Critical Thinking

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         Critical thinking is essential not only to academics but to professionals; analyzing the small details as well as the larger picture. The Human Services Program showed me that although I may have my own ideas or opinions on topics, I must think more deeply and look at the issue from all sides.

         Critical thinking has eight categories: clarity, accuracy, precision, relevance, breadth, logic, significance, and fairness. These can then be combined into three smaller categories. Clarity, accuracy, and precision are displayed in the program evaluation my group did of the Max Higbee Center. My section was to compile the data from the surveys we collected. In addition to making a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and graphs, I was also charged with explaining the population and how we gathered our data (See Appendix B). It was important to give only the facts and accurately display who we surveyed – so as not to over-exaggerate the surveyed population (CSHSE Standard 15).

         Relevance and significance can be joined as they both display the importance of the information one is presenting. Through my literature review in Research Methods, the review was not based on supporting a position but on presenting facts for a specific topic (See Appendix K). While researching this assignment, it was important to look at many different facets of domestic violence and children: identifying what children living in these situations experience and feel through scholarly articles. Similar to the literature review was the needs assessment through Program Planning and Evaluation (See Appendix L). This one was done on parents talking with their children about sex and although children did not always feel comfortable opening that subject up with parents how much they really wanted to.  Again, finding research that gave a representation of how this subject was important in today’s culture and why it was significant, helped me develop my critical thinking skills.

         The final three – breadth, logic, and depth – go together because when thinking critically, one needs to have the big-picture view regarding the desired topic. An excellent example of this is the logic model (See Appendix C).  It shows knowledge of the problem that is at hand from the perspective of today, the near future and the long-term goals. When reviewing the issue of gang violence, my partner and I had to understand what the needs are today, who needed to be involved in the change, come up with strategies to make the change occur, and what the ultimate goals were. By doing this we were able to see the issue from many perspectives, some we had never seen before.

        As one can see, the course work I have completed has helped me gain all eight aspects of critical thinking. I can know take this knowledge and relate it to the field I will be working in. 


For more information on Critical Thinking and to see where I found these eight categories go to:
Foundation for Critical Thinking


Reference
Foundation for Critical Thinking. (2007). To analyze thinking we must identify and question it elemental structures. Retrieved May 21, 2010, from http://www.criticalthinking.org/CTmodel/CTModel1.cfm.