#Generasi Gigih Soft Skill : Critical Thinking
Prelude
So, continuing my story on Generasi Gigih soft skill class, last week we were discussing about critical thinking. Critical thinking is our ability to analyze and evaluate problems in an objective and rational manner to make an informed decision. Critical thinking is the ability to think about a problem in a way that is not only logical but also rational. Being a critical thinker enables us to make an informed decision, be a great problem solver, and be more independent from others.
One of the many ways to help us think critically is by using Question Formulation Technique (QFT). QFT is a process for brainstorming questions by asking as much questions possible to a certain case. This questions then will be optimize and several key question will picked so that can lead us to the conclusion.
There are 4 main rules in QFT, which is :
- Ask as many question as you can
- Do not stop to discuss, judge, or answer the questions
- Write down every question exactly as it is stated
- Statements or 'sentence fragments' and other cognitive snippets are fine, just change any of these into questions at the end.
Based on what i've learn in last week's soft skill class, I'm going to implement QFT in order to make an informed decision regarding the statement "Success is only for talented people". I'm going to ask as much questions as i can and later i will share what's my conclusion and whether is agree or disagree about this statement.
So, here are my QFT that i've made :
Produce
These are my questions after i brainstorm for several minutes :
- What is success & talent?
- Why is this a thing? Is there any example?
- Where do we draw the line between success and failure?
- Is there any different on achievement between someone who's talented and not?
- How we determine success?
- How we determine someone's talented?
- What criteria do we need to met to be able to be considered as successful person?
- What if someone is successful but not considered talented in that field?
- Does success is determined by talent?
- Do we always consider someone who's successful as a talented person?
- What if someone who's not talented become successful?
- Do talented person always become a successful person?
Improving Question
Based on the previous questions, i will categorize the questions as open or close ended question and then improving the questions. Here's a table to show the improvement :
| Question | Close/Open Question | Improved Question |
|---|---|---|
| What is success & talent? | Open question | What is success & talent? |
| Why is this a thing? Is there any example? | Open question | What are the examples of successful people with talent in their field? |
| Where do we draw the line between success and failure? | Open question | When do we consider someone is s successful or not? |
Is there any different on achievement between someone who's talented and not? | Open question | What is the difference on success between someone who's talented and not? |
| How we determine success? | Open question | How we determine success? Is there any criteria that we can use? |
| How we determine someone's talented? | Open question | How we determine talent? Is there any criteria that we can use? |
What criteria do we need to met to be able to be considered as successful person? | Open question | How we determine success? Is there any criteria that we can use? |
What if someone is successful but not considered talented in that field? | Open question | When someone who's not talented is successful, does this means that the statement is wrong? |
| Does success is determined by talent? | Close question | Does success is determined by talent? |
Do we always consider someone who's successful as a talented person? | Close question | Should we always consider someone who's successful as a talented person in that field? |
| What if someone who's not talented become successful? | Open question | When someone who's not talented is successful, does this means that the statement is wrong? |
| Do talented person always become a successful person? | Close question | Do talented person always become a successful person in their field? |
Prioritizing Question
In this section, i select 3 priority questions that i think can help us to make an informed decision. Here are my 3 priority questions :
- What are the examples of successful people with talent in their field?
- Do talented person always become a successful person in their field?
- When someone who's not talented in that field is successful, does this means that the statement is wrong?
Create Plan
After i select 3 priority questions, I create a plan on what i will do with the questions. Here's a table to show the plan :
| Information | Task |
|---|---|
| Talent can help someone to be successful | Search and look for examples of successful person who's able to realize their talent |
People need to realize their talent well in order to be successful | Search and look for examples of talented person who failed/didn't realize their talent and be a successful person |
| Success is not determined by talent alone | Search and look for examples of not so talented person but able to achieve much more than regular person could |
Reflection
After everything is done, i reflect on what i've learned about QFT. Here's my reflection :
What did I learn so far?
- QFT is a unique but effective method on trying to solve problems and take decision
- Critical thinking is an important skill to have
- In order to take a measured decision, we need to know the fundamental of the problem
How did I learn it?
- Reading through article and materials about this topic
- Exploring further about the problem that we're facing
- Trying to select certain question to answer
Conclusion
After going through further research and exploring, also with the help of QFT that i made before, i think i disagree with this statement. Success is not determined only by talent and talent doesn't always means success. Yes talent can lead to great success, but only if they are able to realize it. Someone who's not talented can still achieve success through their hard work and determination. Someone who's talented can also fail if they didnt put the effort to realize their talent. We can see a lot of example in this.