Critical Thinking Course

Critical Thinking Course

Course Description

Critical Thinking Course provides training in identifying support structures, perspectives, and arguments. Additionally, you will learn to critically evaluate the advantages and the disadvantages of a proposed plan or an action. Thus, the facilitator will guide you to make the right decisions for the first time. Learn the difference between the left brain and correct brain thinking. Remove the emotions from decision making, evaluate both sides of an argument, and critical questioning skills.

Critical thinking is not a matter of accumulating information. A person with good memory and who knows a lot of facts is not necessarily good at critical thinking. A critical thinker can deduce consequences from what he knows. He knows how to use the information to solve problems and seek relevant sources of information to inform himself.

Critical thinking should not be confused with being argumentative or critical of other people. Although critical thinking skills can expose fallacies and flawed reasoning, critical thinking can play an important role in cooperative reasoning and constructive tasks. Critical thinking can help us acquire knowledge, improve our theories, and strengthen arguments. We can use critical thinking to enhance work processes and improve social institutions.

Critical thinking course involves several processes, including identifying and evaluating specific situations and being aware of any contributing circumstances and the possible results of your actions or plans. To think critically, it is also essential to consider various perspectives (yours and others) to identify the resources available to you and evaluate the short and long-term effects of taking a particular action.

Course Objectives

• Explore real-world examples of why critical thinking is so essential in business
• Learn to use critical thinking skills when making business decisions
• Choose the right techniques to recognize assumptions and draw conclusions
• Translate an abstract idea into something tangible
• Minimize the impact of job pressures on your thinking processes
• React with curiosity instead of emotion
• Get a road map for developing your critical thinking skills

Course Modules

Lesson 1 – Course Overview

• Introduction

Lesson 2 – Understanding Critical Thinking

• What is Critical Thinking?
• Characteristics of a Critical Thinker
• Common Critical Thinking Styles
• Small-Group Work
• Developing Your Critical Thinking Skills

Lesson 3 – Where Do Other Types of Thinking Fit In?

• Left and Right Brain Thinking
• Whole-Brain Thinking

Lesson 4 – Pitfalls to Reasoned Decision Making

• Getting Over the Barriers
• Debrief
• Morning Wrap-Up
• Energizer: Puzzle Paradise

Lesson 5 – The Critical Thinking Process

• Critical Thinking Model
• The Standards of Critical Thinking
• Identifying the Issues
• Identifying the Arguments
• Clarifying the Issues and Arguments
• Establishing Context
• Checking Credibility and Consistency
• Evaluating Arguments
• Case Study

Lesson 6 – A Critical Thinker’s Skill Set

• Asking Questions
• Probing
• Pushing My Buttons
• Critical Thinking Questions
• Active Listening Skills

Lesson 7 – Creating Explanations

• Defining Explanations
• Steps to Building an Explanation
• Small-Group Work

Lesson 8 – Dealing with Assumptions

• Understanding assumptions
• When are assumptions useful
• Critically evaluate assumptions

Lesson 9 – Common Sense

• Reflecting on common sense
• Is it ‘common’?

Lesson 10 – Critical and Creative Thought Systems

• Tips for Thinking Creatively
• Creative Thinking Exercise
• De Bono’s Thinking Hats

Lesson 11 – Putting It into Practice

• Presenting and Communicating Your Ideas to Others
• Pre-Assignment Preparation
• Presentations