Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is the ability to analyze and reflect information about people and world issues. The skills needed to this are ones that require over time and with practice. Critical thinking has been a key element in the Human Services program, because with critical thinking, you are able to better and more fully understand the issues you are facing. Thinking critically requires knowledge of systems, how they interact with one another, an open mind, and a willingness to expand your train of thought. Every class in the Human Services program has taught us to think about everything critically in order to get a better view, and this skill can be seen in my writing.
One experience I had with thinking critically was in Human Services and Interpersonal Relationships (HSP 303) when I wrote a paper on helping strategies. In this assignment I was reflecting on work I had done in my dyadic partnership. Reflecting is an important place to use critical thinking, and I tried thinking critically about this reflection. A reflective style of writing gives you the opportunity to look back and learn from yourself in order to make an experience better the next time is arises. In order to get the most out of reflecting, you must think critically about all the different elements to your given situation.
A similar experience was in Case Management and Interventions (HSP 345) when we did a role-playing game in class. One group member was a case manager, one was a client, and the third was an observer. As clients, we adopted personas to play as we went through our “treatment”. I wrote a Skill-Building Assessment following the game where I reflected on the experience, just like I had for the Helping Strategies assignment. The difference with this experience was that the game required a bit of critical thinking before the assignment even came in. As a client, we were told to create difficulties and challenges for our case manager. This meant thinking about the different components of our life and developing our persona further. For the case manager, this meant taking in everything the client was telling you and using your knowledge to find the best solution for them.
Applied Research Methods (HSP 385) taught me a lot about how to think critically. This course was designed to teach students how to evaluate data and process evidence. I used these skills to build a Research Proposal Paper where I used evidence from other studies. Critical thinking came into play when actually planning out the study I was proposing to conduct. I looked at many studies focused on the same topic as I was, and I had to figure out how to change them to fit my demographic as well as my community. This took knowledge of many different systems and in this assignment I was able to display my critical thinking skills.
One assignment that I am particularly proud of in demonstrating my critical thinking skills is one I did in Diversity and Social Justice (HSP 455): Exploring My Privilege. In this assignment I had to look at what privileges I have in my life and how they affect my world view and my life. Critical thinking was necessary every step of the way; I had to look at myself and what I consider a privilege, but I also had to look at society and what it considered privilege. I took this opportunity to think about why certain traits might be considered a privilege versus others that are not, and I thought about the emotional effect that had on people less privileged. Although I am fairly privileged, there are areas in my life where I am not, and generally society makes me feel pretty bad about it. Thinking critically about it, I was able to look at society and my upbringing in relation to myself and my privilege. I learned a lot about myself and the society I live in as well.
One experience I had with thinking critically was in Human Services and Interpersonal Relationships (HSP 303) when I wrote a paper on helping strategies. In this assignment I was reflecting on work I had done in my dyadic partnership. Reflecting is an important place to use critical thinking, and I tried thinking critically about this reflection. A reflective style of writing gives you the opportunity to look back and learn from yourself in order to make an experience better the next time is arises. In order to get the most out of reflecting, you must think critically about all the different elements to your given situation.
A similar experience was in Case Management and Interventions (HSP 345) when we did a role-playing game in class. One group member was a case manager, one was a client, and the third was an observer. As clients, we adopted personas to play as we went through our “treatment”. I wrote a Skill-Building Assessment following the game where I reflected on the experience, just like I had for the Helping Strategies assignment. The difference with this experience was that the game required a bit of critical thinking before the assignment even came in. As a client, we were told to create difficulties and challenges for our case manager. This meant thinking about the different components of our life and developing our persona further. For the case manager, this meant taking in everything the client was telling you and using your knowledge to find the best solution for them.
Applied Research Methods (HSP 385) taught me a lot about how to think critically. This course was designed to teach students how to evaluate data and process evidence. I used these skills to build a Research Proposal Paper where I used evidence from other studies. Critical thinking came into play when actually planning out the study I was proposing to conduct. I looked at many studies focused on the same topic as I was, and I had to figure out how to change them to fit my demographic as well as my community. This took knowledge of many different systems and in this assignment I was able to display my critical thinking skills.
One assignment that I am particularly proud of in demonstrating my critical thinking skills is one I did in Diversity and Social Justice (HSP 455): Exploring My Privilege. In this assignment I had to look at what privileges I have in my life and how they affect my world view and my life. Critical thinking was necessary every step of the way; I had to look at myself and what I consider a privilege, but I also had to look at society and what it considered privilege. I took this opportunity to think about why certain traits might be considered a privilege versus others that are not, and I thought about the emotional effect that had on people less privileged. Although I am fairly privileged, there are areas in my life where I am not, and generally society makes me feel pretty bad about it. Thinking critically about it, I was able to look at society and my upbringing in relation to myself and my privilege. I learned a lot about myself and the society I live in as well.