2. Believing all the things we hear for the first time is
never a good things. This does not mean that we
have to be doubtful or suspicious at all times; this
only means that we have to be aware of the
dangers of being gullible. Gullibility makes us
open to misinformation, and this can be harmful,
or in worst cases, even fatal to us and to other
people. To avoid this dire consequences of
misinformation, let us arm ourselves with critical
thinking skills.
3. Mancala is a type of board game
that involves the use of small
stones, beans, or seed. In the
Philippines, there is a famous
mancala game sungka, wherein
seashells are used instead of
stones, beans, or seeds. This game
helps develop our critical thinking
skills.
4. Critical thinking and
Open-mindedness
Developing critical thinking means using
or involving careful judgment by thinking
intelligently about the good and bad side of
a particular thing or information. Practicing
open-mindedness is the willingness to
consider different ideas or opinions
expressed by other people.
5. There are six core critical thinking skills that we have to develop
to avoid misinformation.
1) Interpretation means comprehending information and communicating its meaning to others.
2) Analysis means understanding and recognizing needed information in order to come up
with a conclusion from the information we have at hand.
3) Evaluation means being able to measure the credibility of the source of information in order
to judge the validity of the information.
4) Explanation means restating, clarifying, and putting into perspective information for the
sake of those we plan to share it with.
5) Self-regulation means being aware of own cognitive abilities and the information we have
at hand.
6. Analytical people think critically. They want to know the reasons behind the
things. They do not easily believe any information, especially if it has no
solid evidence or basis. The love to know the truth and they decide things
after they have thoroughly studied everything.
There are a number of things we can do to
help us become analytical people. However,
the very basic thing we ca do is to ask
ourselves a lot of questions every time
someone tells us a piece of information or
every time we hear about occurrence.
7. How do you improve your critical thinking skills?
make maximum use of television, newspaper, radio, internet, and
others in getting facts and information.
evaluate or analyze whatever information I receive.
weigh statements on ads as to their truthfulness.
be careful in choosing products.
choose television programs to watch.
8. “Therefore each of you must
put off falsehood and speak
truthfully to your neighbor ,
for we are all members of
one body”
- Ephesians 4:25