putting limits on the value of decision-making
A very recent study from the US shows that women are hugely under-represented in congressional hearings. In 2011 only 43 per cent of these hearings included female witnesses. Congressional hearings normally have three to five witnesses (and sometimes up to ten). The odd nature of this finding is emphasised by the fact that women own […]
free critical thinking resources
We shall soon be offering free downloadable resources on this website. These resources will be available for four different groups: those who are interested in using critical thinking in business and management, parents of primary school-age children, students (aged about 13 and above), and teachers.
International Conference on Thinking, New Zealand, January 2013
Roy van den Brink-Budgen will be speaking at the International Conference on Thinking in Wellington, New Zealand, in January 2013. He will also be giving a masterclass on the subject of ‘critical and creative thinking’.
Critical Thinking and US universities
A recent book by Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa ‘Academically Unfit: Limited Learning on College Campuses’ has argued that over a third of America’s university students show no improvement in critical thinking or analytical reasoning after four years in college. Though there are disputes over the methods used to assess such thinking, the study does […]
Critical Thinking in Singapore
We were working again in Singapore in November, conducting workshops with teachers in various Junior Colleges, and also speaking to parents about the value of Critical Thinking to their children’s overall educational performance. I am always very impressed by the interest shown in Critical Thinking in Singapore by both teachers and parents, and also impressed […]
Community Critical Thinking is Here
If…then are delighted to announce we’ve recently gone social with the setup of our brand new Twitter and Facebook pages. You can now keep totally up to date with all If…then activity. To make this as easy as possible we’ve also permanently added links to our Twitter and Facebook pages in our website footer – just click below to […]
Critical Thinking and decision-making
We are involved with a Suffolk-based organisation which works with a wide range of young people. Having provided two sessions of staff training, we are now focusing on collaborating with the staff on producing dedicated materials for work with their students. At this stage, we are focusing on decision-making. This is a fruitful area for […]
Critical Thinking and the economy
This week’s announcement of the Nobel prize for economics to Professors Sims and Sargent for their work on how economies function highlights the importance of Critical Thinking in dealing with complex issues. Too often, pronouncements on what should be done to solve economic problems are given as simple remedies. As Professor Sims explained, getting economies […]
Critical Thinking in business
On the Harvard Business Review website of 27 September, we find the article ‘Learn how to think different(ly)’. This argues for the virtues of thinking differently for entrepreneurs and executives. It gives some information on a study carried out on thinking differently. Not suprisingly, it found that innovators (of new businesses, products, and processes) spend almost 50 […]
Critical Thinking in India
We have recently been working with teachers in schools in India. It is interesting how similar issues come up in terms of how Critical Thinking should be taught (including how it can be incorporated into very full timetables with lots of material needing to be taught.) In one of the schools (in Mussoorie, high up […]