Reflection of Critical Thinking – Day 1 & 2

As a frequent practitioner of critical thinking, I thoroughly relished participating in highly stimulating discussions over the course of 2 days. The classes were efficiently structured and were well-paced, which ensured consistent engagement. I got to develop a greater appreciation and nuanced understanding of the concept through various strategies and activities.

Firstly, we got to learn 2 kinds of systems thinking, namely, reflexive and reflective, which we closely examined and identified a common human tendency to react without preliminary introspection. We were further encouraged to deliberate and consider various perspectives before responding to a certain scenario. Subsequently, we were introduced to four thinking mindsets, namely, preacher, prosecutor, politician and scientist, along with their traits. We discussed how, in different scenarios, we adopt one of these mindsets, and we were later encouraged to deliberately try to practice the ‘scientist’ mindset.

Additionally, we mulled over the difference between truth and facts, which ensured further clarity. We later confronted our cognitive illusions and put our critical thinking to the test by finding contradictory evidence to the beliefs that we held most strongly.

Overall, these were highly engaging and intellectually stimulating sessions, which have equipped me with a better understanding of the application of critical thinking!