Category: Critical Thinking

Since I chose to learn through the CT workshop, I was thinking that what will be the content of this workshop. However, after attending the first session the initial questions were answered related to the workshop.

Analyzing my own thinking style after the workshop, I was able to make a connection that confirmation bias is leading my thoughts. Nowadays according to my new role anyways I am confirming everything before I make any decision. In my professional life, I am dealing with this bias on a day to day basis. In personal life also I felt the same. For example, I used to ask my friend that how this newly released movie is? I also used to check ratings? Moreover, I used to see the trailer of the movie and add value to my own decision.

Hence, I came to a conclusion that “Confirmation Bias” is leading my thoughts and decision.

With regards,

Ravindra Agrawal

So after being one of the procrastinator here are finally the thoughts that have been rolling over for more then a week now…. I seriously have been trying to put up all my thoughts together however I did realise at this hour how difficult it has been to even understand what critical thinking was specially when you realise that you work from one angle of thoughts and that this drives almost all your decisions of life.

Through a series of examples I could resonate with what is called “Impact bias” and that from where I operate my thinking. The most recent and perfect example of this was when me and my husband were into a serious thought process on his change of job. So recently my hubby was offered a very good job from another firm with the best perks that he could ever think of however this one decision nearly brought us apart when I was one of the thinkers with what is called as the “impact bias” which only led to lot of confusions. I realised I had actually overestimated the change of job and thus didn’t seem to be too supportive towards my husband in taking the decision. Every decision he made I counter questioned him about the future or kind of overestimated the cons of the new job making it much likely for him also to keep rethinking on his decision. He did take his decision however I couldn’t be a much support to him in this case with the type of thinking that I had. I really don’t know whether this was the right way of thinking or no but what I could reallly connect was that most of the times I operate from this and hence maybe the decisions made are impacted due to this “impact bias” 🤨.

This also holds true when it comes to Hriya ( my daughter ) and her future. All I do is overestimate what would be the impact on her future. I know of a fact that I have had quite a few discussion with my other fellow members like Falguni and Suparna on how they feel about their teenage kids when my daughter is just 8 years. And I know this surely does impact a lot of my decisions that I take in regards to her.

“Impact bias”- so when you think on this basis your already living the future. Before the bad event occurs, your mind envisages a life focused solely around the bad event. In reality, the bad event is likely to be overshadowed by all sorts of other events happening at the same time.

That’s kind of being negetive …. is it or kind of overthinking?? 🤔🤔🤔A new food for thought.

 

 

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim & Namashkar,

The critical thinking classes seemed to be an extension of what we have learnt in 7 habits, love, integrity and other life classes. We were introduced with the way our brain responds to situations. It tries to respond as quickly as possible depending upon the past knowledge and experiences. Daniel Kahneman, the author of the book “Thinking Fast & Slow”, says that there are two systems working in our brain – Fast and Slow. For ex., if you are asked questions like What’s your name? or 2+1=?, etc., the brain would immediately respond as it has past knowledge and / or experience. But, if you are asked what is 31 x 21, your brain will take time to respond. Depending on the situation, we should use these systems to our advantage. In case of emergencies, one cannot afford to use the slow thinking system because there is not enough time to do that. Also, one has to evaluate options available keeping in mind the consequences. That’s referred as critical thinking. There are situations where we should use the slow system like buying something, relocating, relationship, etc. Our brain has a tendency to take impulsive choices and hence as Stephen Covey says, we need to take a pause, before we respond. We also carry in our heads something called cognitive biases which influences our choices / response to situations or events.

During the session of getting to know about different cognitive biases, I identified one of the cognitive biases I had (Sorry forgot the name!) and still have and I am working to overcome it. Whenever I find academically good students indisciplined, I lack the will to give them a consequence. So, that’s because my brain has good impression about those students and hence it makes it difficult for me to take the right decision of giving them a consequence and be unbiased. After I took a quiz shared by Mariyam mam, I also found that I have “Negativity Bias”, though I agree partially and not 100%. Negativity bias is more sensitivity towards negative or unpleasant things even when there is equal amount of positive things available. I agree that at times, I would think more of negative once I have had bad experience with a situation or person. It’s work in progress to overcome these biases or minimise its impact on the choices I make in future.

Looking forward to learn more in upcoming CT sessions

Special Thanks to our facilitators – Ms. Shezin Singaporia & Ms. Mariyam Baxamusa

Khuda Hafiz & Namaste!

– Nazim Pirani

Finally after  procrastinating a lot , I am sharing my learning and where i have applied my CT. So many times i tend to look at new information to confirm my own beliefs rather than to test them. And when something happens that disproves my beliefs, i tend to ignore it before CT i was not aware about confirmation bias but after attending session i came to know about  this particular bias, now i try to apply my CT and find out information from range of source so as to avoid confirmation bias.

There is also one more bias in memory bias testing effect(the fact that you more easily remember information you have read by rewriting it instead of rereading it), what i feel this particular bias also governs me.

Here is the results of the quiz that i have attempted which was shared by Mariyam ma’am.

 

But i don’t totally agree with the results i got.

 

Also  after watching those videos on gullible and skeptical i would say at times i am gullible and sometimes i am skeptical too mostly when i have to decide anything related for my kids.

 

These are some of my learning so far. I would really like to thank Mariyam ma’am and Shezin for taking such wonderful and informative session and also for sending us regular reminders to share our learning.

Overcome negative biases

All through the night, you sit

Counting the reluctant hours as they drag by

The night, silent and cold

Offering no comfort but chills

Yet if it’s night, surely it will be a day

Gather yourself together

It’s only a phase

It will be passed.

(Anonymous)

I liked this poem because it helps me understand the optimism bias. When I took the test the result was Negative bias. Thereafter I stumbled upon this poem which helped me within positive or an optimistic outlook towards life. Now, I know that there is a pattern good times and bad times they are part and parcel of life, but we need to be optimistic and stay happy in the situation we are !

 

My journey of Critical Thinking so far has taught me to think two ways: Keeping your emotions aside as well as considering them.

There are many situations in every individual’s life where they have to think critically and hop to one conclusion. But is it easy?

I’ve learned to analyse a situation without overthinking. Critical thinking reflects that emotions and reasoning go hand in hand. It gives us ownership of beliefs. The decision between a fact and an opinion will be taken on grey areas and not black & white.

Also, learned that one should not be biased in taking decisions but think critically about what is at stake and what is important for us.

 

With gratitude,

Nisha

Looking at the quiz results, availability bias governs my thoughts, but I don’t agree with it 100%. Blaming it on the limited options in the quiz  🙂

As we were told to “watch our thoughts, and keep track of them”, after the sessions, I realized that it is pretty exhausting!

A recent read-aloud session with Gr 10, got me back to the task at hand, where I ended up thinking of my own answers to the questions in the book I read out called Q is for question, An ABC of Philosophy. It has questions for each letter of the alphabet. Challenging the reader to define beauty, existence, God, happiness, knowledge and the question ToK asks…How do you know the things that you know?

And with those questions going on in my mind, I also realized that it opens up our memory boxes and then slowly some questions are answered and the unanswered ones tend to pile themselves neatly on the memory shelf, to be tackled another time.

 

 

 

Hello fellow critical thinkers,

Finally after procrastinating a lot, here’s is the time when I actually grabbed the opportunity to share an example where I applied my critical thinking skills by keeping all the biases aside.

Soon after our sessions on CT, our academic year began. I started working with my team enthusiastically to help them overcome all the road blocks. One of the team members struggled a lot in different areas and faced a lot of hiccups. We are all driven by different biases and so was I. A courtesy bias is the tendency to give an opinion that is more socially correct than one’s true opinion, so as to avoid offending anyone. I was a victim to this bias. Despite seeing what was happening, I gave a number of chances as ‘Courtesy Bias’ was dominating (which somewhere also stopped me from giving constructive feedback). Later, after a lot of analysis and critical thinking, I sought guidance from the higher authorities. We analysed what was at stake and made a hard decision which was required- keeping the bias aside.

– Pinky Shah

 

 

Most of the times , it happens that we don’t actually question the practices that we are following since years – Default effect : ). We generally get dragged with the processes that are continued since beginning, assuming that it has been happening since years now and that has to be the best.

The same happened with me too. I generally do not ask much questions or rather raise a question on the things that are followed since years.

But this time, I got a good food for thought by my coordinator and I really ended up doing critical thinking whether there is any need for taking up the ICT for our G 1 kids.

Being in school since few years now and knowing the fact that our school is a techno school, thinking of removing ICT was a big NO…NO..in my mind. But I still felt like giving it a thought!!!

I further took it up to my team and juggled in understanding whether it is relevant and significant for students to handle Chromebooks at this age.

We evaluated our own assumptions / ideas / views and decided finally not to have it as students are very young to handle it at this age.

Once the decision was made I felt happy that oh…somewhere I used my critical thinking skill. Thanks to the workshop.

 

“ We are what we believe we are.” – Lewis Carroll. It holds true for what the world also i.e. what we believe it to be.

This is the poem I could resonate with Confirmation Bias -:

 

Read it with sorrow and you will feel hate.

Read it with anger and you will feel vengeful.

Read it with paranoia and you will feel confusion.

Read it with empathy and you will feel compassion.

Read it with love and you will feel flattery.

Read it with hope and you will feel positive.

Read it with humor and you will feel joy.

Read it without bias and you will feel peace.

Do not read it at all and you will not feel a thing.

 

• Shannon L. Alder

 

Confirmation Biases does cloud my judgments.