Lesson 2: Barriers

[Olivia Francesconi]

There are a number of factors that can get in the way of critical thinking, including not asking questions, having existing beliefs and filters, making assumptions, being emotional, or being too rash in our decision making. We forget to 'fully evaluate all parts of a claim'. It's important to take into consideration different perspectives and sometimes slow down.

An example of when I did not use critical thinking was when we were looking to implement a new Learning Management System (LMS). After significant research, I was keen to choose LMS X but my boss asked a range of questions, which I had not considered. Rather than think about the questions and slow the process down, I became frustrated as I was keen to push forward and implement the system so I could meet my deadlines. I felt that she was unnecessarily slowing down the process but what she was really doing was taking a more holistic approach. In hindsight, I should've asked more questions from peers before even meeting with my boss, particularly those peers who are good critical thinkers. However, I had my blinkers on and was focused on getting my needs met instantly. I like achieving goals and when people 'slow me down' I can become frustrated and impatient. It's something I'm developing on as I've realized that I can be emotionally driven and I can make poor decisions when I don't ask questions or ponder.

I think another factor that's important in critical thinking is cultural and language differences. After moving to the States I discovered that not only are some of our words different (eski, servo, bludger, and thong has a different meaning altogether!) but we also articulate ourselves differently. There have been times in meetings where I've had to ask extra questions to really understand a problem. It's taught me that thinking critically isn't just about asking questions, but it's also about asking questions a certain way, or in different ways, to gain real understanding and clarity.

Thanks for reading,

Liv

[Jackie K]

Liv- Such good points! I love talking out problems with others. No matter how good of critical thinkers we think we are someone is always going to look at it differently! And your culture shift was dramatic and is a great reminder that even when working with someone you think is similar iwe grow up in different regions (countries, states, neighborhoods), different family backgrounds, different economic backgrounds, etc, etc and and this all shapes our experiences and how we approach problems!