Page 118 - Keys To Community College Success

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How Developed Are Your Thinking Skills?

For each statement, fill in the number that best describes how often it applies to you.
1 = never 2 = seldom 3 = sometimes 4 = often 5 = always

1. I discover information, make decisions, and solve problems by asking and answering questions. 1 2 3 4 5
2. I don’t take everything I read or hear as fact—I question how useful, truthful, and logical it is 1 2 3 4 5
before I decide whether I can use it.
3. I look for biased perspectives when I read or listen because I am aware of how they can lead 1 2 3 4 5
me in the wrong direction.
4. Even if it seems like there is only one way to solve a problem, I brainstorm to think of 1 2 3 4 5
other options.
5. I try not to let the idea that things have always been done a certain way stop me from 1 2 3 4 5
trying different approaches.
6. When I work in a group, I try to manage my emotions and notice how I affect others. 1 2 3 4 5
7. I think about different solutions before I choose one and take action. 1 2 3 4 5

8. I spend time researching different possibilities before making a decision. 1 2 3 4 5
9. I avoid making decisions at the spur of the moment. 1 2 3 4 5

10. When I make a decision, I consider how my choice will affect others. 1 2 3 4 5

Each of the topics in these statements is covered in this chapter. Note those statements for which you filled in a 3 or lower. Skim
the chapter to see where those topics appear, and pay special attention to them as you read, learn, and apply new strategies.
REMEMBER: NO MATTER HOW DEVELOPED YOUR THINKING SKILLS ARE, YOU CAN IMPROVE WITH EFFORT AND PRACTICE.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO ASK
and answer questions?

What is thinking? According to experts, it is what happens when you ask ques-
tions and move toward the answers. “To think through or rethink anything,” says
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Dr. Richard Paul, director of research at the Center for Critical Thinking and Moral
Critique, “one must ask questions that stimulate our thought. Questions define tasks,
express problems and delineate issues . . . only students who have questions are really
thinking and learning.” It’s human to feel as though asking questions makes you
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look ignorant. However, the risk of questioning is what combats ignorance and earns
you the reward of learning.

Effective Questioning

As you answer questions, you turn information into material that you can use to achieve
goals. A Wall Street Journal article entitled “The Best Innovations Are Those That
Come from Smart Questions” relays the story of a cell biology student, William Hunter,
whose professor told him that “the difference between good science and great science is

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