David,
You make such a good pint about reasoning and the value of it in problem solving. This is what our students need to realize and understand as they develop their problem solving skills. They need to learn how to use common sense and reasoning to get to a successful conclusion.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Reasoning is part of the critical thinking process, reasoning is part of the analytics the mind goes through before it one makes a final decision. Reasoning is one of several criteria in the whole critical thinking process.
Allison,
Good point. No matter how hard we wish we could fly we can't because our bodies just are not made for flying. So through critical thinking we can come up with alternate strategies for accomplishing what we need to accomplish.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Good reasoning in critical thinking is based on evidence, rather than just wishful thinking or rash appeals to emotion.
It helps you to evaluate and discern certain claims individuals are making.
We need to ask ourselves Why, or what reasons are there for thinking their claims are true?
Annette,
Great comments on how to work through a strategy for problem solving. As you mention it takes discipline to get to this point. So many students just want to jump to a solution without going through the effort of really understanding the problem and reflecting on how to solve it.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Reasoning: Hmm.. thinking of why is it "reasonsable" to whiz through this exercise with little thought and contemplation. Reasoning makes the person take time to look at the data, validate assumptions, and get input from others that are trusted. In most professions one has to move quickly with decision making many times, so the process using reasoning and being able to draw on previous knowledge is able to move quickly only with time on task. Having many concepts and ideas and informational experiences to draw from helps speed up the process when needed. Still the "reasoning" gives us the chance to draw on what we know to make assumptions then take it the next step to validate these in relation to this situation. I liken this to the Plan Do Check Act (PDCA) cycles of problems solving, which can be applied to most situations. Once someone becomes comfortable with a cycle, the process becomes faster.
Vanessa,
Right you are. Reasoning sets the stage for problem solving success. The more skill a persons has in the reasoning area the more they will be able to move through problem situations.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Reasoning is important in the critical thinking process because without it, you cannot make connections in your daily life. You have to be able to reason to see how the information relates to you.
Mohan,
Right you are. These actions are much like ingredients in a recipe. Each one adds to the flavor and success of the dish being prepared and that is the same for one's career.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Reasoning is a combination of : Patience (wait-out) , structured thought and impartial judgement. Any problem solving process requires these actions.
Russell,
You make a number of good points about how the sequence of problem solving should evolve. Your first sentence says it all. "Think about it." By thinking about the problem and using reflective processing solutions can be found. People who can do this are the ones that employers are looking for.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Think about it! thought has every thing to do with problem solving. if one does not understand the problem to begine with then the answer would not solve the problem. it would reason that if you do not know how to swim, you should stay out of the deep water.
Susana,
Good point and one that students need to understand as the problem solve.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Reasoning is an essential part of critical thinking. Reasoning is the end product of rationale.
Cynthia,
There is a saying that illustrates your point about common sense. "It's not how smart you are but how you are smart." I will take a person that has common sense and is able to do reflective thinking anytime because that person can get the job done.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Reasoning is based on using common sense. However, there are some people who do not have common sense ... they are highly intelligent and have "book smarts" but cannot walk and chew gum at the same time --as the saying goes. These people will be more frustrated in developing their skills as a critical thinker because they can't balance the book knowledge with the common sense aspect.
Many people have inherent common sense and these are the people who will be more likely to develop their critical thinking skills by applying knowledge with "what's right in front of them" logic to process out and come to the conclusion in critical thinking.
Taking various imputs and assimilating them into a context that validates a reasonable conclusion.
Tenisha,
Yes, it does and it is critical in the developmental process. They need to be able to reason through situations and then select viable solutions to the problem. This skill set will be very valuable once they are in the work place.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Reasoning plays an important role in critical thinking. It governs and reinforces a person ethics and rationale.
Jacqueline,
Reasoning is the foundation of common sense. Common sense is lacking in the lives of many people. The more reasoning experiences we can offer our students the better prepared they will be when they are out in the field and making decisions that have financial, business or patient impacts.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
