Critical Thinking, Motivation and Learning - Coursework Example

RUNNING HEAD Name: Institution: Date: Critical thinking Critical thinking refers to the ability of an individual’s to think rationally and visualize their ideas clearly (Malcolm and Nebojsa 2005). This includes the ability of oneself to engage in reflective and independent thinking. A person with a mind of a critical thinker can understand connections between ideas, arguments, detect a common mistake in reasoning, solve problems, know the importance of ideas, and reflect on beliefs and values. We can, therefore, say that critical thinking is self-guided and self-disciplined thinking that comes from observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action (Laurie 2011). Critical thinking at work is a positive tool that helps at work and school. In both critical thinking helps somebody to raise vital questions and answers clearly and precisely, make constructive and self-guided thinking which gives reasoned conclusions and solutions. Therefore, with critical thinking, the room for mistakes is very few. A critical minded person can answer any question raised by them without limiting themselves only to the area of the question asked (Richard and Linda 2005). Critical thinking for students will make their work easier as it gives then the window to think open-mindedly and communicate effectively with others. Verbal Verbal communication is the use of speech and writing in communication. This happens face to face or via Tele conversation, video chats, to mention but a few (Edward 2011). For verbal communication to take place there has to be an audience that you are talking to. The information is passed by the word of mouth, and or in writing. This includes readily understood spoken words whose tone and or voice should be appropriate the particular audience you intend to talk to. While giving a verbal form of communication, one should consider the kind of audience you are addressing who could be children, students, employees, and or teachers. The verbal communication varies to the kind of audience you are addressing (Jaszczolt 2002). Non-verbal communication A significant part of human communication does not rely on words. This type of communication is a powerful part of social and professional communication (Rizvi 2005). It involves body language or movement, regarding credibility, posture, movement, eye contact, facial expression, and speed in speaking, personal space, and physical body changes (Pascal 2002). The advantages of nonverbal communication are that oral communication is always active and effective. Nonverbal communication affects the audience positively in that the audience is in a position to tell by the expressions and the behaviors of the communicator, contradicts verbal behavior, can reinforce verbal behavior, important to trust and credibility, and it can also replace words (Diego and Judith 2011). Motivation and Learning This is the desire or willingness of doing something or the desire of actions and or need (Eunsook and Roberta 2000). Motivation brings about positive thoughts that influence behaviors that lead to performance that impacts thoughts. There are two types of motivation Intrinsic and Extrinsic (Kathryn and Allan 2009). Extrinsic motivation is a combination of external factors. A good example is when a parent or an employer uses a promise of incentives or gifts for best students and or employee while intrinsic motivation is brought about by internal factors such as fun, believing in oneself, and or for purposes of acquiring a set goal either in a student of an employee (Abraham 2013). Advantages of motivation Motivation directs behavior towards a particular goal in such that if students or employees are motivated in achieving their goals, they achieve the goal set, and this brings about increased effort and energy by students, teachers, employers and employees (Brian 2004). Motivation enhances performance in class and at work place, Motivation increases initiation of and persistence in activities, Motivation affects cognitive processes, Motivation determines which consequences are reinforcing and punishing to the individuals (Stefanie 2007). Interpersonal communication Interpersonal communication is also known as dyadic communication that refers to the communication between two individuals. It can occur either one or one or a group setting (Victoria 2012). This type of communication has its benefits in that it helps in handling different people in different situations especially hostile people and or difficult people and making them feel at ease (Sarah and Arthur 2004). Eye contact, body movement, hand gestures make part of the interpersonal communication, and one should be keen when using the interpersonal communication not to give wrong interpretations during the communication. The key aspect of this type of communication is listening, talking and conflict resolution through mediation negotiation and or arbitration. Interpersonal communication varies from verbal to nonverbal and from situation to situation (John and Mark 2011). Mediated communication This is the art of communication carried out by use of information technology. The term technology is often related to computers. Writing a letter using a pen and a piece of paper is also mediated communication. In this type of communication, compared to face to face communication is more private (James 2010). Computer-mediated communication is the process through which human data interaction occurs through one or more networked telecommunication systems. Interaction occurs through various types of networking technology and software. This includes email, Internet Relay Chat, instant messaging, Usenet and mailing list servers. It saves time, energy, and money in IT organizations by facilitating the use of all communication formats. It can either be verbal or interpersonal communication depending on the audience intended to be addressed. With the computer technology students don’t have to go to their lecturers to get a note and reading materials, but instead, the lecturers can send the reading materials vial mails to the student that saves a lot of time and energy to both the students and the lecturers. This also saves a lot of time at the place of work and within no time the computer-mediated communication will replace all other forms of communications (Jose, Salustiano and Jose 2008). Group dynamic Group dynamics involves the study and analysis of how people interact and communicate with each other in small face-to-face groups (John and Evans 2007). Groups are an inevitable part of human activity and, therefore, groups are a fact of life in all organizations. Because staff need each other and work in proximity and frequently depend upon each other to accomplish their jobs, the character or climate or group interaction is extremely important. In schools group dynamic is an important part of the study because it is through working together that the students achieve one goal (Films for the Humanities & Sciences (Firm) 2012). Realize different students have different strengths in different study field and by the formation of this discussion groups they aim at one goal of improving each other. Teachers, on the other hand, should take an integral part of such groups to ensure that they are all working together towards achieving one goal. Groups make work easier; groups help people understanding each other and learn from each other, it saves time and energy (Donelson 2009). Leadership skills The missions and visions of a most organization depend on the leadership of the organization to be achieved. Leadership is thus a crucial part of the organization. Apart from meeting the organization’s mission, vision and objectives, leadership also plays an integral part in inventions, innovations, and implementation for change in the organization. With a leader expected to observe such disciplines, it would thus be necessary for them to be qualified and possess some characteristics (Chen and Silverthorne 2005). The ability to lead effectively is based on some key skills. The skills are highly sought by employers as they involve dealing with people in such a way as to motivate, enthuse and build respect. The skills can also be sought in students to make them leaders in schools. Even in school, there are politics and every once in a year new leaders are selected by the students (Boin and Hart 2003). The leadership skills are not only required at work and school but can as well be applied in many circumstances such as where one is required to take lead professionally, socially and the family setting. For you to have leadership skills you have to have credibility in that other people, want to follow you. Not every leader is the same, and every leader has his own ways and means to lead their people. Leaders need to thing strategically; they must have a vision in a certain area or future. With these characteristics, a leader can lead without any flows. However in every leadership there are challenges, but it solely depends on how the leader is going to face and handle a challenge. Some of the benefits of leadership skills in any area are that leadership enables growth and trust relationships, encourages students and parents to hang in through hard times, creates enthusiasm through times of challenges and difficulty and nature’s loyalty and retention (Joshua 2008). Conflict negotiations Conflict is inevitable in any institution, be it work place or school. The cause of conflicts is due to differences or misunderstanding between individuals. Ideas may differ thus bringing up conflicts. In cases where conflicts arise at school or work place negotiation is the best tool to be employed to bring the parties in a conflict to an understanding. Negotiation is the art of bringing two parties or individual together with an aim of resolving a difference. It can be conducted by a negotiator or a mediator or an arbitrator (Harvard Business School Press 2000). The parties can either agree to win lose situation because at the end of the day a party has to concede defeat or come up with a solution of working together to bring in a whole new idea that involves ideas from both parties. At work mediation in a conflict brings about peace between the two or more parties with differences together therefore bringing them together to work towards a common goal. At school where students are in conflict among themselves, teachers can be selected to mediate and bring the students to an understanding. Where the conflict is between a teacher and students, then a third party who has no interest in the conflict can be selected by the school to carry out mediation thereby bringing the two at peace to work a common goal. A mediator must always have no interest in the conflict. Negotiation applies to workplace conflict, or schools and all of them can help organizations avoid lawsuits and other legal battles. The modes of conflict negotiation include avoiding, accommodating, controlling, and compromising. Benefits of conflict negotiations are increased understanding and Better group cohesion (Singh 2008). Ethics Ethics refers to the moral principles that govern a person’s or a business’s behavior towards others. The term ethics originally was a Greek word “ethikos” which means “habit.” They are concepts that help us to differentiate between right and wrong. They determine the best principles and laws that human beings live with. Ethics are divided into three subsections, the meta-ethics which is the understanding that human beings have towards morals of right and wrong, the Normative which is the study of the ethical actions that are some of the questions that arise when one is considering how to act towards a particular situation and finally the applied ethics which prints out an ethical theory to question how are expected to do towards a specific situation or react towards a particular action taken that affects them directly or indirectly (Justine and John 2013). Without Ethics many institutions including work place and schools would not function properly. This is due to the fact that without rules that govern human beings nothing would operate. Let’s say that man is an animal in nature. Normally animals have no ethics at all. They do what their intuition tells them to do whenever they want. That is the distinctive feature between man and animals. Ethics tell less individuals how to carry themselves at work place or at school. If there were no ethical issues arising at school or at work nothing would operate as it should. Vided subsections the understanding that human beings have towards morals of right and wrong, actions that are some of the questions that arise when one is considering how to act towards a particular situation and finally the applied ethics which prints out an ethical theory to question how are expected to do towards a specific situation or react towards a particular action taken that affects them indirectly (Meese and Ortmeier 2004). Ethics sets out the disciplinary actions that will be carried out in case the rules of conduct are not followed. This governs both students and employees to do what is right at work and at school. Ethics should be carried out everywhere without considering employment and or school. Why good code of ethics, work and studies should flow as it should and the end results that people get are positive. Ethics should be applied to avoid (Robert and Herbert 2013). Intercultural communication Intercultural communication is the communication between people with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds (Terri 2014). This kind of communications takes place because of the contacts that happens at work place and at school in all major fields. This kind of communications should be encouraged in schools and other organizations at work place. It makes sure that there is proper flow of information both in school and at work and this helps in identifying the gaps that tend to exist in schools and other working organizations. In this type of communication, leaders such as employers and schools should be able to communicate to other members and should encourage intercultural communication among all members be it students, teachers and or organizations. The lack of knowledge in other cultures can lead to embarrassing or mistakes in communication. Such mistakes confuses and or offends the people intended to be communicate with and may make some treaties difficult to deal with. Communication helps in dealing with the cultural differences, misunderstanding and breakdown. Research on the nature of linguistics and cultural similarities and differences plays a constructive and a positive role in intercultural communications (Sharifian 2007). REFERENCES Abraham, H Maslow. A theory of human motivation. Eastford, CT: Martino Publishing, 2013. Boin, A B, and P T Hart. "Public leadership in times of crisi: Mission Impossible?" Public Administration Rewiew, 2003: 544-556. Brian, H Ross. Psychology of Learning and Motivation. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science & Technology, 2004. Chen, J, and C Silverthorne. "Leadership effectiveness, leadership style and employee readiness." Leadership & Organization Development,, 2005: 280-289. 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