The ancient Roman orator Horace (65 B.C.-8 B.C.) wrote, 'Control your mind or it will control you.' In today's society we are faced with more information, and more complex information, than ever. Faced with making decisions, we can feel overwhelmed and helpless. One way to become less helpless — to gain control over our lives — is to gain control over our own thinking. We can feel helpless when faced with this barrage of information, opinions, data, and conflicting arguments if we lack the skills to quickly grasp and critically evaluate them. This book is designed to impart these kinds of skills.Any course in a university should do more than teach information — in nearly every field, 'facts' become obsolete quickly. The goals of Thinking Matters are to help you: The text is punctuated with exercises or 'personal experiments' to challenge and stimulate your curiosity. These exercises may take the form of an inventory to be taken, a puzzle to be solved, or some thoughts to ponder.The first module Thinking Matters: Critical Thinking as Creative Problem Solving introduces the student to all the above topics — logic, probability, argument forms and fallacies, ethical reasoning, algorithms, and computational thinking — through logic puzzles and games and mathematical magic tricks.

The ancient Roman orator Horace (65 B.C. - 8 B.C.) wrote, Control your mind or it will control you. In today's society we are faced with more information, and more complex information, than ever. Faced with making decisions, we can feel overwhelmed and helpless. One way to become less helpless -- to gain control over our lives -- is to gain control over our own thinking. We can feel helpless when faced with this barrage of information, opinions, data, and conflicting arguments if we lack the skills to quickly grasp and critically evaluate them. This book is designed to impart these kinds of skills. Any course in a university should do more than teach information -- in nearly every field, 'facts' become obsolete quickly. The goals of Thinking Matters are to help you: - to be more creative, fluid, and perceptive in solving problems; - to identify the implicit premises, fallacies, or moral principles that are presupposed in the arguments of others; - to be able to advocate for what you believe by effectively refuting opposing arguments and presenting persuasive arguments of your own; - to understand the logic of scientific testing to distinguish between science and pseudo-science; - to develop your own style and intuitive powers of logical deduction, probabilistic reasoning, and computational thinking. The text is punctuated with exercises or 'personal experiments' to challenge and stimulate your curiosity. These exercises may take the form of an inventory to be taken, a puzzle to be solved, or some thoughts to ponder. The first module Thinking Matters: Critical Thinking as Creative Problem Solving introduces the student to all the above topics -- logic, probability, argument forms and fallacies, ethical reasoning, algorithms, and computational thinking -- through logic puzzles and games and mathematical magic tricks.

Train your brain for better decisions, problem solving, and innovation Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills is the comprehensive guide to training your brain to do more for you. Written by a critical thinking trainer and coach, the book presents a pragmatic set of tools to apply critical thinking techniques to everyday business issues. Think Smarter is filled with real world examples that demonstrate how the tools work in action, in addition to dozens of practice exercises applicable across industries and functions, Think Smarter is a versatile resource for individuals, managers, students, and corporate training programs. Thinking is the foundation of everything you do, but we rely largely on automatic thinking to process information, often resulting in misunderstandings and errors. Shifting over to critical thinking means thinking purposefully using a framework and toolset, enabling thought processes that lead to better decisions, faster problem solving, and creative innovation. Think Smarter provides clear, actionable steps toward improving your critical thinking skills, plus exercises that clarify complex concepts by putting theory into practice. Features include: A comprehensive critical thinking framework Over twenty-five "tools" to help you think more critically Critical thinking implementation for functions and activities Examples of the real-world use of each tool Learn what questions to ask, how to uncover the real problem to solve, and mistakes to avoid. Recognize assumptions your can rely on versus those without merit, and train your brain to tick through your mental toolbox to arrive at more innovative solutions. Critical thinking is the top skill on the wish list in the business world, and sharpening your ability can have profound affects throughout all facets of life. Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills provides a roadmap to more effective and productive thought.

This is the eBook of the printed book and may not include any media, website access codes, or print supplements that may come packaged with the bound book. The Art of Thinking introduces students to the principles and techniques of critical thinking, taking them step-by-step through the problem-solving process. Emphasizing creative and active thought processes, the author asserts that good thinking and problem-solving is based on learnable strategies. The book's four parts, “Be Aware,” “Be Creative,” “Be Critical,” and “Communicate Your Ideas,” present students with a process for solving problems and resolving controversial issues. Discussions of how to evaluate ideas and how to question long-held assumptions or biases help students look at concepts critically. This text can be used in freshman experience courses, freshman composition courses, and a wide array of other courses where instructors want to enhance students' critical thinking skills. 0321881753 / 9780321881755 Art of Thinking, The: A Guide to Critical and Crative thought with NEW MyCompLab Package consists of: 0205119387 / 9780205119387 Art of Thinking, The: A Guide to Critical and Creative Thought 020589190X / 9780205891900 NEW MyCompLab - Valuepack Access Card

**This is the chapter slice "Critical Thinking and Creativity Skills Gr. 3-8+" from the full lesson plan "Learning Problem Solving"** Give your students the tools for success to enter the work force as employees or entrepreneurs. We include practical real-life activities, role-playing scenarios and open-ended strategies. Your students will understand the problem solving process, and take part in group creative art projects while gaining the required critical thinking and creativity skills. Develop your students’ abilities through dedication and hard work with motivation, productivity, achievement and success. Learn how to comprehend and analyze information while integrating technology and media to expand their growth mindset. All centered on several project-based exercises to learn how to convert information into usable intelligence. Chocked full of standalone reproducible worksheets to give young learners of today all the tools they need to become lifelong problem solvers.

The Art of Thinking is a comprehensive guide to critical and creative thinking that emphasizes what to do rather than what to avoid doing. This text introduces students to the principles and techniques of creative thinking; teaches them how to evaluate their own ideas, as well as the ideas of others; and shows them how to persuade. Organized into four parts - "Be Aware, " "Be Creative, " "Be Critical, " and "Communicate Your Ideas" - The Art of Thinking presents students with a step-by-step process for problem solving that involves searching for issues, expressing the problem, investigating the issue, production ideas, and evaluating and refining the solution. Special features in the fifth edition include new sections on the importance on thinking, testing ideas, and conducting one's own research; and expanded discussions of the problem of remembering and of the distinction between language and reality. These new features, in addition to those retained from previous editions, continue to make The Art of Thinking a valuable and effective tool for promoting excellent critical thinking and writing.