CRTW is about thinking MINDFULLY….

2. CRTW is about thinking MINDFULLY…. • Not thinking on “auto-pilot” • Not thinking the way you have been enculturated to think • Not thinking the way everyone else does… • But thinking for yourself, in a systematic and reflective way, and knowing WHY you’re doing it

3. We start thinking mindfully by meta-thinking…thinking about our thinking • Who taught you how to think? Who (or what) were your ‘influencers’? • How were you rewarded for thinking the way your influencers wanted you to? • Consider how you work with your textbooks. Do you write in them? Underline? Highlight? Why or why not?

4. Alan Lightmanon Reflective Thinking • We fear ‘not keeping up’ • Obsession with speed and being connected • Need for private, “soul space” to think effectively • Becoming aware of our choices

5. Wallace on Water • Choosing what to think • Choosing to be aware • Realizing how your thinking is shaped

6. …which in Nosich terms, means thinking about your • Filters • Barriersand • Impediments = What we call FBIs in CRTW

7. Filters

8. Filters…. • Allow things that meet certain criteriato flow through while preventing others • Colororshapewhat comes through • Can be a useful sortingmechanism • Can be a feature of mindfulandreflectivethinking • But also screen out valuable input if they aren’t applied mindfully

9. Barriers

10. Barriers… • Are more about keeping out than letting in • May indicate the presence of non-critical, manmade, or enculturated thinking patterns • Can be useful in some circumstances • Require some kind of monitoring • Can be removed, sometimes with heavy lifting • Unless monitored carefully, usually a hindrance to mindful, reflective thinking

11. Impediments

12. Impediments… • Often involve walls or total blockages • Often involve non-critical instead of critical standards of thinking, so they may inhibit mindful thinking • Often are reflexive and habitual, so they contradict or replace reflective thinking • Must be understood before they can be thought around

13. Nosich’s Impediments • Pictures formed from the news media • Pictures formed from entertainment and pop culture • All-or-nothing thinking • Stereotyping • Educational practices • See partial list on p. 23 of Nosich

14. Sneakier Impediments • Egocentrism • Developmental Thinking • Previous Commitments and Personal Experiences • Comfort Levels

15. Writing Analytically ch. 2 adds more FBIs— “autopilot thinking” • Fear of uncertainty • Prejudging—thinking you know the answer before you think it through • Habit • Judgment • Generalizing • Overpersonalizing

16. There IS a difference between • Impediment-free thinking • Highly unusual • Not likely to happen when subject is significant AND • Impediment-aware thinking • Means you are working mindfully • Lets you make allowances for your FBIs

17. Brainstorm: Take a piece of paper & divide into two columns & three rows Column 1 • Row 1: List some filters you use • Row 2: List some barriers you have erected • Row 3: List some impediments you may recognize Column 2 • For each row, list some influencers that led you to develop these FBIs. Keep this for paper #1. It’s going to be important.