# Student Success/Critical Thinking

This lesson introduces critical thinking. In this lesson you will learn about patterns of thought, critical thinking skills, creative thinking skills, and learning with technology.

## Objectives and Skills

Objectives and skills for this lesson include:
* Identify different patterns of thought, such as those found in Bloom’s taxonomy
* Describe how critical thinking skills can be used to evaluate information and solve problems
* Describe the role of creative thinking skills in problem-solving
* Identify technology tools that enhance student learning

## Readings

* Lumen: College Success - Patterns of Thought
* Lumen: College Success - Critical Thinking Skills
* Lumen: College Success - Creative Thinking Skills
* Lumen: College Success - Thinking with Technology

## Multimedia

* YouTube: Bloom's Taxonomy
* YouTube: Bloom's Taxonomy Featuring Harry Potter Movies
* YouTube: Critical Thinking
* YouTube: Critical Thinking 101: Spectrum of Authority
* YouTube: How to Stimulate the Creative Process
* YouTube: Internet Skills 3: How to Use the Internet to Find Scholarly Material
* YouTube: Internet Skills 1: How to Evaluate a Website

## Activities

* Explore student services.
** Contact your advisor or counselor to learn about counseling and psychological services available to students.
* Practice critical thinking.
** Review Lumen: College Success - Assignment: Critical Thinking Skills.
** Complete the Quia: Critical Thinking Quiz.
** Reflect on a recent discussion you participated in for a class or with family or friends. Did you accept the given arguments and reasoning, or did you evaluate the information presented based on the six questions a critical thinker asks?
** Consider whether or not we have a tendency to apply critical thinking differently depending on context or environment. Do you evaluate ideas the same way in a class environment vs. a work or social setting?
* Practice creative thinking.
** Review Lumen: College Success - Assignment: Creative Thinking Skills.
** Complete the Psychology Today: Creative Problem-Solving Test.
** Consider how your creative thinking helps you look at problems and situations from a fresh perspective. What steps can you take to enhance your creative thinking when faced with a challenging problem?
* Check your technology.
** Review Lumen: College Success - Assignment: Thinking With Technology. Note: Technology tests such as this are quickly outdated as technology is updated or replaced.
** Research how to apply updates to your operating system, browser, anti-malware software, and any other frequently-used software. Apply any missing updates to ensure compatibility and security compliance. See IT Fundamentals/Operating Systems for information on operating system updates and Internet Fundamentals/Web Browsers for browser settings and add-ons.
* Blog / Journal / Wiki
** Update your blog, journal, or wiki page summarizing your experience this week. Include a list of resources and links or contact information for each resource.

## Lesson Summary
### Patterns of Thought

Learning skills can be divided into three main categories or “domains”:
* The cognitive domain (what you should know)
* The affective domain (what you should care about)
* The psychomotor domain (what you should be able to do)
Cognitive domain levels include:
* Remembering
* Understanding
* Applying
* Analyzing
* Evaluating
* Creating
Affective domain levels include:
* Receiving
* Responding
* Valuing
* Organizing
* Characterizing
Psychomotor domain levels include:
* Perception
* Set
* Guided response
* Mechanism
* Complex overt response
* Adaptation
* Origination

### Critical Thinking Skills

Critical thinking is clear, reasonable, reflective thinking focused on deciding what to believe or do.
Critical thinking questions:
* What’s happening?
* Why is it important?
* What don’t I see?
* How do I know?
* Who is saying it?
* What else? What if?
Problem-solving strategies:
* Define the problem
* Identify available solutions
* Select your solution
Strategies to evaluate information include:
* Read for understanding by using text coding
* Examine arguments
* Clarify thinking
* Cultivate "habits of mind"
Critical thinking strategies include:
* Reflect and practice
* Use wasted time
* Redefine the way you see things
* Analyze the influences on your thinking and in your life
* Express yourself
* Enhance your wellness

### Creative Thinking Skills

Creativity can be understood as a skill—as opposed to an inborn talent or natural "gift"—that can be taught as well as learned.
Creative thinking helps you look at problems and situations from a fresh perspective.
To stimulate creative thinking:
* Sleep on it.
* Exercise.
* Daydream occasionally.
* Keep learning.
* Add stress occasionally.
* Make note of new ideas.
Actions which support creative thinking include:
* Sense
* Think
* Imagine
* Speak and write
* Draw
* Learn
* Move
* Rest

### Thinking with Technology

Technology learning tools include:
* Computer software and Internet resources
* Video recordings
* Interactive screens and whiteboards
* Student response systems
* Blogs, wikis, and discussion boards
Technical requirements for online learning include:
* Hardware and software
* A fast Internet connection
* Browser plug-ins
* Email
* Technical support resources
Effective online learning requires:
* Organization
* Communication
* Adapting to online reading and mobile learning

## See Also

* Wikipedia: Bloom's taxonomy
* Oberlin College: The Stereotype Threat