Enhancing Critical Thinking Skills: A Student's Journey
School
Athabasca University, Athabasca**We aren't endorsed by this school
Course
PHIL 252
Subject
Arts & Humanities
Date
Dec 11, 2024
Pages
3
Uploaded by BaronShark1835
Assignment 1: Am I a Critical Thinker?Part A: Where Am I Now? When I hear the words “critical thinker”, I think of a creative thinker. A creative thinker is one who has taken their time to learn the facts by asking questions and using logic to figure out complicated issues. They form their opinions based on facts and are considered open-minded to different perspectives when new facts are presented. My understanding of critical thinking stems from the people I am surrounded by and their ability to demonstrate critical thinking skills. They have provided me the opportunity to practice critical thinking skills by encouraging debating andeffective problem solving. Additionally, with the help of their knowledge, it has helped broaden my perspectives. For example, when I am about to purchase something that is expensive, I use my critical thinking skills to determine the best course of action. One way I demonstrate this is by evaluating what my needs are, doing my research, and comparing it to other similar products to figure out my final decision. Based on my research, I will make a well-informed decision that considers quality and cost effectiveness. As a student pursuing accounting as a profession, critical thinking skills would improve the ability to audit clients. Auditing requires critical thinking due to the potential of discrepancies, complex financial data, and providing effective recommendations.Part B: Where Am I Going? My definition of a critical thinker has not changed; however, it has broadened my perspective about what it means to think critically, such as learning the facts and making judgements about it. Dayton & Rodier (2024, p.6) describe critical thinking “…as a process that can be evaluated for reasonableness” which suggest that critical thinking is more than just
thinking as it involves rationally questioning, examining, and assessing before forming judgements. Furthermore, to criticize means “to evaluate by offering reasonings” (p.13) hence criticism means to understand, which can be accomplished by analyzing carefully, giving reasonsin support of an analysis and lastly, making a reasoned judgement as criticism is a constructive process. I would describe myself as a critical thinker because when there is an opportunity to question or make judgement about information being provided, it is important to do so. However, my understanding of critical thinking also means that it should never cross the boundaries of “…respect, tolerance, diversity, culture, land, and so on” (p.14) hence, I was able to discover what else makes me a critical thinker as Dayton and Rodier describe that critical thinking also includes “…carefully selecting rules for finding truth that are appropriate for a context, place, and time.” Part C: Goal SettingThe reason that I decided to take this course was because as a critical thinker, I wanted the opportunity to learn about how to effectively and critically make arguments. To do so, the goal I have set for myself to complete this course is in four months. I did this by critically thinking about how long each task will take, how many days and/or hours I can dedicate to it andthe amount of time it may take for feedback. By doing this, I am able to meet my goals and feel accomplished. Critical thinking requires reasonableness therefore, if a task at hand is unfamiliar and requires further understanding, I will check their office hours and reach out to my tutor through email accordingly. The measurable goals I have set for myself for this course, and daily life, are having a realistic approach to learning the materials, reading each chapter thoroughly, and creating
questions related to the material for better understanding. The day before, I will create tasks on my Outlook Calendar or in my Agenda for what I want to complete the following day. This approach saves time the following day and allows me to tackle the task right away which helps to complete it efficiently.