To practice critical thought, Extension faculty must examine their thinking about thinking. Connecting information is the foundation of critical thinking. By identifying patterns, you can be open to adding additional information, dropping outdated information, or upgrading the information you already believe about the topic. One common pitfall of the noncritical thinker is connecting information to nonrelevant criteria. Because they know the favorable feelings many people have for the person will unconsciously be transferred to the products.
All thought has a universal set of elements that can be monitored for possible examination.
If you tend to take information at face value, focus on the answer rather than the question, think in black and white, or seek agreement at the cost of other alternatives, then you may want to re-examine your thinking methods and make efforts toward broadening your thinking skills. Clientele depend on agents for solutions to problems. However, if the Extension agent teaches clientele how to assess information analytically, Extension has added value to the information and set its service apart from other information sources. The Hindu parable of the fish offers an analogy for the Extension agent's role in critical thinking. Providing answers and information to clients is akin to giving a hungry person a fish to eat.