Problem solving and critical thinking
problems can be solved by thinking in two manners:
creative thinking OR critical thinking
Creative Thinking is a way of looking at problems or situations from a fresh perspective that suggests unorthodox solutions (which may look unsettling at first). Creative thinking can be stimulated both by an unstructured process such as brainstorming, and by a structured process such as lateral thinking.
Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally about what to do or what to believe. It includes the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking. Someone with critical thinking skills is able to do the following : understand the logical connections between ideas.
Critical thinking refers to the ability to analyze information objectively and make a reasoned judgment. It involves the evaluation of sources, such as data, facts, observable phenomena, and research findings.
Good critical thinkers can draw reasonable conclusions from a set of information, and discriminate between useful and less useful details to solve problems or make decisions.
Top Critical Thinking Skills
Analysis
Part of critical thinking is the ability to carefully examine something, whether it is a problem, a set of data, or a text. People with analytical skills can examine information, understand what it means, and properly explain to others the implications of that information.
- Asking Thoughtful Questions
- Data Analysis
- Research
- Interpretation
- Judgment
- Recognizing Patterns
Communication
Often, you will need to share your conclusions with your employers or with a group of colleagues. You need to be able to communicate with others to share your ideas effectively. You might also need to engage critical thinking in a group. In this case, you will need to work with others and communicate effectively to figure out solutions to complex problems.
- Active Listening
- Assessment
- Collaboration
- Teamwork
- Verbal Communication
- Written Communication
Creativity
Critical thinking often involves creativity and innovation. You might need to spot patterns in the information you are looking at or come up with a solution that no one else has thought of before. All of this involves a creative eye that can take a different approach from all other approaches.
- Flexibility
- Conceptualization
- Curiosity
- Imagination
- Drawing Connections
- Predicting
- Vision
Open-Mindedness
To think critically, you need to be able to put aside any assumptions or judgments and merely analyze the information you receive. You need to be objective, evaluating ideas without bias.
- Diversity
- Inclusive
- Objectivity
- Observation
- Reflection
Problem Solving
Problem solving is another critical thinking skill that involves analyzing a problem, generating and implementing a solution, and assessing the success of the plan. Employers don’t simply want employees who can think about information critically. They also need to be able to come up with practical solutions.
- Attention to Detail
- Clarification
- Decision Making
- Evaluation
- Identifying Patterns
- Innovation
Critical thinking is an important problem solving tool and the higher you go as leader; the more are the problems to be solved. In his effort to analyze the relationship between critical thinking and problem solving, Paul remarked; “I need to think critically, but I have no problems that I need to solve; that problem solving is a major use of critical thinking and critical thinking is a major tool of problem solving and therefore the two are best treated in conjunction rather than in disjunction “
Critical thinking is a form of problem solving that is much more than just gaining knowledge. Someone who has good critical thinking skills will look at both sides of an argument, and they will also look at evidence to support the two arguments. In addition to this, they will break down the arguments and looking at the implications which are connected to them. Once they’ve done this, they will look for contradictions. The side that has the least amount of contradictions will be supported, while the side that has the most contradictions will be discarded.
o be skilled at using critical thinking to solve problems, you will first need to overcome any bias you may have on a particular subject or problem. Depending on the problem, you may need to collect information in order to solve it. When you are collecting this information, you must refrain from making any judgments about it. To give you an example of this, most people don’t generate an opinion about a movie or book until they’ve read it. This is how you want to be when you use critical thinking to solve a problem. You will need to collect the relevant information first, and then you will need to analyze it.
It is also important for you to realize your own knowledge and experience are limited. You are not omnipotent, and are not capable of seeing all aspects of a situation. One way to do this is to use the Socratic process in order to ask open ended questions. Critical thinking is much more complex than simply memorizing things. It is a system that allows you to think independently. Those who have strong critical thinking skills tend to come up with solutions to problems which are very logical. They are not tied down to one side of an issue. They tend to look at things from multiple angles.