CREATIVE AND CRITICAL THINKING SEF-REFLECTION

Creative thinking

Creative thinking is the way how we think on certain problem or situation beyond our logic and thinking outside the box. Creativity itself means the use of imagination or authentic ideas to create something. In the lecture and based on the slide note, creativity can be polish but at some point it was inherited. For example, person who is unable to draw or does not have ability to draw something beautifully can turn out into someone which is professional painter if he or she polish their skills in drawing. Everyone have their own creativity either from practically or mentally.

Inventor nowadays who invent amazing products also apply creative thinking in their invention. For example, Steve Jobs who is founder on Apple product use his creative thinking to produce iPhone and other Apple devices that is perfectly design and systematically function. Based on Wongpinunwatana, Jantadej & Jantachoto (2018), creative thinking is being affected by logical thinking and analytical thinking. Based on article written by M. Nuswowati, M. Taufiq (2015), they stated that an element investigate by Guilford in 1977 found that there are 5 main element on how to be a creatively thinking person which is smoothness (fluency), flexibility (flexibility), authenticity (originality), decomposition (elaboration) and reformulation (redefinition).

In the lecture also, Dr Mastura discuss about this strategy and adding 4 other strategy which is curiosity, complexity, imagination and risk taking. In order to be a creative thinker, we should apply all these strategy so that we can produce a brilliant and amazing idea in the future. A creative thinker should look on certain problems and situations and think it in a different perspectives. Creative thinker also must think outside the box but still stay in the originality of the idea. Besides that, creative thinker also must thinking broad and develop more explanation about something; product or problem solving

In the Graduate Success Attribute lecture also we discuss about the characteristic of critical thinker. Some of it is, these people who are creatively thinking is likely to be more extrovert and introvert balance. This help them to socialize with other people to gain more creative idea (extrovert) and being personally focus about what they are working for (introvert) in order to be success.

Next, other characteristic of critical thinker is they are playful yet discipline. They are more likely a fun person and can be determine at the same time in order to success. This is because, if we being a person who are serious at all time, we cannot go outside the box and always stressing ourselves with facts and cannot go creatively thinking.

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is the ability to think logically and understandable about the task and what to trust (Wongpinunwatana, Jantadej & Jantachoto, 2018). In the lecture and based on the slide notes, thinking define as the action of using your mind to produce ideas, decision and memory. It having a huge difference between critical and critism. Critical is most likely people who ask, evaluate and comparing in a systematic ways. Meanwhile, critism is the people who always complain, judge and make direct assumption over certain things.

In order to have a critical thinking, it involves information processing. The level-of-processing theory explained that the order of the source is mentally analyzed. This theory suggest that the amount of information that we remember is the amount of information which is successfully processed. According to this theory, it explained that when we evaluate the source is defined as critical which is the more information was processed, the more we remember (Craik & Lockhart, 2008: Mungan, Peynircioglu, & Halpern, 2011) 

Critical thinking is important especially for research purpose. In order to do research, we must look on every aspect logically so that it will not cause any misunderstanding. Critical thinking also important to formulate hypothesis theory especially in doing experiment or case study. Besides, critical thinking is mostly used in argument. For example in debate. Debaters always think logically and effectively how to argue opponents point in debate session. They will use critical thinking to stand with their point so that other people look up for what they presenting.

In the lecture, it stated that critical thinking is important when it comes to workplace. Critical thinking help people to analyze data and conduct a proper solution for problem solving. This is very important to make sure the reputation of the company always increase from time to time by existence of this critical-thinker people.

Critical thinking also important when coping with life. By having a critical thinking, we might avoid from being prejudice, bias and discriminate certain people that not in the same way as us. Critical thinking help us to make relevant decision in every aspect of our life. By having a critical thinking also, we can differentiate what is right and wrong that should be follow or avoid in our daily life.

In the lecture also, there a part which explaining about barrier to critical thinking. Barrier is something that prevent us from doing it. One of the barrier to critical thinking is prejudice. Prejudice is preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience. Prejudice can be happen from gender aspect, religion, race or others. In other to have a critical thinking, we must avoid being prejudice and bias over certain things.

Other barrier to critical thinking is poor reading skills. As we know, reading is the most important part in order to gain realistic information about something. Reading skills involving how well you interpret what you read, understand it and be able to explain what you read. In order to have a critical thinking, you must have this kind of skill. If not, that will make a barrier for you to be a critical thinker

Conclusion

In conclusion, creative and critical thinking is the most important component in life. As a human-being, we must apply creative and critical thinking so that we can make ourselves far forward from other people in order to analyze, interpret and make decision for problem solving. Creative and critical thinking is important for us to be more relevant and outstanding person in the future. By having a creative and critical thinker, we can develop an advanced country that can be a reference or example for other country to be as advanced as us.

References

Feldman, R. S. (2020). Psychology and Your Life. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.

170. Nuswowati, M. T. (2015). DEVELOPING CREATIVE THINKING SKILLS AND CREATIVE ATTITUDE THROUGH PROBLEM BASED GREEN VISION CHEMISTRY ENVIRONMENT LEARNING . Jurnal Pendidikan IPA Indonesia , 170.

Nitaya Wongpinunwatana, K. J. (2018). Creating Creative Thinking in Students:A Business Research Perspective . International Business Research, 48.