Raquel's Critical Thinking Post-1

Critical thinking is one of the most important skills to have in a society like ours, engulfed in politics and media. Being able to examine the motives and reasoning behind information we receive helps in determining the truth value of the information as well as the people or persons providing it. The more informed we are and the better critical thinkers we are, the more we can play an active role in society without fear of being mislead or lied to.

One non-written text that has helped me appreciate the concept pf critical thinking is the Penn & Teller show I saw in Las Vegas last January. This is a unique magic show that asks the audience to analyze our freedoms and rights while questioning the government that protects them. Penn & Teller pose questions for thought about the application of the Bill of Rights but do not provide answers, so that the audience can come to their own conclusions maybe weeks, months or years after attending the show. By asking people to look the motives and policies written by politicians, they are in effect asking us to think critically. Their “…mission is to expose the truth to an otherwise desperate and gullible public” (Penn & Teller: Bullshit!). I recognize this is a biased source/quote, but it says exactly what I feel about them after seeing the show in Las Vegas.

My Academic Work: Last fall, a group assignment for my “Intro to Integrative Studies” course required us to research possible solutions for a social justice issue. The professor asked every group to develop a PowerPoint presentation in which we identified the stakeholders involved and their concerns, discussed opposing perspectives, and examined statistics or quotes taken out of context. This project proved to be very difficult because it takes much more time and energy to question everything you read or hear about a particular topic. Nonetheless, the project aim of getting students to think more critically of the sources and content of information was met. After that experience I am better equipped to make decisions involving many different viewpoints and arguments by objectively evaluating all relevant information.

When I was at American University, I took a course called, “Poverty and Culture”, that changed my life by developing my sense of critical thinking. I was particularly influenced by Barbara Ehrenreich’s book, Nickel & Dimed (2001). During her time spent working undercover in minimum wage jobs, she discussed perspectives on blue-collar workers and the businesses that employ them that run counter to popular thought. There are a lot of statistics, as well as Ehrenreich’s personal stories, that the reader must evaluate carefully to decide how much of it is true/fact and how much is emotion or propaganda.

I know my college education has taught me how to think critically through various assignments, readings and experiences in which I was encouraged to doubt what I was being told and why I was being told this information. I was encouraged to do my own research to come up with my own conclusions so that I would never feel like I had to rely on others for the truth.


Works Cited

Ehrenreich, Barbara. Nickel & Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America. New York:
Henry Holt & Company, 2001.

“About the Show” Penn & Teller: BullShit! Showtime Networks, Inc. 2006. 16 Sept 2006
.

Colleen's Critical Thinking Exercise

Academic:
It would be easy and logical to state that I have employed critical thinking in all my of academic experiences, however, one stands out in particular due to how I believe it has improved my researching techniques. NCLC 202 Public Speaking and Critical Thinking required more than the deliberation of speeches as it focused on the importance of extensive research. One of the assigned speeches involved taking a topic of importance and devising a persuasive speech around the student's stance on the issue; I chose non-smoking laws in Virginia. I realized that in order to deliver an educated and influential speech, I would have to use critical thinking skills so that I could responsibly evaluate my sources, decipher between fact and assumptions, and decide whether my argument was accurate with the truth. I learned this process can be challenging, for example, it is easy to look only at the arguments which I typically agreed with, yet I learned that evaluating the opposition's arguments, enabled me to create a thorough and accurate speech that reflected my personal opinions. By the time of the presentations, I felt much more confident in my ability to deliver my persuasive speech knowing that my arguments were well-grounded in knowledge and truth.

Written:
A particular text that,I believe, epitomizes the concept of critical thinking, and has influenced my views of the competency is an article titled, "Critical Thinking: What it is and Why it Counts," by Peter A. Facione. In summary, Facione details six core skills that make up critical thinking: analysis, interpretation, self-regulation, inference, explanation, and evaluation. Each skill is vital to the process of critical thinking, as it forces people to go beyond the surface. I have been able to use these skills in my approach to critical thinking and I have found them useful in a variety of situations such as how I approach work, relationships and my academics. I have noticed that some of the skills such as analysis, inference and evaluation come naturally to me, whereas I struggle to improve my self-regulation skill, which deals with distinguishing between personal experiences versus collective facts. Overall, this particular article has assisted me through some of the challenges critical thinking can present.

Non-Written:
Although I can think of a variety of events, movies, etc. in which I saw an impeccable display of critical thinking, there's a particular exhibit that I will always remember due to its ability to force its visitors to use critical thinking. It has been some time since my last visit, but, the Holocaust Museum's shoe exhibit resonates the most with me. I choose this particular exhibit because of how it allows visitors to see so many connections between the victims who used to own those shoes, to people everywhere. Using shoes, a common possession forces visitors to place themselves into the position of the Holocaust victims. It also gave me an opportunity to think about how the Holocaust victims relate to many other people who lost and/or continue to lose their identities due to oppressive forces. I saw connections between Holocaust victims and millions across the continent of Africa, as well as, people who lived under Josef Stalin, and so forth. I will always remember how this exhibit allowed me to critically think about how so many people are connected in a variety of ways.

Works Cited:

Facione, Peter A. “Critical Thinking: What It Is and Why It Counts.” California Academic Press: Insight Assessment (2004): 1-17.

Jessica's Critical Thinking Exercise - Part One

a) Academic Work - When I think of my academic work throughout college the piece that helped me understand critical thinking the most was when I had to create a lesson plan for an Education class. The focus was to design higher learning/critical thinking questions to go along w/ a book. I thought this was going to be an easy process becuase we had guidlines to help, suggestions for questioning, and some examples. However, trying to think critically for elementary aged children and not make the questions too difficult was hard. So I got some help from my younger brother and asked him things they discussed in his class bc he was in 1st grade at the time. He made it sound so simple. So for me to write this lesson plan i had to put myself in the shoes of a 6 year old. Writing the lesson plan in this way gave me a new perspective on the book I had choose.

b) Written Text - One particular piece of work that helped me to better understand critical thinking was from a packet I got in my NCLC 391 class on critical thinking by Sylvan Bannet & Hugo Beder. There was a particular part that talked about drivers' licenses and photo id's, and how in Florida it is law to have a photo on a drivers' license. There was a Muslim woman who had applied for a drivers license and then refused on religious grounds to take the photo without her veil on. Unveling would violate her islamic beliefs, so she sued the state. Her response was "I'm fighting for the principle and the religious freedom of all people in the country". Trying to see her situation from something I could understand, I related this to being a vegetarian. If someone tried to force me to eat meat because that was to society norm, I wouldn't do it. It is my right to choose what I eat and a law shouldn't dictate that. Being able to relate her situation to something i am passionate about helped me to better understand, and take a critical look at what was really being asked. What would the big deal had been if she left her veil on, its not like she'd be driving w/ it off.. so the DL pic and her image would be the same.

c) Non-written Text - If i had to choose a non written text to better understand critical thinking, I would have to go with the newscasts after 9/11. Seeing the unthinkable happen and then be broadcast all over the world for days on end after the attacks led me to think more about life and feeling safe where I live. Up until that day I was a HS senior with my only worry being graduation and the next football game. And then we got the announcement in class about what had happened, and not only was I shocked but my friends were astonished as well. Some of my friends had parents working in the Pentagon and immediately left to call and check on them. I use this to refrence critical thinking because had 9/11 never happend I wouldn't have reevaluated life, what i take for granted, and what I was really doing. I know being in HS I shouldn't have been too worried about the future, but this really made me analyze it. The broadcasts showed the devestation and how it brought everyone together. It also showed the different perspectives everyone had about what had happend. The media let the world in and even though at the time some felt they were going over board I think now i value the views that were expressed during the broadcasts.


b) Bannet Sylvan & Hugo Beder. "Critical Thinking, Reading, & Writing: A breif guide to argument" 5th Ed. Bedford/St. Martin's. Boston/New York. 2005.

Linda Group Interaction: Part TWO

As I read all the blog's from this class, I got to see the different views we all had about group interactions, and the experiences related to it. New Century College defintitely does require a lot of group projects, but looking beyond the projects, I think of other interactions too. We communicate with one another in class, we share our ideas, and respect our classmates. I feel as though we all have a had a share of own our group interactions, whether good or bad, that we have learned from. I think the assignment benefited me, because I got to hear about everyone else's experience, which I have learned from as well.

A lot of us stated that we all interact with other people all the time, and are in our own seperate group. It made me think about all the groups that I am involved with myself, such as family, friends, classmates, etc. I really enjoyed reading about everyones experiences!

Matt - Group Interaction: Part 2

With near consensus the class seems to have some reservations about participating in academic group projects. Unlike Million, I do not think this is indicative of our ability to interact in group settings but rather, that there are notable challenges. With only the best of intent, I must ask: why is it that NCC continues to disregard the wishes of many students and pursues a curriculum that emphasizes group assignments? Clearly the theoretical basis is sound, as Colleen elaborated, but it seems that the policy or the general application of group assignments should be reworked. It is evident that the usage of group assignments is varied and there certainly is not an overall band-aid approach; however, it does seem prudent for professors to use greater consideration when assigning group-work.

Despite the shared grievances, it seems that most students have had better experiences with group assignments since their freshman year. Perhaps Chris articulated it best when he explained that he “dreaded” group assignments but now has a guarded enthuisasm for them. While I do not claim an affinity toward group projects, my experiences in upper-level courses has been more positive.

TV's Group Interaction Response

New Century College really opens my eyes to many possibilities to learning in this century. People learn from observing, listening, reading, doing, and interacting with others. From learning about my colleagues perspectives on “group-interaction” and reflecting on my own opinion, I've noticed most enjoy collaborative work a lot because it allows them to “interact with others, be able to share ideas, get honest feedbacks from group members, etc”. While I was afraid of group interaction since I wasn't comfortable with socializing, I still find the benefits of group work because it really teach a person to be humble and respect other's ideas and at the same time built the confidence and esteem to voice my ideas and beliefs.

TV' Group Interaction Part 1

o man. .. somehow i posted this assignment to my other class's blog. Good thing it lets me delete....how embarrasing...

Academic Work:

It is hard for me to reflect on any memorable group interaction throughout my academic years since most the projects didn't take a great amount of time to accomplish. I was never comfortable when it comes to group assignments because I am the kind of person that likes to accomplish my work on my own, at my own pace, and with my own creativity. I grew up with out interaction to a big crowd because there were only my sister and me in my family. I joined Girl Scouts when and was able to interact with a group of girls on a weekly basis. The problem, however, was because they were all the same gender and same ethnicity, although I learned to be more comfortable socializing, I was still not used to interacting with a mix group of different of race, gender, and age.

My most effective group project of 4 people was to use digital art to revise any business type, whether it'd be logo, brochure, business cards, slogan, advertisement, website, etc. We chose a Beauty Salon called “La Femme”. Together we went to visit the salon to introduced ourselves and our purpose for helping them. After they went over what they needed to improve with their business, we had daily meetings in person and online to draw out ideas as to how we will carry this project out with equal tasks for each person in the group. We divided tasks base on what we each are capable of doing and also had more knowledge in a specific areas from Photoshop tools to making sure we are on track according to our due dates. I had a great experience with this group project because we had great communications, we were right on schedule since we kept each other on task regularly, we were able to relate with each other base on the project we chose, and everyone felt a part of the group because we each had something to work on in order to complete the project.

The group interaction from that project pushed me out of my comfort zone to to interact with my colleagues and be able to collaborate ideas. According to the definition of Group Interaction from NCLC, our group project was successful because we had shared understanding and expectations from all the members within the group, we were able to play our given roles and accomplished our tasks on time, we all made decisions and help each other track the project's progress collaboratively, able to negotiate consensus, compromise on ideas, and solved any conflicts that arise. After this group assignment experience, I learned that with group interactions and collaborating ideas we can archive more than individuals accordance to time, expertise and learning. It is an advantage to live in a diverse culture so that we can open our minds to great knowledge beyond our expectations. We should never miss an opportunity whenever it is given to us.

Written Text:

As Christians, we learn everything base on the bible because that is where we can find the truth from our Lord savior. There are numerous Christians scattering the world with one thing in common, that is our love for Jesus Christ. John 3:16 stated “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Although we all live all over the universe, we are a very strong team because we share the same faith and are heading towards the same direction. Since we all have different experiences due to our geographic barrier, we somehow collaborate our lives through different ministries to accomplish our mission: to spread the good news of our savior and whoever believes in Him will have eternal life.

I find it fascinating after recently becoming a follower when I have realized the strong group effort of fellows Christians in bringing everyone to Christ through different ministries. I myself are involve in a youth ministry with my fiance and it is so rewarding. We have many people from different churches and even different areas of the country to support us, encourage, guide, and motivate us whenever we feel discouraged as well as rejoice when we want to celebrate. Jesus is a great leader of all times that is full of wisdom about anything. From Him I learned that group work can change a nation and lives base on the evidence of His followers for the past many centuries.

Non-written:

I worked together with my two girl scouts for our Gold Award project when I was in high school. Three of us collaborated ideas for a Vietnamese Cultural show for the community to enhance their understandings for the beauty of Vietnam. Although three of us were responsible for putting everything together for this show, there were more group work amongst our whole troop, which consists of 50 people. I'd have to be honest, when working with that many people for one big project, there were conflicts throughout the process. We'd run into differences in ideas, time conflicts, age difference, parents involvement as well as criticism, and many more. There were also disagreement within three of us since it didn't know how to prioritize our time, balance out tasks and following roles, and many times there were miscommunication. Towards the end of our project and getting ready to have the show, we were able to pull everything through from the help and support of our troops. The show was a success and memorable to the community.

After this Gold Award project, I learned a valuable lesson to the definition of “group work.” We went wrong during the process when we went in the project with a mindset that we will do a great job on this project ALONE. Instead of collaborate ideas and experiences, we went ahead and use our ideas separately for the project. Later we learn that this project needs all three of our effort and commitment. After learning to compromise, we were able to manage the project in a nicely manner and carried out a beneficial event for the community and ourselves.

Works Cited: the Bible (NIV), John 3:16.

Raquel's Group Interaction- Post 2

The interesting thing about learning is that it never ends. With all the insights that came this last year in NCC, I have had several more just by reading the posts of my fellow classmates.

Colleen reminded me that group interaction is not limited to the small three to five person groups I’ve gotten used to in my course work. While I have never had to engage in a large group setting for academic work, I have certainly been a part of massive group demonstrations for political causes. The same characteristics apply for large and small groups to be successful, although the dynamic is very different.

Chris challenged my beliefs about group interaction by saying that there doesn’t need to be a leader for a group to be successful. I have been in situations where several leaders emerged and held an agreement to govern specific aspects of the group, but I cannot see a group working effectively if there is no leader at all. Similarly to Chris, I have often had to take the lead in groups in order to prevent chaos from arising when there is no sense of direction and time passes with little productivity. However, I have learned through my time at NCC that simply because I have not experienced it directly, does not mean it is doesn’t happen. Although I have not personally experienced it, I do believe it is possible.

I disagree with Linda’s claim that every member of a group must be committed in order for it to succeed. I think that while it is helpful and ideal, it is not necessary that every member be fully committed. There have been plenty of times when one or two group members contributed less than others and seemed no to care about the outcome of the work or the grade. And what inevitably happens is that the rest of the group members draw closer together to make up for the slackers to get the job done. While it does put a lot of stress on the ones who have to work harder and it creates resentment among the members, it does not mean the group cannot meet the goals and be successful.

Raquel's Group Interaction Post 1

Sorry this is so late, everyone. I know no one likes excuses but I ran 23 miles on Saturday and I took me 2 days to recover.
________________________________________________________________________
Before I came to GMU last Fall, I had little group interaction in my previous two years of college at American University and Northern Virginia Community College. Even before that, during high school, most of my academic work was completed by myself. I grew accustomed to doing everything my way so it has been a difficult adjustment to NCC where a lot of the time, I must rely on total strangers for a portion of my grade. However, I learned that group work can be beneficial and rewarding because it takes some responsibilities off my shoulders and can lead to insightful reflection.

One written text that has influenced my view of group interaction is the primary book for the Intro to Integrative Studies course I took last fall, Strategies for Active Citizenship (Drexler 2005). Chapter six focuses on teams/groups and discusses the characteristics of an effective group. The characteristic that think is the most important is “Team members give one another useful feedback” (Drexler 148). I have found through my work with groups that the members must be open and honest with one another about their behaviors and offer constructive criticism on ideas for progress to be made.

A non-written text that has influenced my opinion of group interaction is The West Wing (1999). I was an avid fan of this show for the length of its run. I loved watching the various members of the administration work together to achieve great things for the country. It struck me how they all specialized in one area and as long as they did it well and trusted the others to do their part well, things were great. The most amazing thing I saw was when a republican lawyer, Ansley Hayes, accepted a job with the democratic administration despite their differences of opinion, because they have similar goals of making the country a better place. As long as people can overlook their personal differences to focus on the task at hand, extremely diverse people can work together effectively.

An academic paper I have written that has further affected my understanding of group interaction is the Individual Summary on Group Presentation paper I wrote for the “Spirituality and Conflict Transformation” course I took this summer. The most interesting thing I discovered through writing this paper is that even though groups involve people with different perspectives and sometimes opposing views, it is possible for everyone’s wishes to be met if the members are willing to approach the interaction in a collaborative fashion.

Through my experiences at GMU, I have learned a lot about group interaction that has helped me to better understand and better prepare for group work. Perhaps the most influential insights are that it is beneficial if members of a group can provide honest feedback, put aside personal differences in order to complete a task, and work together in a collaborative manner.



Works Cited

Drexler, Kateri, Gwen Garcelon. Strategies for Active Citizenship. Upper Saddle River:Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005. 131-156.

The West Wing. Dir. Jason Ensler. Created by Aaron Sorkin. Perf. Martin Sheen, Bradley Whitford, John Spencer, Richard Schiff, Allison Janney. Warner Brothers, 1999.

Jessica's Group Interaction Exercise - Part 2

After reading the posts from my classmates it seems we all have similar ideas about what group interaction is. Some of us dislike the academic side of group interaction but appreciate the social side, and in some way we have all grown as group members. Most of us have even struggled through the bad the group experiences and learned from them. A bad experience makes us appreciate the good experiences even more.

Each person in part one shared similar views when they were discussing their past group experiences. The most important parts for effective group interaction were: open communication, learning how to deal with conflict, and time management. Through my experience I have dealt with conflict, time management, and communication (good and bad) but it seems that I didn't recognize conflict to be as significant as others did. For the most part I have had groups where there was little conflict, and reading from a few students how conflicts arose and how they were solved was important to getting the group project done. I also found that time management was a big issue, and when you had a group member that was always absent that affected your time management and success of the group experience.

After reading reflections by my peers I find it intersting that we all shared such similar group experiences. Also, the roles of non-written and written text that influenced each one of us was similar yet different. We all seemed to use written work from a previous class and show how that helped us, and when it came to non-written text we related group interaction to movies, plays, and various performances. This exercise expanded my knowledge on group interaction; and reading past experiences from my peers helped me better understand the group interaction competency.

Colleen's Part Two Group Interaction Peer Response

Group Interaction has clearly been an empowering experience for all of us who have gone through New Century College. After reading the responses to my classmates' first part of the exercise, I realize I did not taken into consideration some of the most valuable aspects of group interaction. A couple of people, in particular Matt and Million mentioned the importance of grasping conflict resolution in order to function successfully. I like how they both pointed out the benefits of conflict within a group because it gives an avenue for open communication. Both Matt and Million made excellent points that conflict within a group is usually inevitable but should not be viewed as a bad thing, rather as an opportunity for growth. Personally, I have noticed that many of my group experiences witnessed some form of conflict, yet those conflicts ended up leading to improved communication and new, innovative solutions that lead the group to the right direction.

Another enlightening response was Chris' reference to a text that has transformed her thinking about group interaction. I liked how she mentioned the different lenses of different people as it brings up an important point that group interaction requires people to place themselves into another's position. I think that when a group learns to empathize with another, they are able to connect as one. It can be extremely challenging to incorporate the thoughts and opinions of different people into one collaborative assignment, yet when people are patient and open-minded some of the best ideas emerge. It is important to hear out every idea every person has and to approach topics using different lenses. Thinking outside the box and looking at a subject through someone else's eyes can present some many successful possibilities.

Finally, a common theme I saw throughout the many people's responses was the importance of time management. Staying on task can be a major challenge for groups as it is easy to distract one another with social discussions. Yet, when groups are able to properly utilize the time they have through time management techniques a lot can be accomplished. Many people discussed the need to delegate tasks, establish orderly meetings and make sure everything is planned out from beginning to end. All of these suggestions are excellent, and I will definitely utilize them in my future group interactions.

As I have learned from the exercise, group interaction has many different elements and stirs up a variety of responses. Every one of us as seen the good and the bad of group projects, and have grown from those exeriences. It is interesting to see commonalities in the responses as many stress the need for open communication, collaboration, time management, conflict resolution, and more. I feel this exercise gave me some interesting ideas to think about when I approach group interactions in the future.