How do I Develop Deductive Reasoning & Critical-Thinking Skills?
The development of critical-thinking skills is important in children and adults. Deductive reasoning is a subset of critical thinking. Critical thinking can also be called evaluative thinking, according to the American Scientific Affiliation. It is the ability to solve problems and draw conclusions with limited data. Deductive reasoning is the part of critical thinking that allows for problem solving.
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Instructions
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Complete puzzles. This is an excellent way to put your critically thinking mind to work. Word puzzles, riddles and even math word problems sharpen the mind and critical-thinking skills.
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Solve a Sudoku. This is another form of puzzle that exercises the mind.
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Utilize Edward de Bono's Six Thinking Hats. He teaches to picture a given situation like an island and divide the island into north, south, east and west quadrants. Focus on each direction separately. Using this method allows you to notice and retain details in each smaller area, essentially breaking down a situation to allow for individual observations. He states that confusion is the enemy of good thinking skills.
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Start young. The earlier critical thinking is taught, the better an individual will progress. But even an elderly person can train his mind to take an evaluative approach to any matter or problem.
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Tips & Warnings
Write things down. Writing down thoughts, even journaling, encourages organized thought processes that lead to critical thinking and deductive reasoning.
Exercising the brain is important throughout life to decrease your chances of degenerative neural diseases later in life.
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- Photo Credit puzzle time image by Christopher Hall from Fotolia.com
