6 critical thinking exercises for IT professionals

Through critical thinking you:

• Learn to make only thoroughly informed decisions.
• Properly segregate and assess all risks.
• Drawing 100 per cent correct conclusions.
• Predict likely difficulties and consequences.
• Find innovative approaches.

By developing this quality, you will become as productive and efficient as possible. And of course, the ability to think critically will answer the burning question - how to increase your income?

But critical thinking is not only useful in the profession. Once you have mastered it, you will be able to adequately assess information flows from news channels in your ordinary life. You will be able to look at things and events from the position of a detached observer, without being influenced by the erroneous judgements of society. Your choices will always be informed. In addition, your personal relationships with the people around you will become more productive and smooth.

Exercises for the development of critical thinking

Here are some simple exercises for developing critical thinking:

6 hats of thinking

This practice was created by Edward de Bono, an English psychologist, author of books on psychology, and an expert on creative thinking. The creator of the technique is convinced that over the years we begin to think one-sidedly, stereotypically. The 6 hats help to correct this situation.

By trying on different hats, you are applying different perspectives to the object of study:

White is in charge of information and facts

You focus on the available data and how to make the most of it. Whether this information base is sufficient for the task at hand. If not, what other information can be obtained and where.

Yellow is all positive

By wearing this hat, you will find something positive even in the most hopeless situation. There is nothing in the world that does not have its strengths.

Black is the headdress of the critic and pessimist

Every decision you make should be questioned. There will be weaknesses in even the most brilliant idea, and you must identify them all and plan how to deal with them if they emerge during implementation.

With a red hat, you are emotional and sensual

When we are in it, we are obliged to listen to our intuition - our inner voice. Its clues are no less important than dry facts and figures. The solution will not be complete if you have not taken the emotional aspect into account in the process of searching for it.

The green hat stands for creativity and fresh ideas

When you put it on, you become a creative person. Look at the problem from the position of an artist, a creator. No value judgements - only the creative side of the coin.

Blue controls the thought process

It's the hat of the controller, the boss. You don't have to make decisions. In it you set goals and then check whether the realization corresponds to the task set at the start. This hat is best worn at the final stage of practice.

This exercise is well suited for use in the workplace - in the office. It is effective when you need to make the right decision, solve a problem, or create a new product on your own.

Plus. Minus. Interesting

Another technique from Edward de Bono. It allows us to select and consider all the characteristics of the object under study. In this way, we get the opportunity to see all facets of an idea, object or concept. You can train critical thinking with this exercise both at home and at work. Take an object and take it apart according to the principle of such a table:

1. In the column with pluses you write all the qualities that answer the question - what is positive, good, causing positive emotions in this object.

2. In the column with minuses, accordingly, everything that answers the question - what is bad, incomprehensible, carries a negative attitude - is entered.

3. Now it remains to fill in the third block of the table - interesting. Here you should write down everything that seems the most interesting in the object under study, some controversial facts about it that arouse a desire to learn more details about it.

This practice allows you to identify all the positive and negative sides of any phenomenon and make a sober, balanced decision. The exercise takes 20-30 minutes.

I see. I think. I wonder

Through the use of this exercise you learn to gather information, observe and then interpret what you have learnt, your observations, forming clear questions. We learn to describe what we have seen in detail so that we can then apply what we have learnt to create our own ideas.

Devote 15-20 minutes a day to this practice. It is better to do it in a quiet environment to concentrate on the subject.

• What do you see, observe? Write down the results of your observation.

• What thoughts do you have about what you have seen or observed? Write down your thoughts.

• What about this object, phenomenon made you surprised? Write down what surprised you, aroused your interest.

Now you need to record the results of the exercise. What knowledge and experience you have gained and what actions you intend to take in the future.

This practice helps you realize that unambiguous answers are not an end in themselves in learning and thinking processes. It is important to learn how to ask the right questions in order to move forward.

Peel the fruit

This exercise is designed to work on complex problems and ideas. The phenomenon is examined from all points of view. Starting from the top layers, you gradually go inward to the core. This practice requires solitude and silence, so do it at home. You will need quite a lot of time to work through the problem properly.

As a result, you learn to think about topics in a variety of ways. You will see how multifaceted they can be, that you cannot solve a problem by looking at it only from one or two angles, that there are always several options for action, but that you can only choose the only right path by fully immersing yourself in its essence.

Imagine that the problem under study is such a fruit. It is covered on the outside with a rind - external surface features. These layers need to be peeled off.

Key critical thinking skills are being developed:

• of observation;
• the ability to describe objects and formulate clear questions;
• the ability to identify the essence of a task, phenomenon, idea,
• compare and make connections;
• the ability to explore different points of view.

This practice will be very useful for programmers.

I'm watching 10x2

This exercise is also intended for home practice, as you will have to slow down and engage in careful detailed observation. After a detailed visual study of an object, you are to describe it in detail. Your task is to eliminate hasty interpretations and interpretations from your description.

The object of your observation can be any thing, a photograph, a picture - any material object. Having chosen a suitable object, you should look at it quietly for at least 30 seconds. Allow your eyes to relax, so that your gaze as if wandering on the surface of the object, image.

Then make a list of the first observation. This will be 10 words or short expressions relating to any aspect of the object being observed.

After that, repeat the step of visually studying the object and prepare a second list of descriptions.

Conclusions

As you can see, the basic qualities for the skill of thinking critically, are the ability to research, formulate questions, make correct judgements and abandon preconceptions - stereotypes.

When evaluating an object, consider it from all sides. Remember that personal judgement is not always a sufficient basis for making a decision. You should make an effort to find out what experts think about it. Never take anything on faith. Always question yourself first and foremost and then those around you. All one-sided, emotional, colorful assessments are not trustworthy.

There are many exercises for developing critical thinking. Start developing this skill as soon as possible, as it is highly valued by IT employers today.

Keep an eye on our publications. We will touch on this important topic - how to develop critical thinking - many more times.