This document discusses critical thinking skills and Socratic questioning. It defines critical thinking as the ability to think rationally and understand connections between ideas/facts, while evaluating new ways of solving problems proposed by creative thinkers. The document then describes the six types of Socratic questions: clarity, assumptions, rationale, perspectives, implications, and questions about the question. It provides examples of questions for each type. The purpose is to help the reader improve their critical thinking abilities.

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Picture credit - ​Adam Dudarewicz
Day 24 - Critical Thinking Skill
03 May 2020
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Prabodh Sirur
sirurp@gmail.com
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What is Critical Thinking Skill?
Critical thinking is the ability to think in an organized and rational manner in order
to understand ​connections between ideas and/or facts​.
While Creative Thinking is about finding new ways of solving problems, Critical
Thinking is about evaluating the new ways proposed by the Creative Thinker.
My learning for the day
Sharing my learning about ​Socratic Questioning​, a critical thinking
technique. This is named after Socrates (470 BC-399 BC), the Greek
Philosopher and one of the founders of Western Philosophy.
Socrates used this method to enable the student to examine ideas really
deeply. In this method ​the teacher​ (or the one who asks questions)
assumes an ignorant mindset​ in order to compel the student to assume
the highest level of knowledge.
The key benefit to the Teacher (or the person who asks questions) is that it
builds a scientific process in his/ her thinking.
The benefit to the student (or the person who responds to the questions) is
that it makes him/ her really thorough about the topic because of the deep
thinking he/ she has to do when answering the questions.
The Six Types of Socratic Questions
These are the six categories of questions.
Clarity -​ This category of questions is to bring clarity so that both questioner
and responder are on the same page. Some examples of questions in this
category -
- What exactly does this mean?
- Can you give me an example?
- Can you rephrase that, please?
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Assumptions -​ This category of questions is to challenge the beliefs of the
responder. Some examples of questions in this category -
- What else could we assume?
- What would happen if ... ?
- What is the basis of your assumptions?
Rationale -​ This category of questions is to understand the reasons (and
supporting evidence) from the responder. Some examples of questions in
this category -
- How can I be sure of what you are saying?
- What evidence is there to support what you are saying?
- Are these reasons good enough?
Perspectives -​ This category of questions is to show that there are other,
equally valid viewpoints/ perspectives. Some examples of questions in this
category -
- How would you challenge your own viewpoint?
- What are the weaknesses in your idea?
- What will be the responses from each stakeholder (those who will be
impacted) about your idea?
Implications -​ This category of questions is to understand the impact/
consequences. Some examples of questions in this category -
- What impact would it have on (ask this about each stakeholder)?
- How will you deal with the impact (ask this about each stakeholder)?
- Who are the people who will help us/ guide us in case …?
QaQ (Questions about the question) - ​This category of questions is to
understand how much the responder understands the importance of the
questions. Some examples of questions in this category -
- Why do you think I asked this question?
- What did you learn from the exercise?
- What were the gaps in your proposition?
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Do we know how little we know?
Here’s a small set of questions just to show ​how little we know​ about
simple things in life. This should make us ask simple questions each day and
try answering them. These are called exploratory sets of questions under the
umbrella of Socratic Questioning.
What does vote mean?
How do people decide whom to elect?
How should they decide?
If I do not know the candidates, should I vote?
Why have elections?
Why is democracy considered good?
How do people become candidates?
Hope my sharing helps you become a Critical Thinker and help your
colleagues by asking Socratic questions to improve their ideas.
How to improve this skill?
Set a goal to ​become a go-to person​ by mastering the art and science of ​critical
thinking​.
Follow the ​LAST model​ to build your personal brand as a Guru of ​critical thinking​.
1. Learn​ ​- ​Invest time in learning different frameworks/ models/ techniques of
critical thinking
2. Apply -
a. Identify a model suitable to you
b. Create a template to document the flow of the process
c. Find opportunities to use the selected method/ template
d. Maintain record/ process flow of every important activities you did to
with respect to ​critical thinking
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e. Maintain notes of your thoughts/ insights/ failures/ challenges…. to be
used for sharing/ training others
3. Share -​ Share the insights captured in step 2 above in a planned manner
(social media posts, blogs, videos, study notes…)
4. Train -​ Generate opportunities to train your peers and team members so
that, over time, your organization benefits from your efforts
Purpose of this document
I took a 66 day challenge​ to study Life Skills last year (10 April 2019). To my
astonishment, I succeeded in studying for 66 days one skill a day.
My objectives of learning these skills were - To strengthen my mind to face life’s
challenges with ease, To use these skills in my worklife for a better performance, To
use these skills in my personal life for enriching my relationships, To open new
possibilities to surprise myself.
This is my next 66 day challenge​ (from 10 April 2020) - To share my Life Skills
learning with my social media friends.
I pray that my toil helps you in your success journey.
What are Life Skills?
UNICEF​ defines Life skills as - ​psychosocial abilities​ for adaptive and positive
behaviour that enable individuals ​to deal effectively with the demands and
challenges of everyday life​. They are loosely grouped into three broad categories
of skills
- cognitive skills​ for analyzing and using information,
- personal skills​ for developing personal agency and managing oneself,
- inter-personal skills​ for communicating and interacting effectively with
others.
Which LifeSkills are covered?
The ​World Health Organisation​ identified these basic areas of life skills that are
relevant across cultures:
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1. Decision-making
2. Problem-solving
3. Creative thinking
4. Critical thinking
5. Communication
6. Interpersonal skills
7. Self-awareness
8. Empathy
9. Coping with emotions
10.Coping with stress.
Some trivia
‘Life skills’ was never part of the school curriculum. WHO/ UNESCO mandated
academia to teach these skills in all schools across the globe in 1993.
Different countries educate their children in these skills with different objectives
- Zimbabwe and Thailand - prevention of HIV/AIDS
- Mexico - prevention of adolescent pregnancy
- United Kingdom - child abuse prevention
- USA - prevention of substance abuse and violence
- South Africa and Colombia - positive socialization of children.
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