The Elements of Thought and the Army Problem Solving Process Critical thinking is an essential trait that every Army officer must possess. Officers must learn this trait and sharpen it through regular practice. The idea of critical thinking as a valuable aspect of the problem-solving process may seem daunting on the surface; however, it creates a more effective process in reaching crucial decisions for the Army officer. The critical thinking process, along with the elements of thought, used with the Army Problem Solving Process provides an established framework from which all involved parties benefit from because it enhances communication channels across all hierarchies. The elements of thought also provide thoroughness in thinking that closely align with the steps of the Army Problem Solving Process. In addition, the critical thinking process creates confidence in problem solving despite the challenges the problem presents. Therefore, it is quite evident that Paul & Elder’s Elements of Thought do assist Army officers in the conducting of the Army Problem Solving Process. According to Paul & Elder, “critical thinking is the art of analyzing and evaluating thinking with a vision of improving it.” Their argument for the need to utilize critical thinking is the fact that without focus, most of the thinking done by people is partial, many times uninformed, biased, distorted, and prejudiced. What is not easily recognized is the fact that the very fabric of life is
In this research you will find different readings that go a lot with Critical Thinking. Have you ever thought to yourself what Critical Thinking is? Do I perform Critical Thinking? If so when and how? The purpose of this is to show how Critical thinking is mainly the way the mind works. It gives the brain a chance the quality of your thinking. It improves thinking on your own skillfully, self-directing, self- disciplined, self- corrective and self- monitored. To broaden it down, it is a smarter way to think. Studies show that when studying psychology critical thinking can improve. There will be real life examples used from scholarly journals how Critical Thinking is used in the everyday living.
In the United States Army, critical thinking is indispensable to mission achievement and overall success. This streamlined method of thinking ensures the accomplishment of any mission, sufficient movement of troops as well as supplies against obviously depicted aggressors or adversaries and the security of Americans' lives on a daily basis. Critical thinking is not something that a Soldier learns solely in a traditional classroom through rudimentary PowerPoint slides and lessons learned. While the essential measures of critical thinking can obviously be guided through the utilization of a classroom setting and knowledgeable instructors, the capacity to think deliberately or
As leaders, Army officers need to be able to make decisions on a daily, even hourly basis. While the Military Decision Making Process (MDMP) is the typical method for operational decisions, routine issues often require less regimented methods such as Army Problem Solving . Our point of view, the information at hand, the concepts we base our views upon, our personal implications and assumptions, and the purposes that motivate our need for decisions are all critical in determining the ultimate effectiveness of this problem solving process. Drs. Paul and Elder enumerate the “Elements of Thought” which include and incorporate supporting traits and standards. Through proper integration of these accepted standards into our thought processes can and does significantly improve our overall use of the Army Problem Solving process by enhancing our critical thinking skills and our ability to think rationally.
In the Army, there is a process that is very useful for finding a solution to many different problems. This process is called, “The Army problem solving process”, which is a seven-step process to come up with a solution to a problem. The first step in this process is to identify the problem. Once the problem has been identified, the next step is to gather information. It would be best to identify the pros and cons of the situation. The next step is to develop criteria. This is the perfect time to consider a possible solution, which brings us to the next step, generate a possible solution. This time, possible solutions are taken into consideration and comparing each of them. This is called analyzing and comparing the solution. Finally, in the last step, a decision is made and implemented. Unfortunately, there are some potential impediments that may interfere with the Army problem solving process. One perfect example would be, “The Tyranny of Choice” which is when there are so many choices that may interfere with the decision making process. The Army problem solving
Hidden assumptions coupled with entailment, the idea that if x is the answer to question one than y must be the answer to question two, could result in negative results along with unfavorable second and third order of effects. The Elements of Thought described by Drs. Paul and Elder assists Army Officers conducting the Army Problem Solving Process. This critical thinking model provides organization and logic to the way we think; aligns and strengthens the Army Problem Solving Process and results in objective analysis in each step of the
The main concepts presented in the article are the varying definitions of each author on the concept of critical thinking. The information the author uses are definitions which are the opinions of varied authors and are similar in foundation in that to apply critical thinking one must be able to identify a problem, pose a question(s), provide valid supporting evidence, and come to a conclusion. Although the author’s definitions do not identify a problem, questions, evidence, or conclusions, the relationship Petress (2004) shows is that the reader must apply this process themselves as it is not always given. The information used does appear to be relevant, significant, and valid. The references the author listed does provide enough information for me to come to this conclusion. Since this work is a literature review and not a case study, numerical data are not necessary to determine validity of the information.
Critical thinking is a vital task that must be done in our everyday lives. In “Becoming a Critic Of Your Thinking” found at criticalthinking.org, Dr. Linda Elder and Dr. Richard Paul explain critical thinking as “the disciplined art of ensuring that you use the best thinking you are capable of in any set of circumstances”. Even tough there are many different types of methods to achieve a better quality of critical thinking, Dr. Elder and Dr. Paul discuss four specific ones in the article. All strategies, however, force you to put yourself in an uncomfortable and difficult position to develop a better quality of thinking.
Critical thinking is significant to everything that is happening now and everything we are going to do in the future. It allows people to engage in the thinking process so that they can think as they learn. Critical thinking is the process in which we break things apart, figure out what all separated components are, and we put them back together. A critical thinker tends to observe things in an open minded way and analyze a concept from as many directions as possible. “What about the justification of the belief? How would you answer if someone asked you why you believe that the Earth is round?” stated Massimo Piglicucci. It’s obvious that in order to justify the belief, he/she needs to find what information is given to them or what they already know. Secondly, they would
Critical thinking can be defined as several things or ideas. The critical thinking process can be compared to the action of pealing back on onion. The first layer is brown or red as we continue the process we get to the nucleus of the onion. It is important to understand that critical thinking requires more thorough approach to an idea or information, rather than just looking at the outer cover. We as students and as people must think more than just on the surface. We must dig in to the subject and analyze or dissect the subject and/or question at hand. Critical
Throughout life we are challenged and we encounter an abundance of issues or problems that we need to solve. Some problems that can be resolved effortlessly and efficiently but other obstacles may require a more critical and creative thinking to overcome. When it comes down to thinking to solve problems we depend on our thinking or give some regurgitated answer that we just read. But “much of our thinking, left to itself, is biased, distorted, partial, uninformed, or downright prejudiced” (TCTC, 2016). The purpose of critical thinking is so that
Every day as an instructional aide I use my critical thinking skills when deciding whether an impending conflict will escalate to violent behavior, deciding on how to approach a student Everyday many employees of organizations use their critical thinking skills in countless decisions, critical thinking skills are not the only skills used by employees, but they are the most important. As an employee I use my critical thinking skills when applying to the policies and procedures of my organization, making determinations, making predictions and problem solving more so on-the spot decision making, and
Within every problem we face in contemporary society, there are a multitude of perspectives, ideas, and ways of thinking that come into play when we attempt to solve these problems. Two of the major ways of thinking are critical and creative. Although these two ways of thinking are defined and exemplified in different ways, they maintain similarities to each other, and neither is fully effective at solving a multi-faceted problem on its own.
Critical analysis is an art of analyzing and evaluating thinking with a view of improving it. According to Dash (2016), “critical thinking is an umbrella term that covers six key skills: problem-solving, analysis, creative thinking, interpretation, evaluation and reasoning.” In other words, it is the ability to reason logically beyond the surface of any information. It is a self-learned and self-disciplined thinking which helps in dealing with complexities, solving daily problems, making better informed decisions and facing real world situations. Also, in order to think strategically, it is imperative to possess a solid foundation of critical thinking. Strategic thinkers can process any information deeply and always strive to embrace any possible alternatives and uncertainties. This exhibits that practicing strategic thinking on regular basis can help the individuals to be in command of the intellectual dimensions of thought. Hence, it can be affirmed that applying intellectual standards to the elements of reasoning in our daily lives can enhance our critical thinking skills and progress us on the path of becoming efficient strategic thinkers.
Paul (1988) believed that the history of critical thinking has been given little attention. In his research, theoreticians agree that the roots for critical thinking primarily began with Scorates’ form of questioning (Lipman, 1995; Thayer-Bacon, 2000). They believed that at the heart of critical thinking is a spirit of analyzing and evaluating main ideas or beliefs to determine their quality and improve them, to discover unexamined assumptions, to focus on major concepts and analyze them, etc., all of which are
Watson and Glaser (1980) view critical thinking as being more than a specific set of cognitive skills- rather critical thinking is a composite of skills, knowledge and attitudes. They explain that critical thinking comprises an understanding of the nature of making inferences and generalizations and the skills of being able to consider carefully the logic and accuracy of evidence. They also express the notion that having the ability to think critically is a key element to being fully functional in our modern complex society. For them, critical thinking is a fundamental requirement to being able to actively participate in one's social and political circles.