WE THINKING? OR SEARCHING INFORMATION? Try Developing Creativity

1. ARE WE THINKING? OR SEARCHING INFORMATION?
Try Developing Creativity
Dr.T.V.Rao MD
Today we are connectedwitheverythingandknowledge wasmade easyafterthe Internet
proliferatedintomanypeople’slives,insense ithascreatedsense of easinessandlaziness.Looking
at the impactconstantconnectivityishavingonyoungstudentsis essential forprofessional
developmentandabove all tobusiness,educational sectorsThe easyworkgetsdone –checkingand
updatingsocial media,writingemails,orbrowsingonline –while the trickytaskgetsputto one side,
or takesfar longerthanit shouldtocomplete.Whilemanyof the new skillsyoungpeople have are
useful,we mustn’tforgetthe balance the oldskillsprovide.Todayif we askthe questiontothe
students,theyare preparedtoanswerwithoutmuchthinking,the pupilsinthe class whowantan
answerstraightaway,ratherthan thinkingof the answerorrememberingthe answerfor
themselves.Whyisthis?Because we’re usedtoaskingGoogle if youaska studentanydifficultif he
issmart he will putthe questionintoGoogle box yesdone,Thisisanexample of atrans active
memorysystem,where the informationissomewhereotherthaninourown minds,itisinyour i
Pad forsmart phone We all have become usedtothisway of findinginformation.Butwe needto
make sure that we don’t neglecttraditional thinkingskills,ourelderteacherswithperformance
were wise withmore knowledgeandlessinformation.Forinnovationandcreativitywe needtobe
able to thinkdeeplyandatlengthwhichisunlikelytohappenif youare distractedtwominutesinto
the thoughtprocessby anotherincominginformation.Givingintodistractionproduceshalf-formed
thoughts,unoriginal thinking,andthe same oldargumentsagainandagainwhateveryousearchyou
will be findingthe same information,Today manyStudentsare distractedawaywhenwe askfew
difficultquestions,anditwill takesawayyourabilitytothinkinthisprocessyoubecome aperson
withsome bodiesthoughtsneverthinkof yourcreativityneverforgetwe all have some amountof
creativitywithinus,itiscertainwe lose all ourfinerabilities,Whereas,incontrast,leavingtime for
deepthinkingproducesinspiration,clarityandbetterdecision-making.Youngpeople are notthe
onlyonessufferingfromthese issuesmanyseniorstooadoptingthe easiermethods.Theyare
however,the groupwhere these changesshow upmoststarkly,because adigital worldisall they
have everknown.The abilitytothinkcriticallyisone skill separatinginnovatorsfromfollowers,if
youare onlyjusta followeryouplace toprogressislostsoonerthanlater.Critical thinkingreduces
the powerof advertisers,youngpeople -- withoutsignificantlifeexperience andanxioustofitin
theystart believingwhatevertheyare fedfromInternet -- are especiallyvulnerabletosurface
appeal anddo not knowthe real implicationsinpractical lives,Targetedadvertisingaffectstheir
buyingandeatinghabitstodaywe are huntedbyadvertisementstodaythe Google iswonderful in
advertisingtheyknowwhatare your desiresandpostthe mattersso youare temptedtobuyand
followthe matters,choosingfriendsforthe wrongreasonscanleadtoreal heartache.Every
educatorisin a positiontoteachstudentshow to gatherinformation,evaluateit,screenout
distractionsandthinkforthemselves.Becausecritical thinkingissoimportant,some believethat
everyeducatorhasnot onlythe opportunities,butalsothe obligationtoincorporate critical thinking
intohisor her subjectarea.Thishelpsstudentsevaluate pre-packagedconclusionsandclearsapath
for original thoughts.Studentsdon'tneedmuchconvincingthattwoof the biggestenemiesof the
truth are people whose jobitistosell usincomplete versionsof the available facts,andthe simple
absence of accurate information.Theymayneedmore convincingthatasignificantproblemistheir
ownwillingnesstobelieve whattheywanttobelieve.People canbe remindedthatcompanies
advertisingproductstake advantage of ourowndesiresandweaknesses;theydo notdescribe the
benefitsof theircompetitors'productsanymore thana man askinga womanto marry him

2. encourageshertodate othermenbefore decidingtodaymanygetmarriedthroughsocial networks
withouthavingathoughprocessto thinkthe reality.Itisa social realitythatpeople encourage one
anotherto make importantdecisionswithlimitedfacts.Fortunately,whenstudentsare educated
aboutinformation-gatheringtechniquesandcritical thinking,theyhave the toolsnecessarytosee
throughspin and make decisionsbasedonfact,ratherthanmyth or propaganda,todaysmuchof
websitesdistractustotheiradvantage forcommercializingof bothknowledge andproductswe
accumulate.Regardlessof yoursubject,critical thinkingisone of the mostimportantskillswe can
teach.With the informationoverload,studentsreallydonotknow how toevaluate a'reliable'
source.I getthe firstlinkthatcomesup ona Google searchtermfor prettymuchany researchor
educational learning.Howdowe inspire themtopushpastthat? To see the biasand spin?Ioften
include critical thinkinginMicrobiologyclass,so,filedundercritical thinkingcategory.Inits
exemplaryform,itisbasedonuniversal intellectual valuesthattranscendsubjectmatterdivisions:
clarity,accuracy, precision,consistency,relevance,soundevidence,goodreasons,depth,breadth,
and fairnesswithvisionhowourteachingshapestheirknowledge tocontrol Infectionsandproper
use of AntibioticsWe have toteach ourstudentshow to thinkcritically,simplybyaskingthemthe
typesof questionsinthe varioussubjectareasthatwe teach.To a great extentcritical thinkingis
experiencedduringScience experimentsandclinical examinationsandduringthe processof
observingwhenatalentedteacherisexaminingthe patientscollectingdataandexamine the sick
people withthe thoughtthe humanbodyisrichsource of informationwhenthe personisdiseased
NeverforgetInternetisnotasource of learningMedicine oranyotherskills,patientcontinuestobe
bestMuseumof the Disease,THESMART PHONESCANNOTMAKE US SMART, THE PERSON WHO
SELLS BECOMES SMART ANDPOSSESSINGTOOMUCH SMARTNESSWILL REDUCE OUR ORIGINALITY?
Dr.T.V.RaoMD Professorof MicrobiologyFreelance writer