Critical thinking is not quite second nature to me yet, but I am aware of its necessity when posed with an issue or question. I pause to ask myself, “How am I thinking about this? How should I be thinking about this?” When thinking things through, I consider the elements and standards of thinking. I wonder if there is anything causing an impediment to my thinking processes. More recently, I consider whether or not I’m growing in the area of intellectual virtues.  My current state of critical thinking competencies is one of an improved understanding of critical thinking: its definition, its parts, how to implement it, and its value to me and those around me.

When I began this course, my best definition of critical thinking was “deep thinking.” That was much too simplified. I have since learned that depth is a standard of critical thinking, and so are breadth, and clarity, and accuracy, and so on. Critical thinking was something I had been told was important, but I was never really educated about it to this level. I now recognize the importance of going around the circle on an issue and shutting down impediments that would keep me from thinking reasonably and completely.

I feel that I’m advancing out of a beginner’s level of internalizing the techniques and concepts we’ve learned. In The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking: Concepts and Tools, there is a chart that lists the stages of critical thinking development (Paul & Elder, 2020, p. 10). From that chart, I’d place myself between beginning thinkers and practicing thinkers, striving toward advanced thinking. I do pause to reflect on whether or not I’m thinking about something as I should. But since I have to pause, it doesn’t seem fully internalized. It’s not something that happens instinctively yet. The knowledge I’ve gained in relation to critical thinking is now part of who I am, even if it’s in baby steps of implementation. With anything, improvement comes with practice and the more I practice critical thinking, the more naturally it will happen and help me to internalize the techniques and concepts.

Some interventions I will take to make lasting changes to my thinking habits include, as I mentioned before, practicing critical thinking; taking an honest look at where I am now and what I need to do to improve and form better habits of critical thinking; developing as a critical thinker takes time, so I won’t rush the process as I internalize the techniques and concepts; and I will make an effort to engage with other critical thinkers. It matters to me that I grow in this area and I’m willing to do the work needed to fully develop my critical thinking skills. When we were asked to write “The Virtuous Leader,” the example I gave opened my eyes to the value of intellectual virtues. Without development of critical thinking, I won’t achieve goals I have set for myself to become a virtuous leader through the cultivation of intellectual virtues.

Considering intellectual virtues and my desire to develop them, I must also consider barriers to thinking that would impede my growth. Paul and Elder (2020) state, “A useful concept of critical thinking includes the disciplined analysis and assessment as one cultivates intellectual virtues. The process entails concern for two primary barriers to criticality – egocentric and sociocentric thinking” (p. 11). Humans tend to be egocentric and sociocentric naturally and we also lean toward irrational thinking. It’s important to develop rational capacities to counteract the irrational (Paul & Elder, 2020, p. 37). Otherwise, egocentrism and sociocentrism deceive us “into believing what we want to believe.” (Paul & Elder, 2020, p. 38). Humans do not naturally think of others first and when we engage in egocentric thinking, we have a “self-serving perspective” (Paul & Elder, 2020, p. 39). Sociocentric thinking keeps us “culture bound” and doesn’t allow us to develop our thinking in relation to others and cultures different than our own. This is perpetuated by “groupishness, group validation, group control, and group conformity” which are based in selfishness, belief that the group’s way is the right way, group expectations, and fitting in with the group (Paul & Elder, 2020, pp. 41-43). These barriers lead to uncritical societies and can only be “replaced by cross-cultural, fair-minded thinking – critical thinking in the strong sense” (Paul & Elder, 2020, p. 41). When people, and their societies, focus on themselves and their own cultural beliefs without considering others, critical thinking can’t come to the forefront. If critical thinking isn’t utilized, intellectual virtues can’t be developed and people and their societies suffer because thought leaders are scarce.

Paul, R, & Elder, L. (2020). The miniature guide to critical thinking: Concepts and tools (8^th ed.). London, UK: Roman & Littlefield.

Cynthia Puckett | MSLD 500 | Dr. Rietsema | February 10, 2021 | Becoming a Critical Thinker

After reading through Richard Paul and Linda Elder’s The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking: Concepts and Tools, and Gerald Nosich’s Learning to Think Things Through: A Guide to Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum, I think adherence to critical thinking is imperative for anyone who seeks to fully develop themselves as a virtuous leader. It’s through the development of intellectual virtues that a person fulfills the potential of their thinking, raising it to a level of excellence. This can only be achieved by the application of the standards of critical thinking to the elements of reasoning. As this process happens, intellectual virtues find their place in a person’s thinking. There might be a push and pull as a person asks themselves necessary questions about their thinking, beliefs, attitudes, etc. Over time, intellectual virtues come to the forefront and a person begins to understand where they are in relation to the various intellectual virtues. (Paul & Elder, 2020, pp. 12, 24-26)

What are the intellectual virtues?
[intellectual integrity, intellectual humility, confidence in reason, intellectual perseverance, fairmindedness, intellectual courage, intellectual empathy, and intellectual autonomy] (Paul & Elder, 2020, p. 23)

Making a decision about the types of critical thinking
A struggle might occur when a person makes a decision to develop a more fairminded approach to thinking. It is possible to be a critical thinker without being a “fairminded” critical thinker. Fairminded critical thinkers consider other people, as well as themselves. A person can be very intelligent and reason through an issue well, but lack the qualities of character that come with the development of intellectual virtues. Making a shift in the way a person thinks could cause some tension. (Paul & Elder, 2020, 23-24)

Why does it matter if intellectual virtues are developed?
I worked at an organization that relied on me to produce content for its website, social media, and other communications in the form of writing, graphics, and videos. At times, this meant I needed to discern if images, audio and video files, etc. were from sources that were under copyright protection. I faced a situation where I needed to confront a superior about the possibility of copyright infringement in an assignment she gave me. Even though I showed her copyright laws, she still demanded that I produce the work with the images she had provided for me to use. A struggle developed between us and she began to openly ridicule me as being the “most morally upright person” she’d ever known. I felt very constrained by my position in the organization, especially under her authority. She kept pushing me to create what I knew was illegal and she argued that it was okay. I stood my ground and did not create with copyrighted materials (it eventually went higher than her), but it made me not want to work for the organization anymore. I felt there was a lack of integrity from her, from those who supported her, and ultimately the organization.

In the above example, my superior lacked intellectual humility as she refused to see my point of view and didn’t consider that she might not know enough about the topic of copyright. A person with intellectual humility would have approached and handled the situation differently, making efforts to learn more about the topic and listening to the other person. She also lacked intellectual courage as she would not face her own ignorance. I was exercising intellectual integrity as I remained true to my own thinking (that engaging in illegal activity is not a path to take). (Paul & Elder, 2020, pp. 24-25)

As the conflict was taken higher, there was a meeting to discuss the disagreement between us. In that meeting, a person who was in leadership exercised intellectual empathy by putting herself in each of our places in order to understand us and the situation. The leader also adhered to the intellectual virtue of fairmindedness as she considered both points of view. This leader exemplified why it matters to develop intellectual virtues. Her leadership style was in drastic contrast to my direct superior and she was able to make wise decisions and judgments in a reasonable manner. (Paul & Elder, 2020, p. 25-26)

As the leader in the example showed, utilizing intellectual virtues made her a more effective leader in the way she handled a conflict. Is it possible for a leader to faithfully serve an organization and still develop the highest levels of intellectual virtues? I think the leader in the example showed that it is possible. Thinking of faithfulness in terms of fulfillment of duties: If a person is in a leadership position, it would be difficult for them to be found faithful in fulfillment of their leadership duties if they did not make an effort to develop intellectual values. It’s through intellectual virtues that a leader attains excellence in their thinking, which contributes to success within their organization. A good leader would serve an organization more excellently and more effectively if they developed the highest levels of intellectual virtues.

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.

Paul, R, & Elder, L. (2020). The miniature guide to critical thinking: Concepts and tools (8^th ed.). London, UK: Roman & Littlefield.

Cynde Puckett | MSLD 500 | Dr. Rietsema | February 3, 2021 | Assignment: A Virtuous Leader

Photo by Cynde Puckett

“Drawing is an exercise for a restless imagination.” – Tim Burton

Drawing by Cynde Puckett

Photo by Cynde Puckett

There are a few standards that have been beneficial to me over the course of my life. In relation to my professional life: excellence, work ethic, work life balance, and accuracy. In relation to my personal life, a standard that showed up and surprised me is forgiveness. These standards did not develop in my life simultaneously, rather they grew from within me as I faced new challenges. Some were instilled in me from my youth and others I recognized as necessity, which drew me toward them for my own survival.

Work ethic began to develop when I was a child. I am the eldest of three children and during my childhood my parents were gone a lot, working. As a child (as young as nine) household duties and care of my younger siblings fell to me. My parents were type-A personalities who expected work to be done and done right. As a teenager, I spent summers with my father working in our family’s automotive businesses, pumping gas and learning how to run a business. We’d walk on the beach at sunrise and open shop by 7:30 a.m. Those days felt grueling as a teenager, but I learned the importance of hard work.

Along with work ethic, my parents instilled in me the standard of excellence. My mother would rip our beds apart if they were not made properly and I’d have to make them again. There were seams on our bedspreads that had to line up properly, if not, the bed had not been made correctly. She’d say, “Do it right!” My father taught me to walk with a book on my head until it would not fall off, so that I walked with excellence. I can still hear him saying, “Stand up straight. Look ahead. Shoulders back.” Poor grades in schoolwork were not allowed. I strived to bring home report cards that pleased my parents and fell in line with their standards of excellence (that were becoming my own).

The standards of work ethic and excellence served me well while running my own business, as a college student (after my husband and I closed that business), and as I reinvented myself and began a new career path. While running a business, I carried over principles and practices my father taught me and pursued excellence in all areas of work. When our business closed, I made the decision to return to college and take a new path. While in college, I knew I needed to work hard to learn as much as I could about the new direction I was taking.

At the first college I attended, Daytona State College, I was recognized as the most outstanding student in my program and the college inducted me into its Hall of Fame for academic achievements and service on campus and in the community. At the second, Stetson University, I was recognized as the outstanding senior in my program and awarded the Ethan F. Greene award for my senior project. Following that, I was contacted by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and I accepted a position with the Office of Alumni Engagement. In my current role, I continue to strive for excellence and my work ethic remains.

My new path led me to work in journalism (among other things) and I currently write for Embry-Riddle’s alumni magazine, Lift. In the profession of journalism, a standard that I have embraced is accuracy. In Learning to Think Things Through: A Guide to Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum, Nosich describes accuracy as a standard that “simply means your words describe the way things are” (Nosich, 2012, p. 139). In journalism, this is of utmost importance. Accuracy was instilled in me as a journalism student and it’s a standard that I adhere to when interviewing, writing, and working with editors.

The standards of work ethic, excellence, and accuracy gave birth to a new standard in my life: work life balance. When one works hard and strives for excellence, even pursues accuracy to the point of perfectionism, it can lead to burn out. I sometimes hit a wall and have minor collapses that are a result of not drinking enough water, working too hard, not stopping to eat, and not getting enough rest. There have been times I’ve worked overnight. My husband will be going to bed and I’ll be working on a project. When he wakes up the next morning, I’m still there. For my own survival, I have to shut down my task-oriented self and force myself to rest, drink, eat, exercise, sit in the sunshine, breathe, and laugh. The standard of work life balance is one that Embry-Riddle adheres to for its employees and my colleagues are helping me in this area. After I said that I didn’t accomplish much on the weekend, my colleague expressed to me, “When you are resting, you are accomplishing something. You are accomplishing rest.” That statement helped me understand that it’s okay to take care of me and keep my life in a healthy balance.

The standard that showed up and surprised me, forgiveness, was also instilled into me as a child, but I didn’t realize the extent of it. In church, I was taught that I was supposed to forgive. As a child, I was told to forgive other children on the playground. Of course, in various personal relationships, forgiveness smoothed over conflicts. But there came a time in my life that I had to fight for survival and forgiveness is a standard that led the way to personal healing.

In a five-year time period, my father died, my 23-year career ended, and I was raped. There were things I had never forgiven my father for when he died, I was angry that my career was over and I had no clue what was next, and then the unfathomable happened – sexual assault. Following those events, I spent about two years in individual and group therapy and I learned about forgiveness at levels I’d never known before. I learned a true definition of forgiveness and that it had more benefit for me than the other person. I learned I could forgive without ever speaking to the person who hurt me. The standard of forgiveness holds much more strength than I thought. It is not me weakly giving in to my offender, it is me strongly choosing to move on and let go of hurts. I chose forgiveness. I forgave my father. I forgave abuses in past relationships. I forgave my rapists. But the most important act of forgiveness was when I forgave myself for making choices I regretted. The standard of forgiveness helped me move forward and it’s one that I am teaching my son, because he will likely face situations when he will need it.

Sometimes these standards have caused issues with others in my life, in different ways. In order to maintain the levels of hard work and excellence that I strive for, and to accomplish goals I set before myself, I have to say “no” a lot. That’s not something others like to hear. But if I give in to demands that others are placing on me, I won’t achieve my goals, such as completing a master’s degree. My standard of excellence is admired by others, but it can perceived as perfectionism. When there are those who don’t have the same standard, I can become frustrated with them because I don’t understand not wanting to hold oneself to excellence. And in relation to forgiveness, there are some who don’t understand how I could forgive those who have hurt me (especially abusers and rapists). I can’t let those who don’t hold the same standards end my adherence to them because I know the standards are valuable and beneficial to me.

All these standards developed over time and for a variety of reasons. They have helped me be a better person who is able to accomplish goals and build a new future for myself. They have helped me pick myself up and stand again, and shown me that I am capable of more than I thought possible. They have helped me live again and shown me the importance of living in a healthy way. I’m thankful for each of these standards and the benefits they provide and I’m curious to know what new standards will develop as my life continues.

Reference
Nosich, G. M. (2012). Learning to think things through: A guide to critical thinking across the curriculum (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Cynde Puckett | MSLD 500 | Dr. Rietsema | January 31, 2021 | Assignment: Name Your Standard

“Our task must be to free ourselves…by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and it’s beauty.” Albert Einstein

Cynde Puckett: Digital Artist