Can I be a Critical Thinker?

         

          Since we have been in school, we have heard an infinite amount of teachers, professors, and  public speakers tell us to work hard and think critically. It is certainly a good concept to make your goal, but if there was some confusion on how to achieve what they are asking from us... you are probably not alone.

          I read both “How to Become a Deep Thinker at College,” and  “Work Hard or Work Smart”.  Both readings tied in with the themes of this year. The reading on becoming a critical thinker at college was an intriguing and thought provoking article. The main concept of the article was in order to be a critical thinker, a person must first allow himself the time to think critically. The author stressed that in order to become a critical thinker a person cannot load himself down with extracurricular activities. He must keep his schedule open to allow time for thoughts and reflections.

          Though it does make sense, I hope this is not the only way one can achieve great critical thinking skills.  I will be busy in college. There will be no negotiations. I will be practicing for NCAA gymnastics five times a week and competing on the weekends. I fear that with my schedule being so packed, I will not have the time to think critically. The ability to think critically is one of my goals for college. After reading this article I began to think about how I could attain the ability to think critically. Was it even possible for me? The Next article gave me more hope. The next article was about working smart. This explain how success is not always derived from hard working individuals but it can also be derived from  smart working individuals.

          This is how I will attain critical thinking. By doing my work "smart", I will be able to attain the maximum free time possible so I  will not over pack my schedule and I will be able to reflect on classes and information more. I agree with the article “How to Become a Deep Thinker at College” to an extent; however, I do not believe that is the only way to achieve  the ability to think critically. I believe that a student must be able to achieve critical thinking if he or she really wants it.


Links to Articles:


http://calnewport.com/blog/2008/10/24/how-to-become-a-deep-thinker-at-college/

http://www.deliverfreedom.com/blog/work-hard-or-work-smart/