1a) Highest – (5 pts)
After taking the International Critical Thinking Basic Concepts and Understanding Test, I have scored the highest (63%) on the obstacles or barriers to critical thought portion. Although my basic critical thinking insight was close (58%), I felt the most confident in my understanding, specifically, in the obstacles to critical thought. In which case, I agree with the assessment result. I believe I felt the most confident on this portion of the test because it was much easier to pick the answer that did not belong as most obstacles tend to have negative denotations or associations (which in relation would not be an element of thought, intellectual standard, or an intellectual trait/virtue). For example, the items egocentric thinking, bias in thinking, fixity of belief, close-mindedness, apathy, distrust in reason, prejudice in thinking, and self-deception (questions 66, 67,79,88,89, and 94 respectively) seem to have something in common. These commonalities express an idea of “inside-the-box” thinking which is completely opposite of what critical thinking helps us to accomplish.
My understanding that critical thinking must take place in an open-minded setting is solid (or as at least solid enough to earn the highest score of all categories). I was surprised, however, that my highest score was a meager 63%. I knew I had a lot of room to improve (in all categories) before I took the test, but as a student who is uses to scoring high on most of what I do, I was extremely shocked. What an eye opener!
1b) Lowest – (5 pts)
My lowest score was (51%) in the assessment of thought or the important standards that help us judge the worth of thinking. I agree with these results. As a new teacher, I am constantly learning how to effectively evaluate everything; whether it is student’s writing samples, my teaching methods, or my own work as a student. It’s a tough beam to balance but as time goes by, and as I read more and more student work, I am...