Mgt 350 - Critical Thinking Application

Critical Thinking Application

Student Name

MGT/350

May 16, 2011

Professor Name

Critical thinking is a part of every component within an individual's life, from personal to professional as well as being a parent. Few individuals realize the dominant role thinking has in his or her life. Some individuals can be his or her worst enemy without recognizing how his or her thinking may be the cause of his or her distress. Critical thinking aids individuals in taking control of his or her situation or outcome. Critical thinking is fundamental to successful learning and fruitful living.

Critical thinking is a "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 & Elder, 2006, p. XXIII). It capitalizes on the mentally disciplined as a "intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action" (Paul & Elder, 2006, p. 453). In its natural form, the base of critical thinking is on common logical values that surpass beyond subject matter, this includes "clarity, accuracy, relevance, depth, breadth, and logicalness" (Paul & Elder, 2006, p. 461).

Additionally, critical thinking means correct thinking in the search of pertinent and dependable knowledge about the world everyone sees. Critical thinking is reflective, reasonable, skillful, and responsible thinking that centers on the decisions made on what to do in a situation. Critical thinking compels an individual to ask the appropriate question(s), gather relevant information, sort the information, and develop a reliable conclusion or decision. Low-order thinking is just that thinking. Critical thinking is an advanced thinking; it permits individuals to be responsible individuals who are active citizens within society. Many individual believe that he or she are critical thinkers already. This is untrue because critical thinking is not an innate part of human beings, it is a learned skill. Thinking when left to itself becomes biased, partial, distorted, prejudice, or uninformed. The superiority of life is reliant on the superiority of thought.

"Critical thinking, in short, self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking, and self-corrective thinking. It presupposes assent to rigorous stands of excellence and mind-full command for their use. It entails effective communication and problem solving abilities and a commitment to overcome our native egocentrism and sociocentrism" (Foundation for Critical Thinking, 2009, p. 1). Critical thinkers ponder with open minds as he or she consider alternatives to his or her original thought as well as effectively communicating with other individuals.

Critical thinking is a skill learned and needs to be taught. The educational system teaches this subject matter as what to think, and