Author Question: A trainer working with business professionals urges that everyone should consciously try to apply ... (Read 82 times)

vinney12 · **on:** Jun 19, 2018

A trainer working with business professionals urges that everyone should consciously try to apply their critical thinking skills to workplace problems

The trainer focuses on teaching how to analyze information, present well-reasoned arguments, and evaluate what others have to say in a fair-minded and respectful way. The trainer motivates the business professionals by telling them that they are not beginning from scratch and that they need strong critical thinking not only at work but in all the other aspects of their lives, whenever they need to decide in a reasoned and reflective way what to believe or what to do. Explain the trainer is correct.

What will be an ideal response

Question 2

A professor intent on teaching for critical thinking uses exercises that require students to consider the possible merits of ideas or points of view that they may find unsettling or jarring

The professor argues that such teaching practices are essential to develop one's ability to think critically. Based on your understanding on ways to improve one's critical thinking, explain why the professor is correct.

What will be an ideal response

alexisweber49 · **Reply #1 on:** Jun 19, 2018

Answer to Question 1

The trainer is correct in saying that people use critical thinking in their everyday life. Every day we all make decisions about what to believe or what to do. When we are being reflective and fair-minded about doing so, we are using our critical thinking skills. The idea behind a critical thinking course is to help us strengthen these skills and fortify our intentions to use them when the occasion arises. If that is true, then there probably is room for improvementjust as with other things we do that we may not have formally studied. But we are not starting from zero. We have critical thinking skills, even if we have not yet refined them to their maximum potential. We know what it means to be open-minded and to take a systematic and objective look at an issue. We are familiar with the ordinary English meanings of common words for talking about thinking such as interpret, analyze, infer, explain, reason, conclusion, fallacy, and argument. And, in a broad sense, we can often tell the difference between strong reasoning and weak reasoning, even if we do not yet know all the details or terminology. These examples indicate that we are not novices at critical thinking.

Answer to Question 2

There is convincing scientific evidence that students can improve their critical thinking. It is essential for students to engage issues and topics that can be unsettling or jarring because thinking carefully about difficult topics and troubling questions often makes us stronger critical thinkers. Just like with sports or music, those who skip practice should not expect to perform at their best when it really matters. Those who are so close-minded that they cannot entertain hypotheticals that diverge from their own opinions will find progress in critical thinking difficult. But the rest of us can expect many interesting and enjoyable opportunities to exercise each of our critical thinking skills and to strengthen our critical thinking habits of mind.