Second Attempt - Week 9 - Critical Reflection And Writing Process Evaluation

Running Head: REFLECTION AND EVALUATION 2

REFLECTION AND EVALUATION 1

Critical Reflection and Writing Process Evaluation

Jason Simpson

EDD8010

Foundations of Doctorial Studies in Education

Capella University

Critical Reflection and Writing Process Evaluation

Introduction:

For the most part, a person’s typical day is consumed with critical thinking and problem-solving challenges. Critical thinking and problem-solving go together. Both refer to utilizing knowledge, facts, and data driven metrics or identified solutions to solve problems effectively. However, when problem-solving, you are tasked with identifying, selecting, and defending your perception. Below are some examples for utilizing critical thinking to problem-solve: Your coworker was upset and said some unprofessional words to you, causing an adverse effect on your relationship. You attempt to see through the distraught behaviors to determine how you might best approach the coworker and help bring the relationship back to a respectable spot. Your department has been languishing due to lack of participation and funds.

The new organizational vice president has a marketing major and has identified some opportunities to interest students in joining and supporting the department. Implementation is forthcoming. Your final department project challenges you to conceptualize form in new ways. On the last day, when colleagues present their projects, you demonstrate the techniques you utilized to fulfill them. As you present and explain why and how you selected that approach. Your department leader sees that the audience is not quite grasping a concept. She uses clever questioning to dispel anxiety and guide you to a new understanding of the concept. You have a job interview for a position you feel you are only partially qualified for, although you want the job and are excited about the prospects.

You analyze how you will explain your skills and experiences to show that you are a good match for the prospective employer. You are doing well in college, and most of your college and living expenses are covered. But there are some gaps between what you want and what you feel you can afford. You analyze your income, savings, and budget to calculate better what you will need to stay in college and maintain your desired level of spending.

Problem-solving can be an efficient and rewarding process, especially if you are organized and mindful of critical steps and strategies. Remember to assume the attributes of a good critical thinker: if you are curious, reflective, knowledge-seeking, open to change, probing, organized, and ethical, your challenge or problem will be less of a hurdle, and you’ll be in a good position to find intelligent solutions. The steps outlined in this checklist will help you adhere to these qualities in your approach to any problem:

· Define the problem - Identify the problem, provide as many supporting details as possible, provide examples, Organize the information logically.

· Identify available solutions - Use logic to identify your most important goals, identify implications and consequences, identify facts, Compare and

· Select your solution - Use gathered facts and relevant evidence, Support and defend solutions considered valid.

Defend your solution:

Critical and creative thinking (described in more detail in Chapter 6: Theories of Learning) complement each other in problem-solving. The following words, by Dr. Andrew Robert Baker, are excerpted from his "Thinking Critically and Creatively" essay. Dr. Baker illuminates some of the many way’s college students will be exposed to critical and creative thinking and how it can enrich their learning experiences.

Critical thinking skills are perhaps the most fundamental skills involved in making judgments and solving problems. You use them every day, and you can continue improving them. The ability to think critically about a matter—to analyze a question, situation, or problem down to its most basic parts—is what helps us evaluate the accuracy and truthfulness of statements, claims, and information we read and hear. It is the sharp knife that, when honed, separates fact from fiction, honesty from lies, and accuracy from misleading. We all use this skill to one degree or another almost every day. For example, we use critical thinking every day to consider the latest consumer products and why one particular product is the best among its peers. Is it a quality product because a celebrity endorses it? Because a lot of other people may have used it? Because it is made by one company versus another? Or perhaps because it is made in one country or another? These are questions representative of critical thinking.

The academic setting demands more of us in terms of critical thinking than everyday life. It demands that we evaluate information and analyze myriad issues. It is the environment where our critical thinking skills can be the difference between success and failure. In this environment, we must consider the information in an analytical, critical manner. We must ask questions—What is the source of this information? Is this source an expert one, and what makes it so? Are there multiple perspectives to consider on an issue? Do multiple sources agree or disagree on an issue? Does quality research substantiate information or opinion? Do I have any personal biases that may affect my consideration of this information?

It is only through purposeful, frequent, intentional questioning such as this that we can sharpen our critical thinking skills and improve as students, learners, and researchers.

While critical thinking analyzes information and roots out the true nature and facets of problems, creative thinking drives progress forward when it comes to solving these problems. Exceptional creative thinkers are people that invent new solutions to existing problems that do not rely on past or current solutions. They are the ones who invent solution C when everyone else is still arguing between A and B. Creative thinking skills involve using strategies to clear the mind so that our thoughts and ideas can transcend the current limitations of a problem and allow us to see beyond barriers that prevent new solutions from being found.

Brainstorming is the simplest example of intentional creative thinking that most people have tried at least once. With the quick generation of many ideas at once, we can block-out our brain's natural tendency to limit our solution-generating abilities, so we can access and combine many possible solutions/thoughts and invent new ones. It is like sprinting through a race's finish line only to find a new track on the other side, and we can keep going if we choose. As with critical thinking, higher education both demands creative thinking from us and is the perfect place to practice and develop the skill. Everything from word problems in a math class to opinion or persuasive speeches and papers call upon our creative thinking skills to generate new solutions and perspectives in response to our professor's demands. Creative thinking skills ask questions such as—What if? Why not? What else is out there? Can I combine perspectives/solutions? What is something no one else has brought up? What is being forgotten/ignored? What about ______? It is the opening of doors and options that follows problem-identification.

Consider an assignment that required you to compare two different authors on the topic of education and select and defend one as better. Now add to this scenario that your professor clearly prefers one author over the other. While critical thinking can get you as far as identifying the similarities and differences between these authors and evaluating their merits, it is creative thinking that you must use if you wish to challenge your professor’s opinion and invent new perspectives on the authors that have not previously been considered.

So, what can we do to develop our critical and creative thinking skills? Although many students may dislike it, group work is an excellent way to develop our thinking skills. Many times, I have heard from students their disdain for working in groups based on scheduling, varied levels of commitment to the group or project, and personality conflicts too, of course. True—it’s not always easy, but that is why it is so effective. When we work collaboratively on a project or problem, we bring many brains to bear on a subject. These different brains will naturally develop varied ways of solving or explaining problems and examining information. To the observant individual we see that this places us in a constant state of back and forth critical/creative thinking modes.

For example, in group work, we are simultaneously analyzing information and generating solutions on our own while challenging other's analyses/ideas and responding to challenges to our own analyses/ideas. This is part of why students tend to avoid group work—it challenges us as thinkers and forces us to analyze others while defending ourselves, which is not something we are used to or comfortable with as most of our educational experiences involve solo work. Your professors know this—that is why we assign it—to help you grow as students, learners, and thinkers!

Evaluating information can be one of the most complex tasks you will be faced with in college. But if you utilize the following four strategies, you will be well on your way to success:

1. Read for understanding - When you read, take notes, or mark the text to track your thinking about what you are reading. As you make connections and ask questions in response to what you read, you monitor your comprehension and enhance your long-term understanding of the material. You will want to mark important arguments and key facts. Indicate where you agree and disagree or have further questions. You do not necessarily need to read every word, but make sure you understand the concepts or the intentions behind what is written.

2. Examine arguments - When you examine arguments or claims that an author, speaker, or other source is making, your goal is to identify and examine the hard facts. You can use the spectrum of authority strategy for this purpose. The spectrum of authority strategy assists you in identifying the “hot” end of an argument—feelings, beliefs, cultural influences, and societal influences—and the “cold” end of an argument—scientific influences. The most compelling arguments balance elements from both ends of the spectrum. The following video explains this strategy in further detail:

3. Clarify thinking - When you use critical thinking to evaluate information, you need to clarify your thinking to yourself and likely to others. Doing this well is mainly a process of asking and answering probing questions, such as the logic questions discussed earlier. Design your questions to fit your needs but be sure to cover adequate ground. What is the purpose? What question are we trying to answer? What point of view is being expressed? What assumptions are we or others making? What are the facts and data we know, and how do we know them? What are the concepts we are working with? What are the conclusions, and do they make sense? What are the implications?

4. Cultivate “habits of mind” – “Habits of mind” are the personal commitments, values, and standards you have about the principle of good thinking. Consider your intellectual commitments, values, and standards. Do you approach problems with an open mind, a respect for truth, and an inquiring attitude? Some good habits to have when thinking critically are being receptive to having your opinions changed, having respect for others, being independent and not accepting something is true until you’ve had the time to examine the available evidence, being fair-minded, having respect for a reason, having an inquiring mind, not making assumptions, and always, especially, questioning your own conclusions—in other words, developing an intellectual work ethic. Try to work these qualities into your daily life.

5. Further investigation into the book revealed that, although the author had written textbooks on a variety of subjects, she was not a trained historian. The research she had done to write Our Virginia, and in particular the information she included about Black Confederate soldiers, was done through the Internet and included sources created by groups like the Sons of Confederate Veterans, an organization that promotes views of history that de-emphasize the role of slavery in the Civil War.

6. How did a book with errors like these come to be used as part of the curriculum, and who was at fault? Was it Madoff for using untrustworthy sources for her research? Was it the editors who allowed the book to be published with these errors intact? Was it the school board approving the book without more closely reviewing its accuracy?

7. There are several issues at play in the case of Our Virginia, but there’s no question that evaluating sources is an important part of the research process and doesn’t just apply to Internet sources. Using inaccurate, irrelevant, or poorly researched sources can affect the quality of your own work. Being able to understand and apply the concepts that follow is crucial to becoming a savvier user and creator of information.

8. When you begin evaluating sources, what should you consider? The CRAAP Test is a series of common evaluative elements you can use to evaluate the Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose of your sources. Librarians developed the CRAAP Test at California State University at Chico, and it gives you a good, overall set of elements to look for when evaluating a resource. Let us consider what each of these evaluative elements means.

Currency

One of the most important and interesting steps to take as you begin researching a subject is selecting the resources that will help you build your thesis and support your assertions. Certain topics require you to pay special attention to how current your resource is—because they are time-sensitive, because they have evolved so much over the years, or because new research comes out on the topic so frequently. When evaluating the currency of an article, consider the following:

· When was the item written, and how frequently does the publication it is in come out?

· Is there evidence of newly added or updated information in the item?

· If the information is dated, is it still suitable for your topic?

· How frequently does information change about your topic?

Relevance

Understanding what resources are most applicable to your subject and why they are applicable can help you focus and refine your thesis. Many topics are broad and searching for information on them produces a wide range of resources. Narrowing your topic and focusing on resources specific to your needs can help reduce the piles of information and help you focus on what is truly important to read and reference. When determining relevance, consider the following:

· Does the item contain information relevant to your argument or thesis?

· Read the article’s introduction, thesis, and conclusion.

· Scan main headings and identify article keywords.

· For book resources, start with the index or table of contents—how wide a scope does the item have? Will you use part or all this resource?

· Does the information presented to support or refute your ideas?

· If the information refutes your ideas, how will this change your argument?

· Does the material provide you with current information?

· What is the material’s intended audience?

Authority

Understanding more about your information’s source helps you determine when, how, and where to use that information. Is your author an expert on the subject? Do they have some personal stake in the argument they are making? What is the author or information producer’s background? When determining the authority of your source, consider the following:

· What are the author’s credentials?

· What is the author’s level of education, experience, and/or occupation?

· What qualifies the author to write about this topic?

· What affiliations does the author have? Could these affiliations affect their position?

· What organization or body published the information? Is it authoritative? Does it have an explicit position or bias?

Accuracy

Determining where information comes from, if the evidence supports the information, and if the information has been reviewed or refereed can help you decide how and whether to use a source. When determining the accuracy of a source, consider the following:

· Is the source well-documented? Does it include footnotes, citations, or a bibliography?

· Is the information in the source presented as fact, opinion, or propaganda? Are biases clear?

· Can you verify information from the references cited in the source?

· Is the information written clearly and free of typographical and grammatical mistakes? Does the source look to be edited before publication? A clean, well-presented paper does not always indicate accuracy, but usually at least means more eyes have been on the information.

Purpose

Knowing why the information was created is a key to evaluation. Understanding the reason or purpose of the information, if the information has clear intentions, or if the information is a fact, opinion, or propaganda will help you decide how and why to use information:

· Is the author's purpose of informing, selling, persuading, or entertain?

· Does the source have an obvious bias or prejudice?

· Is the article presented from multiple points of view?

· Does the author omit important facts or data that might disprove their argument?

· Is the author’s language informal, joking, emotional, or impassioned?

· Does evidence clearly support the information?

When you feel overwhelmed by the information you are finding, the CRAAP test can help you determine which information is the most useful to your research topic. How you respond to what you find out using the CRAAP test will depend on your topic. Maybe you want to use two overtly biased resources to inform an overview of typical arguments in a particular field. Perhaps your topic is historical, and currency means the past hundred years rather than the past one or two years. Use the CRAAP test, be knowledgeable about your topic, and you will be on your way to evaluating information efficiently and well!

Critical thinking is a fundamental skill for college students, but it should also be a lifelong pursuit. Below are additional strategies to develop yourself as a critical thinker in college and everyday life:

· Reflect and practice: Always reflect on what you have learned. Is it true all the time? How did you arrive at your conclusions?

· Use wasted time: It’s certainly important to make time for relaxing, but if you find you are indulging in too much of a good thing, think about using your time more constructively. Determine when you do your best thinking and try to learn something new during that part of the day.

· Redefine the way you see things: It can be very uninteresting always to think the same way. Challenge yourself to see familiar things in new ways. Put yourself in someone else's shoes and consider things from a different angle or perspective. If you are trying to solve a problem, list all your concerns: what you need to solve it, who can help, what some possible barriers might be, etc. It is often possible to reframe a problem as an opportunity. Try to find a solution where there seems to be none.

· Analyze the influences on your thinking and in your life: Why do you think or feel the way you do? Analyze your influences. Think about who in your life influences you. Do you feel or react a certain way because of social convention or because you believe it is expected of you? Try to break out of any molds that may be constricting you.

· Express yourself: Critical thinking also involves being able to express yourself clearly. Most important in expressing yourself clearly is stating one point at a time. You might be inclined to argue every thought, but you might have a greater impact if you focus just on your main arguments. This will help others to follow your thinking. For more abstract ideas, assume that your audience may not understand. Provide examples, analogies, or metaphors where you can.

· Enhance your wellness: It is easier to think critically when you take care of your mental and physical health. Try taking activity breaks throughout the day to reach 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity each day. Scheduling physical activity into your day can help lower stress and increase mental alertness. Also, do your most difficult work when you have the most energy. Think about the time of day you are most effective and have the most energy. Plan to do your most difficult work during these times. And be sure to reach out for help if you feel you need assistance with your mental or physical health.

· Critical thinking is logical, and reflective thinking is focused on deciding what to believe or do.

· Critical thinking involves questioning and evaluating information.

· Critical and creative thinking both contribute to our ability to solve problems in a variety of contexts.

· Evaluating information is a complex, but essential process. You can use the CRAAP test to help determine if sources and information are reliable.

· You can take specific actions to develop and strengthen your critical thinking skills.

Through completing the multiple intelligences and learning styles activities, you have likely discovered that you have multiple strengths and preferences. Applying more than one approach is known as multimodal learning. This strategy is useful not only for students who prefer to combine learning styles and intelligences but also for those who may not know which works best for them. It is also a good way to mix things up and keep learning fun.

Week 4 – Literature Review Assignment

Name: Jason Simpson

Insert your writing revision matrix notes for your Week 4 – Literature Review Assignment. Note the feedback you received from your instructor, the page of your assignment associated with the feedback, and the revisions you made in response.

Writing Revision Matrix

Page	Instructor Feedback	Learner Response to Feedback
	Jason, very nice job of exploring literature related to recruiting and retaining talent in healthcare. You discussed key points from your sources within the body of your paper in an integrated fashion, integrating citations to support your points.
	However, your Literature Review section would be stronger with the use of section sub-headings. Please see the Webinar information I posted in Ask Your Instructor for tips on the assignment.	Reviewed webinar
	In your Topic Relation to Specialization section, you referred to Healthcare Administration, but this was intended to be your doctoral program specialization, such as Educational Leadership, Performance Improvement Leadership, Curriculum & Instruction, Adult Education, or Reading & Literacy.	Modified topic discussion from healthcare to my EDD focus
	Your paper was well-written, but generally descriptive and would be much stronger with your critical analysis of the sources. How could you apply the principles of critical thinking to analyze and evaluate the sources – not just report on them? Were there issues with the logic or clarity of the articles? Were there any conflicting perspectives? Is there missing information that limits understanding of the topic? How can you add your analysis of the sources to your paper? Did you see the tips from the Webinar?	Added more context to week 9’s assignment
	You have a great start in discussing literature related to your topic of interest. APA is on target but check for consistency with use of italics for journal name and volume number and use of ampersand (&) before the last author in references.	Reviewed APA
	I hope this feedback is helpful. Please use this feedback on your Writing Revision Matrix as you revise your paper for the Week 9 assignment – and let me know if you have any questions. See the Supplemental Feedback tool for additional input and resources to help you continue to develop your scholarly writing skills.

Week 7 – Ethical Behavior, Diversity, and Civil Discourse Assignment

Name: Jason Simpson

Insert your writing revision matrix notes for your Week 7 – Ethical Behavior, Diversity, and Civil Discourse assignment. Note the feedback you received from your instructor, the page of your assignment associated with the feedback, and the revisions you made in response.

Writing Revision Matrix

Page	Instructor Feedback	Learner Response to Feedback
	Jason, overall, great job on your paper! You presented timely and important issues related to your specialization of Performance Improvement Leadership in general, but your paper would be stronger with direct connection to your specialization description with citations and reference. I posted the description in the Week 7 Tips and a separate post in Ask Your Instructor.
	You evaluated the challenges posed by the ethical behavior and diversity issues, provided relevant examples, and supported your claims with references to scholarly, peer-reviewed literature. Your section on Civil Discourse would be stronger with a focus on discourse, or conversations with mutual airing of views without rancor to promote greater understanding.	Reviewed civil disclosure and put more focus on discourse
	Be sure to follow the Week 7A1 assignment guidelines for the exact paper headings to be used: Title of Paper (followed by introduction), Overview of Issues, Diversity Issue Related to Specialization, Ethical Behavior Issue Related to Specialization, Civil Discourse Issue Related to Specialization, Review of the Literature, Conclusion, References or you can use the alternative set of headings I provided in the Webinar presentation and the Week 7 Tips posted in Ask Your Instructor.	Modified assignment based on feedback provided.
	Check APA format for consistency with capitalization of titles, how to indicate volume, issue, and page number (see Chin and Fuller sources) in references.	Reviewed APA guidelines
	I hope this feedback is helpful as you revise your paper for inclusion in your Week 9 paper, documenting your changes on the Writing Revision Matrix and drafting your Writing Process Evaluation for this assignment. See the links in the Supplemental Feedback section for tips and resources. Please let me know if you have questions.

References

Changwon, K., Sukuma, A., & Sisan, B. (2018). Critical thinking skill development: Analysis of a new learning management model for Thai high schools. Journal of International Studies, 11(2).

Elder, L., & Paul, R. (2020). Critical thinking: Learn the tools the best thinkers use. Foundation for Critical Thinking.

Fuad, N. M., Zubaidah, S., Mahanal, S., & Suarsini, E. (2017). Improving Junior High Schools' Critical Thinking Skills Based on Test Three Different Models of Learning. International Journal of Instruction, 10(1), 101-116.

Kuhn, D. (2019). Critical thinking as discourse. Human Development, 62(3), 146-164.

Mahanal, S., Zubaidah, S., Sumiati, I. D., Sari, T. M., & Ismirawati, N. (2019). RICOSRE: A Learning Model to Develop Critical Thinking Skills for Students with Different Academic Abilities. International Journal of Instruction, 12(2), 417-434.

Muhammadiyeva, H., Mahkamova, D., Valiyeva, S., & Tojiboyev, I. (2020). The role of critical thinking in developing speaking skills. International Journal on Integrated Education, 3(1), 62-64.

Radulović, L., & Stančić, M. (2017). What is needed to develop critical thinking in schools? Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, 7(3), 9-25.

Shaw, A., Liu, O. L., Gu, L., Kardonova, E., Chirikov, I., Li, G., ... & Loyalka, P. (2020). Thinking critically about critical thinking: validating the Russian HEIghten® critical thinking assessment. Studies in Higher Education, 45(9), 1933-1948.

Uribe-Enciso, O. L., Enciso, D. S. U., & Daza, M. D. P. V. (2017). Critical thinking and its importance in education: some reflections. Rastros Rostros, 19(34), 78-88.

Wechsler, S. M., Saiz, C., Rivas, S. F., Vendramini, C. M. M., Almeida, L. S., Mundim, M. C., & Franco, A. (2018). Creative and critical thinking: Independent or overlapping components? Thinking Skills and Creativity, 27, 114-122.