The ancient Roman orator Horace (65 B.C.-8 B.C.) wrote, 'Control your mind or it will control you.' In today's society we are faced with more information, and more complex information, than ever. Faced with making decisions, we can feel overwhelmed and helpless. One way to become less helpless — to gain control over our lives — is to gain control over our own thinking. We can feel helpless when faced with this barrage of information, opinions, data, and conflicting arguments if we lack the skills to quickly grasp and critically evaluate them. This book is designed to impart these kinds of skills.Any course in a university should do more than teach information — in nearly every field, 'facts' become obsolete quickly. The goals of Thinking Matters are to help you: The text is punctuated with exercises or 'personal experiments' to challenge and stimulate your curiosity. These exercises may take the form of an inventory to be taken, a puzzle to be solved, or some thoughts to ponder.The first module Thinking Matters: Critical Thinking as Creative Problem Solving introduces the student to all the above topics — logic, probability, argument forms and fallacies, ethical reasoning, algorithms, and computational thinking — through logic puzzles and games and mathematical magic tricks.

The ancient Roman orator Horace (65 B.C.-8 B.C.) wrote, "Control your mind or it will control you." In today's society we are faced with more information, and more complex information, than ever. Faced with making decisions, we can feel overwhelmed and helpless. One way to become less helpless - to gain control over our lives - is to gain control over our own thinking. We can feel helpless when faced with this barrage of information, opinions, data, and conflicting arguments if we lack the skills to quickly grasp and critically evaluate them. This book is designed to impart these kinds of skills. Any course in a university should do more than teach information - in nearly every field, 'facts' become obsolete quickly. The goals of Thinking Matters are to help you: to be more creative, fluid, and perceptive in solving problems; to identify the implicit premises, fallacies, or moral principles that are presupposed in the arguments of others; to be able to advocate for what you believe by effectively refuting opposing arguments and presenting persuasive arguments of your own; to understand the logic of scientific testing to distinguish between science and pseudo-science; to develop your own style and intuitive powers of logical deduction, probabilistic reasoning, and computational thinking. The text is punctuated with exercises or 'personal experiments' to challenge and stimulate your curiosity. These exercises may take the form of an inventory to be taken, a puzzle to be solved, or some thoughts to ponder. The first module Thinking Matters: Critical Thinking as Creative Problem Solving introduces the student to all the above topics - logic, probability, argument forms and fallacies, ethical reasoning, algorithms, and computational thinking - through logic puzzles and games and mathematical magic tricks.

Train your brain for better decisions, problem solving, and innovation Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills is the comprehensive guide to training your brain to do more for you. Written by a critical thinking trainer and coach, the book presents a pragmatic set of tools to apply critical thinking techniques to everyday business issues. Think Smarter is filled with real world examples that demonstrate how the tools work in action, in addition to dozens of practice exercises applicable across industries and functions, Think Smarter is a versatile resource for individuals, managers, students, and corporate training programs. Thinking is the foundation of everything you do, but we rely largely on automatic thinking to process information, often resulting in misunderstandings and errors. Shifting over to critical thinking means thinking purposefully using a framework and toolset, enabling thought processes that lead to better decisions, faster problem solving, and creative innovation. Think Smarter provides clear, actionable steps toward improving your critical thinking skills, plus exercises that clarify complex concepts by putting theory into practice. Features include: A comprehensive critical thinking framework Over twenty-five "tools" to help you think more critically Critical thinking implementation for functions and activities Examples of the real-world use of each tool Learn what questions to ask, how to uncover the real problem to solve, and mistakes to avoid. Recognize assumptions your can rely on versus those without merit, and train your brain to tick through your mental toolbox to arrive at more innovative solutions. Critical thinking is the top skill on the wish list in the business world, and sharpening your ability can have profound affects throughout all facets of life. Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills provides a roadmap to more effective and productive thought.

The essential guide to decision making and problem solving for the interior designer The interior design profession requires effective problem solving and critical thinking, as they impact all phases of the design project and most work activities of the interior designer. Whether you are a student or professional designer, much of what you do involves these skills. Although most of us do not even think about what we do in terms of these activities, they are a constant part of design. They are also skills that must be performed successfully outside a professional career. Improving these skills makes you a more sought-after employee and designer, effective business owner, and fulfilled individual. Problem Solving and Critical Thinking for Designers will put the reader on the correct path to a solutions-oriented practice. Using her trademark accessible and conversational approach, Christine Piotrowski guides readers through the process of how the working designer solves problems and makes decisions. Some of the topics she discusses are: Design process Communication Asking questions Problem definition and analysis Decision-making process Negotiation Working with others Ethical decision making This book also features real-life scenarios and design problems that guide the reader toward making correct decisions in real-life situations.

Is your life in the right direction? Are you in control of your destiny? How our lives go depends on how we think. Shoddy thinking usually creates more problems that you don't anticipate. On the other hand, critical thinking is like an avenue for endless possibilities. We use it in managing businesses, budgeting, deciding whether to proceed with plans or not, and even in simple things like knowing the appropriate words to say in a particular situation. Critical thinking brings about excellent resolutions to problems, yet, it needs to be developed so that it can work, which requires you to have a sound strategy for success. It is important to bear in mind the fact that your own brain is unique: after you will read this pages you will learn what you need to do in terms of exercises, in order to keep your brain elastic and working in a logical manner. This book has been carefully written with the aim to handle the shortcomings that face the thinking process. What will you meet in this book? 6 Simple Steps for Solving All Your Problems 4 Sure-Fire and Lifesaver Skills for Decision Making Several Traits of Critical Thinkers you Should Imitate Useful and Effective Skills for Problem Solving Why Logic is the Most Crucial Skill you Need to Develop as a Critical Thinker Personal Decision-Making Styles that Seem to be Tailormade for You How to Win an Argument Obstacles Facing Critical Thinking How to Tackle Your Challenges Problem Solving Exercises to Boost Critical Thinking Skills Every person on this planet has problems. Now, many of us sit back, close our eyes, and hope that our problems will go away on their own. But they don't. In order to solve your problems, you are going to have to think about them in a critical manner. Pick those problems apart. Look for solutions. Look for ways you can use aspects of the problem to your own advantage. Think about the problem personally, and independently. Advice from others is great, but at the end of the day, it is still your problem, and you are the one that is left to deal with it while it is there and ultimately solve it. Critical thinking is the one aspect you are going to use most in your life if you want to take your life from something that is just plain and simple, to the next level. So what can stop you? Buy your copy of this book!

This innovative text is designed to improve thinking skills through the application of 30 critical thinking principles—Metathoughts. These specialized tools and techniques are useful for approaching all forms of study, inquiry, and problem solving. Levy applies Metathoughts to a diverse array of issues in contemporary clinical, social, and cross-cultural psychology: identifying strengths and weaknesses in various schools of thought, defining and explaining psychological phenomena, evaluating the accuracy and usefulness of research studies, reducing logical flaws and personal biases, and improving the search for creative solutions. The Metathoughts are brought to life with practical examples, clinical vignettes, illustrations, anecdotes, thought-provoking exercises, useful antidotes, and contemporary social problems and issues. Tools of Critical Thinking, 2/E is primarily suited as a core textbook for courses in critical thinking/problem solving, or makes an ideal supplement in a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate psychology courses, including introductory psychology, abnormal psychology (psychopathology), cross-cultural psychology, theories and methods of psychotherapy, research methods and design, theories of personality, clinical practicum, and contemporary problems and issues in psychology. Second Edition features: The application of critical thinking skills to cross-cultural psychology and issues of cultural diversity More than 60 new and updated reference citations related to a wide range of contemporary topics 140 multiple-choice test bank items and 20 short-answer/essay questions Comprehensive PowerPoint CD package as a pedagogical aid to augment lecture presentations Improved glossary of key terms, containing over 300 fully cross-referenced definitions The expanded use of humor, including parodies, cartoon illustrations, and clever satires

Explores problem solving and creative thinking in relation to teen health. Looks at a formula for gaining confidence, and examines advertising and its influence on health behaviors. Several self-assessments included.

Critical thinking--the ability to approach a problem both analytically and creatively--is the bedrock of success for companies and their people. Fortunately, it’s a skill that can be learned. The Critical Thinking Toolkit gets employees thinking better and faster with training exercises that offer an invigorating departure from the everyday and the potential for big payoffs in the form of enhanced “on-your-feet” thinking, innovative problem-solving, and profitable idea generation from everyone on the team. Using hands-on activities and ready-to-use assessments, team members will learn how to challenge assumptions, brainstorm divergent ideas, and then pinpoint the ones that best benefit your organization. And they’ll learn to do it in a way that not only increases their work quality, but also their productivity. Unimaginative. Risk-adverse. Prone to groupthink. These are not just empty complaints about today’s employees. American businesses are suffering from systemic burnout resulting in a widespread lack of creativity. But this unimaginative thinking doesn’t need to plague your workplace. With The Critical Thinking Toolkit, you and your team have everything you need to think quickly, analytically, and creatively.

More than 82 per cent of companies believe creativity directly impacts results, yet few of us understand how it comes about or how to put it into practice. Some people say that creativity is about thinking outside the box, while others believe it is about being creative inside the box; but what if there is no box? The Creative Thinking Handbook argues that we need to identify and remove the 'box' around our thinking, so we canunlock unlimited streams of creativity for professional and business success. This book offers an integrated system of personalized insights, along with clear, practical tools and strategies - including the tried-and-trusted Solution Finder model. The authors show you how to develop your creative problem-solving skills to make better decisions with an individualized step-by-step strategy. Based on long-term research and testing of the creative thinking process, The Creative Thinking Handbook helps you generate more ideas and find brilliant solutions for any professional challenge.