All angles
I try to look at all possible outcomes and think through the problem opting for the best choice.
Shonna,
Exploration of options is a theme that needs to be a part of the thought process for students. This is what reflective thinking is about. As you say looking at a situation from different angles helps to provide multiple options and then solutions to the presenting problems.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I agree, there is always more than one answer. No tsaying that they are all the best possible which is why it is important to analyze all angles of the situation and possible answers so that you may come up with the best possible solution.
Richard,
Very interesting point about technology because you are right on with this statement. Critical thinking still revolves around the human brain and how it makes decisions. Critical thinkers are in high demand in all fields so we need to help develop such thinkers in our courses.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
This is the beauty of the staff ride model I use with my students. I've taken high school, masters, and corporate executives through the process--giving them an overview of the historical context, then having them study particlar aspects of the battle or campaign with different students taking opposing sides, and then having them discuss/debate the decisions that were made at the time by the different historical decision-makers. I then ask them to extrapolate their discussion/debate to the current. It gets interesting when technology "nerds" realize that communications, management, and leadership get harder as technology improves.
I agree Case Studies are a great resource for testing individuals decisions and thought processes.
William,
It is especially helpful when using such case studies to provide clear rubrics on the expectations of the solution parameters. Your multidimensional approach is a strong contributor to being prepared for real-world scenarios. Very good.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Case studies typically foster a handful of possible options (including maintaining the status quo). Decision criteria must be developed to weigh the options against the facts/assumptions in the case study to try to determine the optimal alternative versus satisficing alternatives.
Juan,
This sounds like a terrific exercise. Do the students do this in teams or as individuals? Excellent approach.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I have my students in strategic planning to conduct limited objective exercises after a military campaign case study. I require them to develop strategic plans for both sides/players of a conflict in order to examine the problem from different points of view.
Renee,
While this approach takes more time and effort, it often returns more satisfaction. Thanks for your contribution.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
