TOPIC 1

INTRODUCTION & CONCEPT

 Learning Outcomes
• Define and explain the concept of thinking
• Discuss the importance of thinking skills
• Discuss the problems of thinking
 Glossary
• Thinking skills
• Thinking
“Population ageing is transforming economies
and societies across the world.”

The Global AgeWatch

Index ranks countries
by how well their
older populations are
faring

http://www.helpage.org/global-agewatch/
 JAPAN

http://www.helpage.org/global-agewatch/
 NORWAY

http://www.helpage.org/global-agewatch/
 MALAYSIA

http://www.helpage.org/global-agewatch/
• We each want to live a long life, but only if we
still have our minds functioning and are able
to make our decisions. And to do so requires
commitment to proper brain workouts – not
brain burnouts! To think smarter, you need to
learn brain habits to pursue.
 THINKING SKILL
• Thinking Skill is an intellectual (mental) skill as
an outcome of training or knowledge that
enables the search of a certain meaning,
exploration of various ideas or creations,
decision-making and solving problems in a
reasonable manner
THINKING
• Silent speech
• Using the mind to
– Seek meaning/understanding
– Explore various ideas
– Make decision
– Solve problems
– To reflect
– Generate metacognition using reasonable and sound
decision**
(** ability to control thinking process and activities such
as applying strategies, planning, analysis and evaluating in
the process of giving ideas or doing a certain action)
• A mental activity whereby knowledge is achieved
and evaluated through the reasoning process
(Presseisen 1987)

• A mental activity with a systematic objective

which involves an individual in the evaluation of
his/her own thinking and others (Chaffee 1988).

• Thinking requires the ability to seek for

information in the memory and to relate it to
new information (Swartz 1989).
• The practice involves asking a series of questions
surrounding a central issue. This involves the
defense of one point of view against another and
its oppositional. (Socrates)
• Two levels of questioning:
– Low level: to gather information
• Who / When / What

– High Level: to generate thinking and sound and

reflective answer
• Why/ How
 Example
Give examples for these two levels of questioning.
Exchange questions with your friend next to you and
identify the differences.
 Thinking:
• A mental process which requires knowledge
• Involves a certain mental skill
• Used in solving problems
• Determines behaviour outcome
• Reflects one’s attitude
 Thinking:
A mental process
which requires
knowledge

Involves a certain mental skill

Used in solving problems

Determines
behaviour
outcome

Reflects one’s attitude

We are creatures of habit!

 CONCEPT OF THINKING
Thinking: ‘is a mental process of using your mind
to consider something’

• Understand observed phenomenon

• Form concepts
• Engaged in reasoning
 WHY THINKING SKILLS ARE
IMPORTANT
• Enhance the quality of students’ thinking
• Make right decisions
• Generates sound and meaningful, critical and
creative ideas.
• Differentiates the good and the bad.
• Face today’s challenges.
High-Level Thinking
Students will often engage in
tasks with greater cognitive
complexity

Low-Level Thinking
Students spend most of their
time on factual recall and
procedural regurgitation
 Other important reason…
We are awash with data and information… With
our thinking, we always make conclusions based
on the information around us… that at the end
… such conclusions became our KNOWLEDGE
 However…
Conclusion should only be accepted as true if (1) the
argument is valid, and (2) premisses are true

“There's a mighty big difference between good, sound

reasons and reasons that sound good. “
Source: Burton Hillis, cited in Laurence J. Peter, Peter's Quotations: Ideas for Our Time (1977), p. 425.
 PROBLEMS IN THINKING

Give one case from your experience where

you couldn’t think as much or as good as you
should. Discuss with your friend next to you.
When? Where? And Why does it happen?
 PROBLEMS IN THINKING

Due to:
• Ad hoc (abrupt) thinking - limited time for thinking
• Narrow (restricted) thinking– overcome: debates,
discussion and brainstorming
• Vague thinking (unclear)– effort to clarify an idea in
various forms
• Confused thinking - overcome: train to organise
idea in a more systematic manner in oral and
writing exercises as in flow charts
 References
• Moore, B. N. & Parker, R. (2015). Critical Thinking (11th Edition). Dubuque:
McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
• Vogel, T. (2014). Breakthrough Thinking: A Guide To Creative Thinking and
Idea Generation. Ohio: FW Media, Inc.
• Allen, J. C. (2013). Emotional intelligence: The emotional intelligence book.
New York: CreateSpace Independent Publishing.
• Nosich, G. M. (2013). Learning to think things through (4th Edition).
Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall.
• Parks, S., & Black, H. (2012). Building thinking skills (2nd Edition). Cary: The
Critical Thinking Company.
• http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/strategies/topics/thinking-
skills/index.html