Page 142 - Keys to College Success

Critical, Creative,

and Practical Thinking

HOW CAN YOU MAXIMIZE BRAIN POWER?

What Would You Risk? Chanda Hinton

THINK ABOUT THIS SITUATION AS YOU READ, AND CONSIDER WHAT ACTION YOU WOULD TAKE.
THIS CHAPTER BUILDS METACOGNITION—”THINKING ABOUT THINKING”—AND PROBLEM-
SOLVING SKILLS THAT WILL HELP YOU FACE CHALLENGES IN COLLEGE AND BEYOND.

Chanda Hinton was just 9 years old when her life path was emergency 911 calls and doctor visits
forever altered. While visiting with family friends, Chanda more frequent. Mentally, she struggled
and two 14-year-old boys were playfully arguing over popsi- too, especially when college took her
cles. One of the boys picked up a gun, not knowing it was away from her comfort zone, the close-
loaded. The gun discharged, the bullet striking Chanda in knit rural Nebraska town where everyone
the back of her neck. The impact of the blow resulted in a cherished her.
spinal cord injury in the C5–C6 vertebrae, rendering Chanda Going to college was an enormous
a quadriplegic, unable to move or feel from the neck down. risk, and immensely difficult. “At the University of Denver it
Perhaps because she was so young, Chanda dealt with was tough for me because they were looking upon me as
the transition and found meaning and fulfillment. “Elemen- a woman in a wheelchair as opposed to, ‘Oh hey, there’s
tary and high school were really great,” Chanda recalls. “My Chanda.’“ Worried about her health, her career prospects,
outlook was super-positive.” She had tons of friends. She and her future life, she dropped out of college and lost her
was homecoming queen. She was a role model. will to take risks. At age 21 she was bedbound, dependent
Things changed when Chanda moved into adulthood. on medicine and painkillers, and inactive. She wondered if
Her spinal cord injury had compromised her health, as her she had reached the end of her life expectancy.
weight dropped to 59 pounds. The pain was chronic, the To be continued . . .

NOT ALL LIFE PROBLEMS
ARE AS EXTREME AS
CHANDA’S. HOWEVER,
EVERYONE FACES CHAL-
LENGES THAT REQUIRE
CRITICAL AND CREATIVE
THINKING AND PRACTI- Working through this chapter will help you to:
CAL ACTION. YOU’LL
LEARN MORE ABOUT • Understand more about how the brain works and develops P. 106
CHANDA, AND THE • Define critical, creative, and practical thinking P. 107
REWARD RESULTING • Improve critical thinking skills including analysis, comparison,
FROM HER ACTIONS, and evaluation P. 109
WITHIN THE CHAPTER.
• Develop creative thinking skills P. 114
• Improve practical thinking skills P. 120
• Identify, analyze, and solve problems effectively P. 123
• Define and think through decisions P. 126