Category: Critical Thinking

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.

 

 

 

First of all, would like to thank Mariyam maam & Shezin maam for the wonderful first session of CT workshop. The next session is approaching & looking forward towards it. It was really interesting, different & most importantly had an impact towards the thinking pattern. Recently appeared for the quiz shared with us & the outcome was Framing…….. Is it ? How could it be ? Let me again check ! These were the reactions once I submitted the quiz and came across the result. Agree to a large extent now & Framing is actually a bias in which brain makes a decision on the basis of information depending upon how it is presented. We respond differently on the basis of the information which could be presented either in positive or negative manner.

Maybe, if a franchise owner approaches a aspiring Footballer to join his team, the player might refuse if he presents his teams performance this way ( the team lost 9 matches out of 20 matches played last year). On the other hand, he might accept the offer if the record is put the other way like ” the team won 11 matches out of 20 last year”.

However, the record & outcome is same but put up in different ways.

 

 

Hello,

I attended a quiz shared by Mariyam mam. Being honest while answering the questions of the quiz, I came to know that which bias is directing or driving my thoughts. The AAHA…!!! a moment is that I completely agree with the result of the quiz. Here it is.

Thank you Mariyam mam and Shezin mam for all your efforts.

I saw a Gujarati movie last week ‘Chal Man Jeetva Jaiye’, and it was a mesmerizing experience. It showcases a rich family stuck at a crossroad wherein their reputation, luxuries, and comfort are at stake because they had incurred the heavy loss. The young generation of the house helps the elders to critically think over the decision taken. They help them analyze the situation from all the perspective which leads to the realization of the blunder they were about to commit. Later the decision taken by them helps the family to live a respectful and happy life. It shows how we completely depend on system one and don’t analyze the situation cautiously when in stress. The decision-making process is beautifully captured and it is a must watch for those who struggle taking decisions at grave situations.