you will read this pages you will learn what you need to do in terms of exercises, in order to keep your brain elastic and working in a logical manner. This book has been carefully written with the aim to handle the shortcomings that face the thinking process. What will you meet in this book? 6 Simple Steps for Solving All Your Problems 4 Sure-Fire and Lifesaver Skills for Decision Making Several Traits of Critical Thinkers you Should Imitate Useful and Effective Skills for Problem Solving Why Logic is the Most Crucial Skill you Need to Develop as a Critical Thinker Personal Decision-Making Styles that Seem to be Tailormade for You How to Win an Argument Obstacles Facing Critical Thinking How to Tackle Your Challenges Problem Solving Exercises to Boost Critical Thinking Skills Every person on this planet has problems. Now, many of us sit back, close our eyes, and hope that our problems will go away on their own. But they don't. In order to solve your problems, you are going to have to think about them in a critical manner. Pick those problems apart. Look for solutions. Look for ways you can use aspects of the problem to your own advantage. Think about the problem personally, and independently. Advice from others is great, but at the end of the day, it is still your problem, and you are the one that is left to deal with it while it is there and ultimately solve it. Critical thinking is the one aspect you are going to use most in your life if you want to take your life from something that is just plain and simple, to the next level. So what can stop you? Buy your copy of this book!

Train your brain for better decisions, problem solving, and innovation Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills is the comprehensive guide to training your brain to do more for you. Written by a critical thinking trainer and coach, the book presents a pragmatic set of tools to apply critical thinking techniques to everyday business issues. Think Smarter is filled with real world examples that demonstrate how the tools work in action, in addition to dozens of practice exercises applicable across industries and functions, Think Smarter is a versatile resource for individuals, managers, students, and corporate training programs. Thinking is the foundation of everything you do, but we rely largely on automatic thinking to process information, often resulting in misunderstandings and errors. Shifting over to critical thinking means thinking purposefully using a framework and toolset, enabling thought processes that lead to better decisions, faster problem solving, and creative innovation. Think Smarter provides clear, actionable steps toward improving your critical thinking skills, plus exercises that clarify complex concepts by putting theory into practice. Features include: A comprehensive critical thinking framework Over twenty-five "tools" to help you think more critically Critical thinking implementation for functions and activities Examples of the real-world use of each tool Learn what questions to ask, how to uncover the real problem to solve, and mistakes to avoid. Recognize assumptions your can rely on versus those without merit, and train your brain to tick through your mental toolbox to arrive at more innovative solutions. Critical thinking is the top skill on the wish list in the business world, and sharpening your ability can have profound affects throughout all facets of life. Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills provides a roadmap to more effective and productive thought.

For Parents and Teachers! The parent and teacher section defines who capable kids are, the problems and needs they face, and the many ways parents and teachers can help them develop coping strategies. Topics include the definition of giftedness, emotional development, social development, moral development, perfectionism, boredom, drug and alcohol abuse, eating disorders, family functioning, and much more. Extensive and current reference and resource listings are included.

Originally published in 1990, this title attempts to provide for the educational practitioner an overview of a field that responded in the 1980s to a major educational agenda. This innovative ‘agenda’ called for teaching students in ways that dramatically improved the quality of their thinking. Its context is a variety of changes in education that brought the explicit teaching of thinking to the consciousness of more and more teachers and administrators.