CLASS 1 :
Nursing and Critical Thinking

Announcement:

Class material and assignments related to CLASS 1 will be tested in CLASS 4. Class will take place in the Computer Center (2nd floor Dickinson Hall)

Topic: Nursing

  • Overview of the profession of NURSING
  • Overview of this nursing CURRICULUM
  • Individual & Group work: Lifeline exercise
  • Overview of COURSE
  • meeting times, assignments, testing, grading, campus support
  • Work at computer: Treasure hunt on the web site
  • Fundamentals of CRITICAL THINKING
  • characteristic behaviors
  • Group work : Examples of behaviors of critical thinking

Topic : Critical thinking

Think of your set of decision-making abilities as a mental Swiss army knife - capable of resolving a variety of problems.

1. Critical thinking is the purposeful linear mental process of evaluating ideas for reasonableness, or selecting the most reasonable idea from competing ideas.

2. Creative thinking is more often a global mental process that generates many or new ideas.

3. Intuition is a global mental process that notices cues at a pre-conscious level. Awareness comes as a vague emotional message.

4. Truth / Fact is a statement about a specific aspect of objective reality that is supported by persuasive evidence.

5. Opinions and preferences usually are a mix of ideas and emotions. The greater the emotional load, the harder it is to use critical thinking about the ideas.

6. In the human brain contradictory beliefs and behaviors can and do coexist usually without creating distress for that person

7. The Principle of Contradiction states that an idea can not be both true and false in the same way at the same time.

8. The basic behaviors of critical thinking involve :

  • being actively curious

  • critiquing ideas for reasonableness

9. A critical thinker can be said to be an open person :

  • open eyes: observant, curious, interested

  • open minded: willing to listen to other ideas, flexible to alternatives. says when s/he doesn't know or was wrong

  • open mouth: asks questions about the ideas and the evidence, good communicator

  • open arms: empathetic, fair minded, team player, humble

10. A critical thinker can be said to be practical:

  • proactive: anticipates problems, not reactive

  • systematic: gathers information, weighs it, draws conclusions

  • logical: bases conclusions on evidence

  • persistent: finishes the job

  • realistic: settles for a workable solution, not the ideal solution

Characteristics (Attitudes) of Critical Thinkers

Critical thinkers are:

  • Active thinkers, maintaining a questioning attitude, and double-checking both the reliability of information and their interpretation of the information.

  • Knowledgeable of their biases and limitations. Some call this "having intellectual humility."*

  • Fair-minded, keenly aware of the powerful influence of their own perceptions, values, and beliefs, but seeking to treat all viewpoints alike.

  • Willing to exert a conscious effort to work in a planful manner, gathering information, checking for accuracy, and persisting, even when solutions aren't obvious or require several steps.

  • Good communicators, realizing that mutual exchange of ideas is essential to understanding the facts and finding the best solutions.

  • Empathetic, putting their own feelings aside, and consciously imagining themselves in the place of others in order to genuinely understand them. Some call this 'having intellectual empathy."*

  • Open-minded, willing to consider other perspectives and suspending judgment until all the evidence is weighed.

  • Independent thinkers, making their own judgments and decisions, rather than allowing others to do it for them.

  • Curious and insightful, questioning deeply, and interested in understanding underlying thoughts and feelings.

  • Humble, recognizing that no one, including themselves, has all the answers or is immune to error.

  • Honest with themselves and others, admitting when their thinking may be flawed or requires more thought. Some call this "having intellectual integrity."*

  • Proactive, instead of reactive, anticipating problems and acting before they occur.

  • Organized and systematic in their approach to solving problems and making decisions.

  • Flexible, able to explore and imagine alternatives, and change approaches and priorities as needed.

  • Cognizant of rules of logic, recognizing the role of intuition, but seeking evidence and weighing risks and benefits before acting

  • Realistic, acknowledging that we don't live in a perfect world, and that the best answers aren't always perfect answers.

  • Team players, willing to collaborate to work toward common goals.

  • Creative and committed to excellence, continually evaluating, seeking clarity and accuracy, and looking for ways to improve how things get done.

TOPIC: Assignments:

Assignments related to Classes 1 and 2

* Alfararo - LeFevre, R. (1995) Critical Thinking in Nursing a practical approach
Philadelphia: Saunders P 10