Critical Thinking Application

Critical thinking is the mode of thinking that the individual improves their thinking by analyzing, assessing, and reconstructing it. "Critical thinking, then, has three dimensions: an analytic, an evaluative, and a creative component. As critical thinkers, we analyze thinking in order to evaluate it. We evaluate it in order to improve it. In other words, critical thinking is the systematic monitoring of thought with the end of improvement. When we think critically, we realize that thinking must not be accepted at face value but must be analyzed and assessed for its clarity, accuracy, relevance, depth, breadth, and logicalness. We recognize that all reasoning occurs within points of view and frames of reference, that all reasoning proceeds from some goals and objectives and has an informational base, that all data when used in reasoning must be interpreted, that interpretation involves concepts, that concepts entail assumptions, and that all basic inferences in thought have implications. Because problems in thinking can occur in any of these dimensions, each dimension must be monitored" (Paul & Elder, 2006).

Recently at my job I was faced with a rather large critical thinking project. I work in accounting and we needed to change up some of our processes to be compliant with GAAP. When the issue was brought to my attention I knew that I was going to need to brainstorm and come up with policies and procedures on our new process. I used the decision-making process to assist with my solution to the problem at hand. The first order of business was to identify the problem. We then needed to define our goals which were going to be a new process in our department. After a lot of brainstorming we found several alternatives to our problem. During the course of several meetings we evaluated the impacts of the alternatives. After weighing the pros and cons of several methods, we decided to make the decision on which method we were going to choose.

Good...