RESEARCH ACTIVITY 4.

1 RRL and Group Discussion

What is Critical Thinking?

In its essence, critical thinking might be described as an attitude that asks the questions:
1. How do you know that?
2. Are you sure?
3. Ok, but are there other answers, solutions or possibilities you have not considered yet?

These skills – the ability to think critically – are essential to making reasoned arguments that are
logical and well thought out. 
Critical thinking is an attitude – one that involves questioning ideas and conclusions – that means
you explore information without simply accepting it. And as a technologist, it is a skill set you need to
prioritize.
People who think critically are those who:

● Observe
● Interpret
● Analyze
● Infer
● Evaluate
● Communicate ideas
Or put it another way, critical thinking is a deliberative thought process; one that involves:
1. Suspending your own judgement
2. Considering different points of view
3. Examining implications or consequences
4. Deploying reason, logic and evidence to resolve problems
5. And re-assessing an idea or point of view if new information comes to light

Group Activity: Answer the questions below:

 Are you a critical thinker?
 How are you sure you make good decisions? How do you process decision-making?
 What lessons have you learned in the past for wrong decisions you have made?

3 Steps to Practice Critical Thinking: with your group take the 3 steps
below and answer the questions:
Step 1: Take five minutes to do a web search on your research topic of your choice.
Step 2: Now analyze your search results. Ask yourself some key questions.
● Which results come from reliable sources?
● Which ones answer your question best?
● Who is the author? What bias might he or she have?
● Should you get all your information from one source?
● Have you searched in multiple sources?
● How well – or poorly – is the information explained?
Step 3: Next review the sites you have found. Which of these would you recommend to a friend? Try
ranking 10 results in order in terms of how they best answer your search. Does your ranking match
how Google delivered your results?
You can take these steps further and apply this technique to your daily routine. It is a great idea to
incorporate critical thinking into basic decision-making activities. Start off simple by analyzing your
best route to work or class, the best choice of breakfast based on your needs or constraints.
Apply critical thinking to everyday activities and you will find yourself becoming naturally more
analytical. And more objective in your analysis.

CREATE Y0UR TOPICAL OUTLINE AND WRITE YOUR REFERENCES:

sample TOPICAL OUTLINE

(Format only for the Review of Related Literature and Studies)

Title of the Project Study: ___________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________
1. Definition and Characteristics__________________________________________
1.1.__________________________________________________________
1.2 __________________________________________________________
1.3 __________________________________________________________
1.4 __________________________________________________________
1.5 _______________________________________________________________
2.advantages/Disadvantages____________________________________________
2.1 __________________________________________________________
2.2 __________________________________________________________
2.3 __________________________________________________________
2.4 __________________________________________________________
2.5 __________________________________________________________
3. Related Researches on your topic__________________________________
3.1 __________________________________________________________
3.2 __________________________________________________________
3.3 __________________________________________________________
3.4 __________________________________________________________
3.5 __________________________________________________________
4. _________________________________________________________________
4.1 __________________________________________________________
4.2 __________________________________________________________
4.3 _________________________________________________________________
4.4 _______________________________________________________________
4.5 __________________________________________________________
5. _________________________________________________________________
5.1 __________________________________________________________
5.2 __________________________________________________________
5.3 _________________________________________________________________
5.4 _______________________________________________________________
5.5 __________________________________________________________