Critical Thinking Application
“Critical thinking is the mode of thinking-about any subject, content, or problem-in which the thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking by skillfully analyzing, assessing, and reconstructing it” (Paul and Elder, 2006,p6). To master this skill, one must be aware of this style of thinking. People are not just born with this capability. Individuals must become aware of this process, educate themselves, and choose to adopt this behavior as part of their lifestyle. Critical thinking is a deeper more thought out process of decision-making and planning. This process involves an investigation to weigh all options and to make an educated final decision. Daily activities, such as work require critical thinking. One personal example I have that qualifies for this thinking process involves the decision to accept a work related promotion.
There are several obvious benefits to utilizing the critical thinking process. One of the primary benefits is that this style improves the overall quality of thinking of an individual. One must think deeper about a topic at hand versus just making a quick decision. This will force the individual to evaluate all angles of the topic before jumping into a decision, as an untrained and unaware person may be tempted to do. Another benefit of utilizing this thinking process is that, if used correctly it will improve the individual’s overall intellect. Again, it will force the person to do some investigation. Therefore, this process will assist with finding a deeper knowledge of the subject. This also ties into the next benefit of this thinking process, which is being better prepared for t ...