It takes great discipline, self-discipline, to challenge ones own assumptions when solving problems and seeking solutions. Often times habits in thought and mere prejudices mask potential solutions. To challenge oneself in these areas takes effort.
Robert,
Great point and one that is hard for most of my students to grasp. Self discipline requires effort and takes time. Once it has been developed the results are great. Self disciplined thinkers are the source of solutions to problems.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Personal discipline not only helps but is essential in critical thinking . It requires concentrated thought and reflection which takes time. It is important for the individual to gather the information, process it, have several possible outcomes, and deduce the best logical answer. The progression of these steps cannot be done instantly. A disciplined person will always allow time to come to a conclusion.
Kent,
Great list, thank you for sharing it with us. Success is based upon these eight elements and students need to see the list and understand what it takes to accomplish the list. You have seen it in the military and have the experience to share it with your current students. This is what will move them forward in their career development.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Critical thinking involves control of ones thoughts, actions and time. Without self discipline one cannot have that control.
Becoming disciplined allows a person to take the time to fully consider information obtained and make many different applications, think through possible outcomes, make sure that they have the most valid information on the topic, and form an educated opinion. A lack of self discipline can lead to poor, prompt decisions which may have lasting consequences.
Being one from a military background, I often tie discipline to standards. When it comes to critical thinking, I try to apply the universal intellectual standards developed by Dr. Richard Paul.
The following is a list of Dr. Paul’s intellectual standards.
CLARITY
ACCURACY
PRECISION
RELEVANCE
DEPTH
BREADTH
LOGIC
FAIRNESS
I stumbled upon these several years ago in a pamphlet concerning critical thinking. I try to apply these intellectual standards on a daily basis in order to make disciplined and informed decisions.
Daneen,
Self discipline is slipping away for many students. They did not have to have it during their high school years so the thought of bearing down and really working hard to acquire knowledge and skills while in a college class is a foreign concept to many of them. We need to show them the connection between self discipline and career success while they are in our courses.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Personal discipline can aid in critical thinking by asking students to put aside their view of the world
in terms of immediate gratification. Students should practice self discipline by literally taking a breath, and realizing that learning is not as simple as uploading or downloading. True learning employs the use of critical thinking, questioning and thought provoking discussions among peers in classrooms and in classrooms. It does not mean going through the motions to get a passing grade and moving on.
Geraldine,
Your comments reflect many of the students we work with today. They do not want to develop or don't have the self discipline needed for career success. They want to receive an A in the class because they paid tuition. The examples we can share with them in terms of applications the more they will see the value of the content being shared and skills being developed. Some won't get it but the majority will and those will be successes we enjoy as teachers.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I also noticed that students want instant gratification and they have no patience. Discipline is something that I attempt to teach. There are many ways to teach discipline and the way I would choose is to try different techniques. Through trial and error I will eventually find the best way to teach the group of students that I have at the moment. Discipline is very important in critical thinking. Discipline requires time, effort, patience and dedication to a specific task. Many students do not want to spend the time, many of them are lazy, and all of them have no patience. I try very hard to change the students attitude toward the specific tasks at hand. I rely on the fact that a positive attitude towards everything provides a better outcome.As Mr. Waller said providing the students examples and scenarios which require their participation allows them to develop their own critical thinking skills.
Teresa,
This is a common problem with many students. They want to complete the assignment rather than develop the skills the assignment asks them to use. I think your school is on the right track in getting them to slow down and create a sequence of thinking and problem solving to arrive at the end product.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
A lot of students want to get their assignments, especially their writing assignments done as quickly as possible. They don't take the time to actually analyze what they are putting down on a piece of paper. Some even copy and paste information and turn it in as their own. Our campus has been trying to put a little personal discipline into student writing by breaking the writing process down. Students have to provide a plan for their paper, explain their research resources and provide several drafts before turning in a finished product. If the student seems to be lacking discipline in their writing process they are sent to the Reading/Writing Center for more assistance.
Anwar,
The lack of personal discipline is something I see a lot with our current students. They only want to memorize and then write answers down on the test. They don't want to work at gaining the knowledge and skills to complete problem solving tasks. This is something I work on a lot with my students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I totally agree with you here Rajini and just to add to your wonderful posting, if someone didn't have personal discipline, he/she couldn't have past successful actions anyway.
Someone lacking personal discipline cannot develop skills needed for critical thinking. Because, critical thinking process needs focus mind and attention which derived from personal discipline. Most students who lack self-discipline cannot put their mind into the subject matter and always look for an easy way out and start to copy paste others' materials.
RAJINI,
Good point and well said. Students need to realize the necessity for developing self discipline if they are going to be successful in their field.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
As you said here it is the students who need to put in their effort and show their efficency. I tell my students that Medicine & Nursing is a vast subject,you can get 75% of it from school but you have to put in 25% of your effort to be successful.
Rosa,
It sure does. Students need to be self disciplined if they are going to be successful in their field and create a future for themselves.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Personal discipline directly affevts one's ability to begin a task and think critically in the process of completing a task and/or in the process of learning.
