TONY BUZAN

"I have used Tony Buzan’s techniques for the past ten years and find them enormously helpful in writing my books and as an aid to the creative process.”

Deepak Chopra, Bestselling Author and Philosopher

Tony Buzan is one of the world’s leading thinkers. He is the inventor of the now world-renowned Mind Map, and is well-known as an educational consultant, speaker and prolific author. His invention of Mind Mapping in the late 1960s was born out of frustration with traditional note taking revision techniques. He has since developed the Mind Map technique through books, TV appearances and his work as a highly-regarded speaker. Through iMindMap, Tony and Chris have finally established a synthesis between interactive, intelligent software and the creative freedom of a sketched Mind Map.

He is the internationally renowned expert on the thinking process, creativity and innovation. He has been named as one of the world’s top 5 speakers by Forbes magazine, a list which includes Margaret Thatcher and Mikhail Gorbachev, and audiences regularly describe his sessions as “inspirational” and “mind changing”. As the inventor of Mind Mapping, described as the ‘Swiss army knife of the brain’ and used by an estimated 250 million people, he is the world’s foremost expert in Mental Literacy. On this subject, Tony has written over 100 bestselling books, translated into 150 languages and read by millions worldwide. 

A MUST WATCH : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlabrWv25qQ

As a popular psychology author, Tony Buzan has written on subjects relating to the brain, "genius quotient (GQ)", spiritual intelligence, memory, creativity and speed reading. He is the founder and President of the Brain Foundation (not to be confused with various medical-related bodies with the same name) and also the Brain Trust Charity, the World Memory Championships and the World Championships of the Brain. He was a co-founder of London's Mind Body Spirit Festival as well as the Mind Sports Olympiad.

Can we hope to be rational when it comes to feelings?

Critical thinking trains us to think rationally and to ask the right questions that would help us reach solutions. I cant help but wonder can we hope to be find the same level of success in  when it comes to situations that mostly revolve our feelings like deciding what is best the best thing to do when ups and downs come in our relationship with our loved ones etc. After all feelings are known to be irrational and sometimes beyond the bounds of reason. Am I right in saying this? Can we really hope to reach rational conclusions with the help of critical thinking when it comes to situations that are linked to our feelings and those of others?

steps for critical thinking

The critical thinking process, as described by Wolcott and Lynch (4), includes four steps. Students generally begin their critical thinking at step one and, with practice, progress to step 2 and up the ladder.

Step 1:	Identify the problem, the relevant information, and all uncertainties about the problem. This includes awareness that there is more than one correct solution. (low cognitive complexity)
Step 2:	Explore interpretations and connections. This includes recognize one's own bias, articulating the reasoning associated with alternative points of view, and organizing information in meaningful ways. (moderate cognitive complexity)
Step 3:	Prioritize alternatives and communicate conclusions. This includes thorough analysis, developing the guidelines used for prioritizing factors, and defending the solution option chosen. (high cognitive complexity)
Step 4:	Integrate, monitor, and refine strategies for re-addressing the problem. This includes acknowledging limitations of chosen solution and developing an ongoing process for generating and using new information. (highest cognitive complexity)

If the instructor can determine where in the step process students are functioning, then guided feedback can be provided. This will help students think through those skills not being utilized. Over time the students can check themselves to see which areas are being omitted.

quiz

TEST YOUR CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS
Take the DIAGNOSTIC QUIZ




1. If capital punishment deterred murders, it would be justified. But since it does not deter such crimes, does it follow that it isn't justified? Yes _____ No _____


2. Suppose it is true that if Clyde studies philosophy tonight, he will flunk his math test tomorrow, and if he studies math instead, he will flunk his philosophy exam. Suppose it is also true that he cannot study for both exams (not enough time). Does it follow that Clyde is going to flunk at least one of his exams tomorrow? Yes _____ No _____


3. My spoon is dry, and my spoon would be wet if I had stirred my coffee. And I would not have stirred my coffee unless I had put sugar in it. So, I must not have sugared my coffee, right? Yes _____ No _____


4. In order for an argument to be cogent, its premises must be true. Yes _____ No _____


5. Police: Sorry, but only people with a special ZZ permit can park here. Driver: Well, since I have a ZZ permit, that means I can park here. Is the driver in the right? Yes _____ No _____


6. If someone's argument begs the question, it still remains a valid argument. Yes _____ No _____


7. Mary says she won't sleep with Clyde unless they are married. Clyde agrees to get married. But, on their honeymoon, Mary still refuses to sleep with Clyde. Did Mary break her promise? Yes _____ No _____


8. Lincoln's famous quotation, "You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time," is a cogent argument. Yes _____ No _____


9. As we all know, spheres cast curved shadows, and the Earth casts a curved shadow on the moon during lunar eclipses. Does this prove that the Earth is spherical? Yes _____ No _____


10. The president of IBM certainly has influence. Yet, he was unable to enroll his daughter at Whatsamatta University. Therefore, it is false, as some people have been suggesting, that only persons with influence can get their children enrolled at Whatsamatta U. Yes _____ No _____


11. If the truth of statement A implies the falsity of statement B, then the falsity of A implies the truth of B. Yes _____ No _____


12. Life is meaningless if there is no God. But life is not meaningless. This entails that there must be a God. Yes _____ No _____


13. If it is true that on a clear day you can see across the Mississippi River (to the other side), does it follow that if one can see across the Mississippi River it is a clear day? Yes _____ No _____


14. Suppose George knows that Susan stole the money. He wants to protect her, though. And so, when the police come to question him, the conversation goes as follows:
Police: Do you know who stole the money?
George: Well, I'm not absolutely sure it was Blackie, but I know it was either he or Susan.
Did George lie to the police? Yes _____ No _____


15. The difference between deductive arguments and inductive arguments is that deductive arguments go from general premises to specific conclusions, whereas inductive arguments go from specific premises to general conclusions. Yes _____No _____


CHECK BACK LATER for the ANSWER and a new POP QUIZ.


Answers to the DIAGNOSTIC QUIZ:

1. No
2. No
3. No
4. No
5. No
6. Yes
7. No
8. No
9. No
10. No
11. No
12. Yes
13. No
14. No
15. No

How well did you do?

20-19 WOW! You are good!
18-17 Your intuitions are great, but do you know why your answers are right?
16-15 You could still use some practice, and CT could help.
14-10 CT could help a lot.
9-? CT could help a way lot!

What is Critical Thinking?

What is Critical Thinking?

No one always acts purely objectively and rationally. We connive for selfish interests. We gossip, boast, exaggerate, and equivocate. It is "only human" to wish to validate our prior knowledge, to vindicate our prior decisions, or to sustain our earlier beliefs. In the process of satisfying our ego, however, we can often deny ourselves intellectual growth and opportunity. We may not always want to apply critical thinking skills, but we should have those skills available to be employed when needed.

Critical thinking includes a complex combination of skills. Among the main characteristics are the following:

Rationality

We are thinking critically when we

• rely on reason rather than emotion,
• require evidence, ignore no known evidence, and follow evidence where it leads, and
• are concerned more with finding the best explanation than being right analyzing apparent confusion and asking questions.

Self-awareness

We are thinking critically when we

• weigh the influences of motives and bias, and
• recognize our own assumptions, prejudices, biases, or point of view.

Honesty

We are thinking critically when we recognize emotional impulses, selfish motives, nefarious purposes, or other modes of self-deception.

Open-mindedness

We are thinking critically when we

• evaluate all reasonable inferences
• consider a variety of possible viewpoints or perspectives,
• remain open to alternative interpretations
• accept a new explanation, model, or paradigm because it explains the evidence better, is simpler, or has fewer inconsistencies or covers more data
• accept new priorities in response to a reevaluation of the evidence or reassessment of our real interests, and
• do not reject unpopular views out of hand.

Discipline

We are thinking critically when we

• are precise, meticulous, comprehensive, and exhaustive
• resist manipulation and irrational appeals, and
• avoid snap judgments.

Judgment

We are thinking critically when we

• recognize the relevance and/or merit of alternative assumptions and perspectives
• recognize the extent and weight of evidence

In sum,

• Critical thinkers are by natureskeptical. They approach texts with the same skepticism and suspicion as they approach spoken remarks.
• Critical thinkers areactive, not passive. They ask questions and analyze. They consciously apply tactics and strategies to uncover meaning or assure their understanding.
• Critical thinkers do not take an egotistical view of the world. They areopento new ideas and perspectives. They are willing to challenge their beliefs and investigate competing evidence.

Critical thinking enables us to recognize a wide range of subjective analyses of otherwise objective data, and to evaluate how well each analysis might meet our needs. Facts may be facts, but how we interpret them may vary.

By contrast, passive, non-critical thinkers take a simplistic view of the world.

• They see things in black and white, as either-or, rather than recognizing a variety of possible understanding.
• They see questions as yes or no with no subtleties.
• They fail to see linkages and complexities.
• They fail to recognize related elements.

Non-critical thinkers take an egotistical view of the world

• They taketheirfacts as the only relevant ones.
• They taketheir ownperspective as the only sensible one.
• They taketheir goalas the only valid one.

szabistthinkers: Critical thinking is about thinking about your own...

http://www.critical-thinking-lab.com/

Thinking Critically and creatively

http://www.courseworks.unimelb.edu.au/scholarlylife/thinkingcriticallyandcreatively.php