Lessons from Santa Barbara: Precision and Critical Thinking

http://www.regpep-society.com/IMG/jpg/photo_Santa_barbara.jpg

Abstract

                Becoming a more effective leader means exercising precision when I engage in critical thinking. Doing so will improve my professional career by making my use of media more accurate, and by helping me focus on articulating solutions, rather than describing problems.

Treatment

                Meeting fellow students and faculty of Fielding Graduate University has provided me with a lasting impression about what separates those with PhDs from those without them. The NSO experience changed my life, and I hope to open myself to the lessons that Santa Barbara has to offer. In particular, it helped me shift my critical thinking approach towards precision. This involves being aware of the origins of the media I share, writing in a solutions-oriented format, and taking more responsibility for the information I pass along. Being more precise in my critical thinking will make me a better psychologist and a better leader.

Colombo in Rereading America states, “a critical thinker is an active learner, someone with the ability to shape, not merely absorb knowledge” (p. 2). Shaping knowledge suggests an element of design, that the sharers of information are active participants in creating the idea they deliver. They have a powerful ability to affect the world view of others. Because of this, Colombo seems to think that being aware of this power and using it responsibly is a key to effective critical thought.

www.martinlutherking.org

Shaping knowledge more precisely means being aware of the accuracy and intent of an authors’ messages. This means that I must be more mindful of biases embedded in the sources I use, and the legitimacy of their knowledge. One example we discussed throughout my introductory course in Scholarly Writing was the site martinlutherking.org. Though the site seems to be legitimate, it is in fact owned by STORMFRONT, a KKK affiliate (November, 2011). What appears to be a factual and informative site is actually a home for biased media. Being aware of a source’s author and knowing their intentions allows me to navigate potential biases and be a more reliable source myself. To help us with this, the University of Maryland suggests discovering the identity, qualifications and expertise of potential sources (2011). Investigating for biases helps me protect those who seek to learn from me. These examples show ways in which I can encourage greater accuracy in my writing and thinking.

STORMFRONT

The second critical thinking method I can employ to be more precise is to articulate solutions far more than I have in my scholarly writing. Often when I write I am quite verbose, and readers experience problems following along. They seem to miss the central idea of my writing, which I can resolve by focusing more cohesively on the solution to the problem I am presenting. Richard Paul and Linda Elder, in an article on the Critical Thinking Community website suggest that unclear thoughts may be damaging to those who hear them. They state “…good thinking pays off. Poor thinking, in turn, inevitably causes problems, wastes time and energy, engenders frustration and pain” (Paul and Elder, 2004). I believe that focusing on solutions is a much stronger way to shape knowledge, because it does so in a way that keeps the end result in sight and provides a clear narrative structure for people to follow. This is an essential part of shaping knowledge in a way that is precise.

The third lesson I learned from Santa Barbara is that critical thinking is intrinsically tied to leadership and personal responsibly. By being mindful of the shape information takes I believe I can better empower others. This is a major component of being a strong leader. Qualia Soup (2009) suggests that improving critical thinking gives individuals the tools to create solutions to a multitude of problems. Critical thinking is framed as a means of self-empowerment, by which someone can become self reliant and actualized. This coincides with the work of Paul and Elder (2004), who also view critical thinking as an empowerment tool. Paul and Elder suggest that maximizing the quality of thinking involves becoming an effective critic of your own thinking process (2004). Though their site is sales oriented, the idea they present is valuable. They seem to indicate that improving your critical thinking is a key part of becoming a stronger professional. Both Qualia Soup and Elder and Paul approach critical thinking as a means of self empowerment and personal responsibility.

Conclusion

                My trip to Santa Barbara has provided me insights that will allow me to grow as a thinker and leader in fundamental ways. Not only will I attempt to use media more precisely, I will seek to understand more about its bias before I share it with others. I will write with solutions in mind, so my readers will have an easier time understanding my work. By writing with precision, I hope to take more responsibility in my writing, which I see as a means to becoming a strong leader. These practices will allow me to become a better shaper of knowledge.

Sources

Paul, R. & Elder, L. Modified from the book by Paul, R. & Elder, L. (2001). Critical Thinking: Tools for Taking Charge of Your Learning and Your Life.http://www.criticalthinking.org/articles/sts-ct-everyday-life.cfm

November, Alan (2011). Find the Publisher of a Website. Retrieved September 21, 2011., from http://novemberlearning.com/resources/information-literacy-resources/v-find-the-publisher-of-a-website/

University of Maryland (2011). Evaluating Web Sites. Retrieved September 21, 2011 from http://www.lib.umd.edu/guides/evaluate.html/

Qualia Soup (2009). Critical Thinking [Video] Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OLPL5p0fMg

Countering Bias with Literacy

Abstract

Literacy involves understanding the strengths and weaknesses of an idea, can help reduce bias, and encourage opportunities for innovation. 

Treatment

When I look at websites for bias, I seek to understand how literate they are about their own belief system. In order to become a better thinker, it’s important to understand the system through which ideas are shaped. Whether that medium is science, religion, popular culture, or any of the millions of systems that are out there, the more literate individuals are about the strengths and weaknesses of their thinking system, the more they can protect from bias. Building this kind of literacy is important in order to put ideas in context and take them further. 

Snopes.com is a good example of a tool that can benefit from a literate approach. While seen largely as a site that reports information accurately, the truth is that it suffers from the same biases as other sites. Adam Pash at lifehacker points out that Snopes is just as prone to errors as any other source. He states “Snopes is generally a good, trustworthy source, but don't throw away your skepticism just because Snopes said so” (2011). One example is the snopes review of Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials. In their attempt to prove the anti-religious themes in the book, they fail to mention the central role of god in the series. Individuals who fail to recognize Snope's limitations fail to use Snopes correctly, as a guide not a gospel. The end result is that they are not as literate about what the Snopes website really is.

   

Michael Shermer of the 21^st Century Fluency Project created the Baloney DetectionKit, a set of criteria for testing the validity of claims. Criteria number seven asks “is the claimant is playing by the rules of science?” (2011). I have to wonder if this is good science or if it fails to grasp some of the elegance of a truly skeptical approach. As fellow Media Psychologist Lisa Swain commented, Shermer seems to insist that the only way to determine the value of an idea is to examine it scientifically (2011). Though Shermer seems to spend a great deal of time looking at the context of science, I cannot help but wonder if his opinion is biased. To me, the true scientist is the one who retains his skepticism, even when dealing with the scientific medium. Not every good idea came out of science!

Often, admitting the weaknesses of science is what paves the way for future discoveries. If AlexanderFleming had discarded the accident that helped him discover Penicillin, its adoption by the public at large would have been further delayed. Understanding the failures of science is exactly what opened a whole new world of scientific exploration for him.

Conclusion

Developing literacy includes looking at the weaknesses of a user’s systems of belief and understanding the world. Often times, by knowing those limitations, individuals can create opportunities to use those systems of belief better. This allows for greater innovation and change.

Sources

Alexander Flemming. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved September 8, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Fleming

Pash, Adam. (2011). How to Identify and Avoid Spreading Misinformation, Myths, and Urban Legends on the Internet. Lifehacker. Retrieved September 8, 2011, from http://lifehacker.com/5798308/how-to-identify-and-avoid-spreading-misinformation-myths-and-urban-legends-on-the-internet

Shermer, Michael. (2011). Baloney Detection Kit. 21^st Century Fluency Project. Retrieved September 8, 2011, from http://www.committedsardine.com/blogpost.cfm?blogID=181

Swain, L. (2011, September 9). Forum Communication.

The Golden Compass. (2007). In Snopes.com. Retrieved September 8, 2011, from http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp

Social Media, The Nonprofit Gap, and Leadership

Once I had a lunch meeting with one of the most powerful nonprofit advocates in my city, a lawyer of considerable reputation who sat on the board for several charities. I came with a 40 page marketing plan about how to best use social media for the nonprofits in my city.

He asked me if the internet was actually capable of uploading pictures, and I put my plan away. 

According to Lester Salamon, one of the lead researchers in nonprofits and technology, nonprofits are seriously behind the other sectors (2010). 71% of respondents claimed that they had moderate to considerable lack of expertise with IT technology (2010). 

So while we talk about the amazing opportunities that the web presents, we must face the fact that there is still a big gap in technological literacy – especially with the leaders in the nonprofit world where I do business.
 

Clay Shirky

Clay Shirky, in his keynote speech to the Web2.0 Expo, tells us that the phase we are in now is one of radical experimentation and growth, where everyday people are equipped to create massive change. He says, “Someone working alone with really cheap tools has a hope of carving out … a resource that you couldn't have imagined existing five years ago” (2008). By this he means that individuals have unprecedented opportunities to create tools that can help society. It suggests that a massive wave of progress is just around the corner, something that people will pick up easily.
 

Jane McGonigal

Jane McGonical talks about how gaming can solve large-scale issues such as global hunger and poverty, and she sees the same potential that Shirky does. McGonigal says gamers, “are getting good at something” (2010). To prove this she compares the 10,000 hours of gaming that most students do before they reach 18 with the 10,000 hours of time that Malcom Gladwell says is necessary to create virtuosos, and suggests that this large amount of time gaming is developing a large untapped skillforce. However, she admits that there is still a problem translating this to the real world (2010). 

As eager as I am to see the world they envision come about, when I look at the facts presented by Salamon I think that both authors are biased too much toward the prosumer. Despite all the innovation they offer, there will continue to be not-so-techy people in the nonprofit world, and it will continue to lag behind.
 

Sadly, it seems to me that in exactly the place where visionaries like Shirky and McGonigal claim there is the biggest chance for social change we are suffering from the largest inability to adapt. The leaders of these organizations need to play more and become online virtuosos themselves if they hope to successfully leverage emerging technology. 

Links:
Salmon: http://www.ccss.jhu.edu/pdfs/LP_Communiques/LP_Communique20_IT.pdf
Shirky:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2708219489770693816#
McGonigal:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE1DuBesGYM