A500.5.3.RB_MaceRoyce

Take some time to reflect on the current state of your critical thinking competencies. Consider your thinking processes when you started the course. Have they changed at all? Have you been able to internalize any of the techniques and concepts you have learned? What will it take to make lasting, positive changes in the way you think?

I have always considered myself a critical thinker. Even before MSLD 500, I would spend time thinking deeply about processes and other ways of thinking (particularly the thinking of others). As I read through the course text book, I started to realize how much I thought "critically" on a regular basis. Everything from how I drive (anticipating the movements of other drivers) to my job as an air traffic controller and having to make decisions that may lead to success or complete failure in a matter of seconds.

Nosich (2012) has broadened my critical thinking to a deeper level. I now see how to fully evaluate almost any topic using elements and standards which help me to cover down on the topic's full meaning, potential meanings, and interrelated topics. Utilizing critical thinking in my job as a non-commissioned officer has allowed me to think through processes that were normally much tougher. I look to see how my decisions will not only affect me, but how they will affect my organization and others in the organization from an individual member's perspective (other members of my unit).

In order to make lasting, positive changes in the way that I think, I feel it best to review and refresh my mind on critical thinking and what it consists of. Re-reading Nosich will certainly reaffirm my critical thinking skills, but other works related to critical thinking will assist in broadening my abilities in the area of critical thinking. Other critical thinking experts such as Dr. Richard Paul and Dr. Linda Elder (Nosich associates) can help expand one's view of critical thinking and give a unique and fresh perspective on critical thinking.

In conclusion, many of us may already be critical thinkers in our own right, but expanding our knowledge of the topic and practicing critical thinking skills can elevate our abilities. I would venture to say that the willingness to research and learn about critical thinking is critical thinking in of itself. By challenging oneself and seeking other avenues of thought, we can get better in our critical thinking skills. These skills can be obtained from researching critical thinking, learning to see things though the eyes of others, or applying the SEE-I concept, elements, and standards of critical thinking repetitively.


References

Nosich, G. M. (2012). Learning to Think Things Through: A Guide to Critical Thinking Across the          
     Curriculum (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.