Dealing with uncertainty; dynamic decision-making; critical thinking as a developed skill
Read: https://louisville.edu/ideastoaction/about/criticalthinking/what
https://www.criticalthinking.org/files/Concepts_Tools.pdf
https://navigatecomplexity.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/How-to-go-about-solving-complex-problems.pdf
Write: Summarize the Paul/ Elder critical thinking definition (1-3pp)
Discuss a complex problem you encountered and how you solved it. (3pages)
Unit 2: Complex Problem Solving, and Critical Thinking
In this Unit we’ll talk about dealing with uncertainty, dynamic decision-making, and critical thinking as a developed skill.
If we’re responsible adults, we make plans all the time; it’s how we conduct our lives. Our plans give our lives a sense of certainty and continuity. We rely on our plans to get from one point in our lives to another, as we should. But sometimes things don’t go the way we expect them to. What do we do then? Does it make us frustrated and angry when things don’t work out? Do we give up and go back to bed? Or do we take it in stride and continue on after readjusting our plans? We may miss the train that will get us to work on time, or we may come down with a cold that sends us to bed for the weekend we planned to spend with familty or friends. The unexpected crops up daily and we need strategies to deal with it, or we’ll get so stressed we can’t function. Dealing with uncertainty is an important skill. How we manage uncertainty is vital to our success in life. If we haven’t already, we need to develop resiliance in the face of minor and major obstacles that pop up suddenly.
One response we have to uncertainty is making a right decision to compensate for what didn’t work out. But uncertainty or not, we make decisions daily. Some are mundane, like, what we’ll wear to work, or what we’ll eat for lunch. But others are more consequential, such as, should I go back to college? Or, what school is best for my children? According to Diane Sukkeniak in The Career Fitness Program making decisions is “the process of identifying and selecting alternatives based” on your preferences (Sukkeniak 157). When making a decision, you consider the choices and weigh alternatives to find the best fit for your “goals, lifestyle, values, and past experiences” (157). The best decisions are the ones that are given careful thought, what we might call rational decisions. With a rational decision, first we define the goal or the objective we wish to obtain. If we have a problem that needs solving, what is the desired solution? What do we need to do to accomplish it and by what date? Second, we assess the alternatives. What are the options we have for the solution? Are these options consistent with our values? Third, we gather information. What do we know about the options? What assumptions are we making about these options that we might need to check out? Fourth, we should assess the outcome, its probability and desirability. What is the probablity of success in the time we’ve alloted (or have)? What are we willing to give up in order to achieve our goal? Fifth, we take action. With everything we know now, what action plan brings the best chance of success? Rational decision making is a skillful way to realize our dreams.
As you near completion of your college career, perhaps you notice a change in the way you think. Your thought is more ordered, its pattern clearer and more distinct. You have a wider and deeper context with which to consider the new information you encounter in your life. You are more expansive in your world view and perhaps more tolerant of divergent opinions. These are all benefits of your Liberal Arts education and they constitute your critical thinking skills. People with Liberal Arts educations have a more nimble approach to problem solving, and so are very much desired by employers. Your exposure to a variety of subjects has demanded a variety of ways to consider the problems inherent in each. For instance, the way you solve a math problem is different from the way you interpret a poem, yet each approach contributes to an agility of thought that you carry with you throughout your life. This is what the dear old College of New Rochelle called “Wisdom for Life.”
Please complete the attached/ embedded readings and the assignments listed in the syllabus for Unit 2 by March 9th.
What is Critical Thinking? — University of Louisville Ideas To Action
Ideas to Action is the University of Louisville’s quality enhancement plan, focused on undergraduate education and created as part of the reaccreditation process with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
https://navigatecomplexity.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/How-to-go-about-solving-complex-problems.pdf
https://www.criticalthinking.org/files/Concepts_Tools.pdf
