Do I Engage in Critical Thinking? Do I Engage in Critical Thinking? Lac Khai, Sam TEC 430 001 SP2021 - PROJECT LEADERSHIP Illinois State University DO I ENGAGE IN CRITICAL THINKING? DO I ENGAGE IN CRITICAL THINKING? Critical thinking sounds easy, but as human being, people usually make a decision based on what they think is right in their own opinion Therefore, when people could think critically, they tend to achieve a better outcome for their verdict In order to answer the question “Do I Engage in Critical Thinking?”, I would like to first examine whether I am a Critical Thinker Being said that, in this essay, Critical Thinking idea will be defined by combining some characteristics of a Critical Thinker, then based on my personal experiences and knowledge, the conclusion would be my answer to the above question According to Mind Tools Content Team, Critical Thinking is the discipline of using information, experience, observation, and reasoning thoroughly and skillfully to guide your decisions, actions and beliefs It is true to say that exploring alternative possibilities, having a desire to stay informed and accurate, and managing the emotions in order not to interfere with our decisions or actions are key things to apply successfully critical thinking Besides that, I also learnt that there are 14 practical skill areas that illustrate a high level of critical thinking, which are: Gather Information, Observe, Infer, Rationalize, Reflect, Create, Classify and Sequence, Compare and Contrast, Analyze Cause and Effect, Synthesize, Evaluate, Predict, Prioritize, And Summarize Additionally, critical thinkers also possess a few characteristics as a result, and it would also help strengthen critical thinking skill including: DO I ENGAGE IN CRITICAL THINKING? - Curiosity: continuously craving for new ideas and insights, being curious about everything and asking questions other people also have are the most typical characteristic of a critical thinker - Humility: it is undeniable that self-aware is definitely one of the features of a critical thinker, they know exactly that their beliefs and ideas might not always be the best, and that they cannot know everything; consequently, they often spend more time looking for the best answer - Investigation: digging into a topic is a way for this type of people to be closer to the answer they looking for - Active Listening: obviously, they always participate in conversation or discussion to ask questions that will allow them to distinguish facts from assumptions - Objectivity: having their judgement not affected by personal emotions, and staying focused on the goal are features that can be found in a critical thinker - Creativity: without any biases or opinions allows them to think freely and mainly look for the ideas which would naturally arise help them successfully make the decision for plausible options or outcomes From my personal standpoint, I significantly realized that writing reflective essays for some classes in University is actually a way of critical thinking practice A reflective writing intervention has really helped me DO I ENGAGE IN CRITICAL THINKING? enhance critical thinking skill which has been empirically proven by some developments that I earned it throughout the last half-semester As a new student in the business filed, lacking of the skill of critical thinking made me struggled a lot; however, thanks to the reflective essays, I could have the chances to reflect critically when I review materials, examine my bias, compare theories with my own experiences, then search for causes and identify problems at their core to entail the best solution To be able to develop good ideas, I have to force myself to remove my own prejudice thinking, and use critical questions to analyze the issue, then organize and state final argument about what I learnt As the result, the essay could be obviously written for my instructor and reader understand the main idea that I learnt At this point, I have applied the technique of thinking critically as I can see that I was curious to find the correct direction for each question, selfawareness for a better answer than mine, and investigating problems to reflectively analyze its root to have an understandable outcome, then being creative to effectively suggest plausible options for the matters As stated above, Curiosity, Humility, Investigation, Creativity are some features that I meaningfully recognize that I have got while involving critical thinking that made me a thinker of critical way as far as I understand In my humble opinion, this type of thinking ability is essential to lead people to develop judgement, evaluation and problem-solving abilities Therefore, learning critical thinking skill cannot only enhance my academic performance, but also my development of working in any sector DO I ENGAGE IN CRITICAL THINKING? To briefly recapitulate, it is true to say that “We make hundreds of decisions every day and, whether we realize it or not, we’re all critical thinkers.” (Mind Tools Content Team) By rational managing necessary changes by applying step by step when I first start to write a reflective essay, I could develop a critical way of thinking for a better essay time after time I personally find that it can be applied in any aspect of life due to its amazing benefits Thus, this skill is really an essential skill for everyone in any situation, not only in the workplace but also in personal life ... classes in University is actually a way of critical thinking practice A reflective writing intervention has really helped me DO I ENGAGE IN CRITICAL THINKING? enhance critical thinking skill which.. .DO I ENGAGE IN CRITICAL THINKING? Critical thinking sounds easy, but as human being, people usually make a decision based on what they think is right in their own opinion Therefore,... a Critical Thinker Being said that, in this essay, Critical Thinking idea will be defined by combining some characteristics of a Critical Thinker, then based on my personal experiences and knowledge,