We need to be able to define the problem, analyze the nature of the problem, think critically and creatively and come up with effective solutions.

Most problems in examination questions are well formulated. However, in daily life, most of the time we have to identify the problem and formulate it correctly.

In defining a problem there are these points to consider:

• It is important to look at the opposite side of the problem, as the formulation of a problem can influence us in seeking solutions. For example, faced with an unhappy relationship, one might think of the problem as “why is she leaving me?”, but also “what am I doing wrong”.

• It is important to avoid vagueness and try to be more specific. If we are thinking about how to improve a company’s performance, it would be useful to say more precisely what sort of performance we are looking for e.g. sales performance or factory performance.

• It is also important to think about whether the problem so defined is real or not. For example a school might be concerned that student standards are dropping. It would be important to confirm that this is not a subjective judgment but an actual declining trend.

Exercise:

1. What are the two important thinking skill required for solving problem?
2. Why the formulation of problem is important?
3. What are the three key words in the three factors to be considered when formulating the problem?
4. Write a short sentence for each of the three factors to be considered when formulating the problem.

note: send your answer to mindtraining@yahoo.cn for grading

How do Creative Thinking work?

New ideas happen when two or more ideas are combined deliberately or accidentally.

Creative thinking techniques provide the method for combining ideas deliberately.
The creative thinking process:

Creative thinking is all about combining two or more thoughts.

If we are brainstorming with people who we normally work with,

then we are likely to keep coming up with the same ideas as each other,

simply because we are used to each other ideas.

There are many creative thinking techniques.

All of them will provide you with fresh stimuli and a new way of thinking.

You will be able to incorporate them into your brainstorming sessions (individual or group)

to generate new ideas easily ,and they will make sure you’ll never be stuck for a new idea.

These techniques are: Random words, Word from dictionary, Search, Challenge facts, Escape, Wishful thinking, Analogies etc.

Exercise for creative thinking of how it works:

1. What is creative thinking?
2. What is brainstorming for?
3. Is it good to have brainstorming for people we normally work with?
4. What are the creative thinking techniques

Critical Thinking’s Common Mistakes

人有多种缺点:

 New: uncritically believing what others, e.g. inter-net, newspaper, television, internet, tell us.

新: 相信新的说法

Group: uncritically believing what others in our group, like community, family, etc. tell us.

团:

: 相信团部里的人说的

Majority:uncritically believing what majorities tell us

多数:相信多数说的

Authority: uncritically believing what an ‘authority’, like teacher, textbook, government tells us.

权威: 相信权威说的

Emotional: uncritically believing what we like to believe or wish to believe.

情绪: 相信喜欢的

New theory: uncritically believing what new theories tell us

新理论: 相信新的理论

Knowledge, Learning, Teaching

, 学习, 教育

只有用批判思维, 才能学好真知识, 才能教好真知识.

好老师要教

“真“知识, 好老师要教学生独立学习, 独立思考.

Exercise A:

(I would appreciate if you could email your answer to mindtraining@yahoo.cn for discussion, thank you)

As a self-test, try the following:

Do you know that long ago, people believed that the earth was (a) round (b) not round?

2. (a) Who had discovered the gravity of the earth? (b) How much is the gravity of the moon? (c) What about gravity of other stars?

3.  Name one main difference between mathematics and science? Use one sentence to complete your answer.

4.Do you know how babies learn to walk?

5. What animal had stimulated human invented the radar?

5.What animal had human studied to invent the aeroplane?

7.(a) Why is one plus one equal to two? (b) Can one plus one equal to other number?

8. Is there any theory that was not proven right and is right?

What is the major action taken by people to discover new things? Name one only.

(I would appreciate if you could email your answer to mindtraining@yahoo.cn for sharing and discussion, thank you)

Exercise B:

(I would appreciate if you could email your answer to mindtraining@yahoo.cn for

discussion, thank you)

1. List two or three people or their ideas or theories that have had a significant influence in forming your current thinking.

 

1. Identify at least two important elements in each of the above that you reject as false. (b) State your reasons for rejection

3.Identify at least two important beliefs, ideas or claims that you accepted as true or justified in the past, but now reject as false (b) State your reasons for your rejecti

4.If you are able to come up with answer to 2-3, you are qualified as a critical thinker. If not, try again to become a critical thinker.

Do not think the random word is silly, do not discard the random word and use another random which is easier.

Once you had the random, use it to establish a linking (bridging) idea.

Quick example 1:

Problem: you want to come out creative idea about car safety.

Random word: “balloon” was given.

Linking idea:

Balloon is filled with air, when applying urgent break in accident case, can be used as cushion between steering and driver body, this will prevent the great impact on the driver that hit the steering or other part of the car. (Note: that is the reason that now a day, car had used air bag to replace safety belt).

Balloon is soft, may be we should use a flexible material for the car body, so that when accident happen, the impact will not be so great.

Balloon can be inflated, it can be put used as air bag, to fixed under the car, so that when accident happen, it can jack up to reduce the impact during car accident.

Can you think of other linking ideas and put in the remark below.

Exercise:

1. Problem: to solve the safety problem in the kitchens.
2. Random word: “spaceship” was given to you.

Linking ideas: (please write out your linking ideas)