Academic Development Critical Thinking and Research Assignment Sample

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Introduction

Critical thinking refers to the thinking where an individual question, observe, interpret, assess and make a crucial judgement regarding what a person read, say or write (Atkinson, 2014). It is an intellectually disciplined procedure of dynamically as well as skilfully conceptualising, implementing, examining, synthesising and evaluating information collected from the observation or experience. Students seeking to enhance their skills can benefit from assignment help writing to engage effectively in activities such as debating Brexit, conducting mini-research on the death penalty in the UK, and presenting on moral issues like abortion. In this manner, this report is going to explain about the three different activities. The first topic is the thoughts about Brexit under the debate activity, second topic is conducting mini-research on death penalty in UK and third activity ‘is abortion moral?’ which is part of presentation activity

Main Body

Class activity one

The first activity which was conducted in the class was related to thoughts about the Brexit. It was the group activity and teacher divided the students in two opposing teams, first was affirmative group which was supporting the Brexit and second was negative team that against to the topic. I was active team member of one of the team and took part in this activity carefully and used my skills and knowledge about Brexit. We all team members divided roles and responsibilities so that it could not create complications during process. I used my research skills and went to academic library. I read many relevant books as well as old newspapers. I also utilised the online platforms like Google platform and search about the topic.

Academic Development Critical Thinking and Research Assignment Sample

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With the help of the other team members, I selected the relevant website that could provide accurate information regarding Brexit. I was part of the negative team and that’s why I focused on collecting the negative impacts of the Brexit. With the help of the text books, articles and journals, I found lots of information. Online websites also helped a lot carry out the research in right direction (Ogden, 2019). This activity allowed me to think critically as it was a quite complex political topic and need lots of research before making judgments. I used my critical thinking ability to find out what the Brexit was and how it is impacting the people and nations. During research, I found out that critical thinking skill is crucial to figure out the trustworthy data sources. As it was the political issue therefore I wanted to use reliable sources to confidently put my points in front of opposing team. Through critical thinking ability, I also made difference right and wrong information which helped me to prepare content for debate in an effective manner.

Class activity two

The topic of activity two was related to the death penalty in UK which was a kind of research activity. It was basically individual task and teacher asked each student to conduct a mini-research on topic. I found this topic very knowledgeable as it was allowed me to know about the social attitudes towards the death penalty in the country. I participated in this activity in order to increase my knowledge about the real world issues. A systematic research process involves several factors such as; research aim, objectives, questions, problem and methodologies (Wilson, 2022). The learning’s helped me a lot to carry out the research effectively and accurately. I read the articles, books and journals and read about the death penalty related to the policies. I also utilised the websites which helped me to identify that UK has agreed the protocol that outlaws the death penalty in any kind of circumstances. In addition to this, I found out that, in the year of 2014, there were numerous people in United Kingdom who supported the death penalty for the certain crimes. During the activity, I faced some difficulties in understanding the topic as it is related to the criminal justice. Therefore, I communicated with my teacher and took their guidance so that I reduce the chances of errors in my research. My teacher provided basic information about the topic. This topic was quite complex and sensitive that’s why I stayed focus throughout the project. I truly believe that my critical thinking capability helped me to complete the activity on time. When I read about the topic in books and on internet, I carefully write down the relevant and right information. Critical thinning ability is one of the crucial skills for the students as it facilitated to find out the unsubstantiated claims as well as misleading information. Finally, by using appropriate methods, techniques and skills, I completed the research successfully.

Class activity three

The third activity was related to the controversial topic such as; ‘is abortion moral’? It was a group presentation and teacher divided students in three teams. We all team members divided our responsibilities and tasks so that we can carry out the tasks effectively and stay on track throughout the activity. I identified that the decision of dividing roles and activities was good and provided lots of benefits throughout the process. Further, I contributed in activity by performing the assigned tasks. As it was quite sensitive topic, me and my team members asked about the topic to our teacher so that they we can carry out project. After that, I read books and related articles on online platform. To search about relevant books and articles, I utilised my research skills so that I could not use wrong information. My ability of critical thinking played a valuable role in finding and analysing the information and facts. Critical thinking skill allowed to evaluate logic behind information which collected by me. Meanwhile, I learned about the ethical and moral issues in relation with the abortion. I discovered the mixed views which mean some people think that it is moral but there are many people who think that it is completely wrong. I showed this information in presentation in an attractive way. Critical thinking is essential to research procedure and helped me to explore the topic wider (Warsah et al, 2021). It enabled me to look deeper and analyse different views. When my team completed the presentation, I gave presentation in the class in a confident manner. Overall, this activity was great and knowledgeable experience for me and I became able to do this kind of project in the future.

Self-reflection essay

Self-reflection is explained as mental procedure that can utilise by an individual to develop their understanding of who they are, what are their values and why people think and act in certain way (Kross, Ong and Ayduk, 2023). I also utilised the self-reflection method to reflect on my past situations. I carried out different activities throughout the12 weeks. Detail reflection on activities in which I participated is explained by using Gibb’s reflection cycle.

Description: Being a student, I participated in several activities in my academics. In my academics, I performed team projects, group presentations as well as research projects. I realised that different activities helped me in improving my skills, abilities and competencies. I carried out the different form of activities such as; debate, research & presentation activities. I gained different knowledge from the varied activities which helped me a lot to improve my learning journey. Activity related to thoughts on Brexit involved the tasks like problem-solving situations; evaluating case studies as well as engaging in group discussions which requires examination of the different perspectives. Critical thinking helped to apply logics, analyse evidence and makes decisions regarding the tasks (Rutherford 2021). Each activity whether it was related to Brexit, death penalty in UK or morality behind abortion, needed me to investigate assumptions, identify the sources of information as well as consider the potential biases.

Feelings: Initially, when I joined activities especially debate activity, I felt little nervous regarding how well I would do in these activities. Usually, I preferred to do usual activities but these activities helped me to come out from my comfort zone. Activities needed me to implement theoretical knowledge and concept in practical manner. Through team activity and group discussions, I felt engaged at the same time felt challenged, because different team members brought new or varied perspectives to complete activity which I had not initially considered. I also felt satisfied during activities when I overcame the obstacles and hurdles by using my communication and team work abilities. Sometimes, I felt frustration because sometimes there was a delay in completing the task. In this situation, I took help from my teacher and their guidance motivated me a lot.

Evaluation: The activities conducted during 12 weeks were effective in assisting me to enhance the critical thinking ability. For instance, in the research of controversial topic, I had to evaluate the advantages and drawbacks of different solutions, taking into account the wider context and possible long term impacts. It helped me in improving my capability to make the logical and relevant judgments (Sundgren et al, 2021). Though, I struggled while collecting the information and data from internet as there was lot of websites but I used my ability to identify the reliable website to collect the information. When I work in group, it was quite difficult for me sometimes to reconcile the different opinions without jumping to the conclusion. Moreover, I identified that I have dependent highly on my first instinct that prevented me to do thorough analysis.

Analysis: When I look deeper, I figured out that critical thinking ability is not only making informed decisions but also evaluating the procedure by which I and my team members arrive at right conclusions. The activities needed me to take into account the evidence as well as to be mindful regarding my assumptions. Throughout the team work, I was actively listening to other’s point of views, questioning the opinions presented and thinking about my own reactions before providing the solutions. The procedure of evaluating various solutions taught me significance of flexibility in thought process. I identified that it is important to engage in more purposeful procedure of reasoning in order to reduce the risk of wrong conclusion.

Conclusion: It helped to learn throughout the process that critical thinking is a kind of ongoing procedure which needs self-awareness as well as capability to approach different problems from various perspectives (Pieper et al, 2021). Now I know the significance of questioning assumptions, thinking about alternative solutions and review my final decision. Further, I also discovered that I require to be more patient while working in a team as well as doing group discussion. It will allow me more time to explore different, unique and new ideas and solve problems timely. Lastly, these activities helped me to gain deep understanding about complex topics like Brexit and death penalty which also increased my knowledge.

Action plan: I will continue to improve my critical thinking ability to through using the different resources. I will work on my problem-solving along with the decision-making skills so that I can do best in my academics and increase my success chances. I will read books that will help to improve my cognitive skills and will equip me with valuable knowledge. It will help me to perform complex tasks in future. Furthermore, I will take admission in interpersonal development classes in order to enhance my critical thinking skills. It will give me a chance to attend the group activities that will ultimately help me to know how to work well in the group. Further, online tutorials will be also good option for increasing knowledge regarding critical thinking and become innovative (Ridley, 2021). I will watch videos on YouTube platform and try to gain advance knowledge like how to assess issues in-depth manner without taking lot of time. This knowledge surely will facilitate me to achieve better learning outcomes.

Conclusion

As per above report, it is concluded that critical thinking ability is helpful to nurture excellent decision-making through equipping a person with the methods and tools to evaluate options, significances and reach at better conclusion. The above analysis has explained about the different three activities such as; debate, research and presentation. Debate activity helped me to know how to express our views in favour and against of topic. By research activity, I got opportunity to know systematic process of research which includes relevant aim, objectives, questions and methodology. Further, presentation on controversial topic provided me a chance to boost my knowledge about social issue and also I learned different features that help me to make effective presentation. 

References

Books and Journals

• Atkinson, I. 2014. The creative problem solver: 12 smart tools to solve any business challenge. Harlow, England; New York: Pearson.
• Kross, E., Ong, M. and Ayduk, O., 2023. Self-reflection at work: Why it matters and how to harness its potential and avoid its pitfalls. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 10(1), pp.441-464.
• Ogden, J. 2019. Thinking critically about research: a step-by-step approach. Abingdon, Oxon; New York: Routledge.
• Pieper, M., Roelle, J., vom Hofe, R., Salle, A. and Berthold, K., 2021. Feedback in reflective journals fosters reflection skills of student teachers. Psychology Learning & Teaching, 20(1), pp.107-127.
• Ridley, M. 2021. How innovation works: and why it flourishes in freedom. New York: Harper Perennial.
• Rutherford A., 2021. How to Think Critically. ARB Publications.
• Sundgren, M.K., Millear, P.M., Dawber, C. and Medoro, L., 2021. Reflective practice groups and nurse professional quality of life. TheAustralian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 38(4), pp.49-67.
• Warsah, I., Morganna, R., Uyun, M., Afandi, M. and Hamengkubuwono, H., 2021. The impact of collaborative learning on learners’ critical thinking skills. International Journal of Instruction, 14(2), pp.443-460.
• Wilson, J. 2022. Understanding research for business students: a complete student’s guide. Los Angeles Sage.