Q COS 133: PROBLEM-SOLVING PROJECTNAME __¬¬¬¬¬¬_______________________________ PART 1: DEFINE CRITICAL THINKING. a. Based on the Chapter reading, info from Lib Guides or the Internet, how would you define “Critical Thinking”? b. Why is critical thinking important in college? In other areas of your life? Write your definition in your own words, don’t just copy and paste. PART 2: THOUGHT INVENTORY Think about your thinking. Are you using all six thinking skills? Reflect on your schoolwork in the past three weeks and identify specific examples where you used each of the thinking skills. Use the comment column to write notes about the skills, determining the skills which are second nature to you and those you would like to develop further. (If you need help, look in the textbook under The Cognitive Domain of Learning.) Skill Set How You Used It in the Past Three Weeks Comments Remembering and Recalling Understanding Applying Analyzing Evaluating Creating PART 3: PROBLEM-SOLVING STEPS Apply the problem-solving steps described below to an academic struggle or other challenge you are experiencing. Describe the problem in detail, then explain how you could apply each step to helping you solve this problem. • Define the problem. Analyze the situation by answering the following questions: What is the real issue? Why is it a problem? What are the root causes? What kinds of outcomes or actions do you expect to generate to solve the problem? What are some of the key characteristics that will make a good choice: Timing? Resources? Availability of tools and materials? For more complex problems, it often helps to write out the problem and the answers to these questions. • Narrow the problem. Many problems are made up of a series of smaller problems, each requiring its own solution. Can you break the problem into different facets? What aspects of the current issue are “noise” that should not be considered in the solution? Use your critical thinking skills to separate facts from opinion in this step. • Generate possible solutions. List all your options. Use your creative thinking skills in this phase. Did you come up with a second “right” answer, a third, or fourth? Can any of these answers be combined to create a stronger solution? What past or existing solutions can be adapted or combined to solve this problem? • Choose the best solution. Evaluate the pros and cons of each possible solution, and commit to the best course of action for your situation. a. Define the problem. b. Narrow the problem. c. Generate possible solutions. d. Choose the best solution