The document provides an extensive overview of thinking, defining it as a complex cognitive process involving information manipulation, problem-solving, and decision-making. It outlines different types of thinking such as convergent, divergent, critical, and creative, each serving distinct purposes and requiring specific skills. Additionally, it presents various methods and tools like mind mapping, random word generation, and the 'six thinking hats' technique for enhancing thinking abilities.

1. Thinking:
You must…
Dr Bhavin Chauhan
http://edutainmentwithbhavinchauhan.blogspot.com/
https://bhavinspirational.blogspot.com/

2. Thinking: Definitions
• direct one's mind towards someone or something; use one's
mind actively to form connected ideas.
• to employ one's mind rationally and objectively in evaluating or
dealing with a given situation.

3. Thinking: Definitions
• the action of using your mind to produce ideas, decisions,
memories, etc
• the activity of using your mind to consider something

4. Concept of Thinking
• Thinking is a complex process which involves
manipulation of information as we form concepts. It
also engages in problem solving, reasoning and making
decisions.
• Thinking is a higher cognitive function, and the analysis
of thinking processes is part of cognitive psychology.
• Thinking is a pattern of behaviour in which we make
use of internal representations (symbols, signs etc.) of
things and events for the solution of some specific,
purposeful problem.

5. Thinking: Thinker’s Definitions
• Ross: Thinking is a mental activity in its cognitive
aspect.
• Kolesnik: Thinking is the reorganization of concepts.
• Woodworth: Thinking is mental exploration for finding
out the solution of a problem.

6. Characteristics of Thinking
• It is one of the most important aspects of ones cognitive
behavior.
• It depends on both – perception and memory.
• Thinking is a mental process which starts with a problem and
concludes with its solution.
• It involves trail and error; analysis and synthesis; foresight and
hindsight.
• It is a symbolic behavior.
• It is a cognitive activity.
• It is always directed to achieve some purpose.

7. Characteristics of Thinking
• It is different from day-dreaming and imagination.
• It is a problem-solving behavior.
• Thinking is a symbolic activity. (e.g.: engineers use mental
symbols to design the plan for buildings)
• There is mental exploration instead of motor exploration. (e.g.:
if a person gets locked in a room and loses his keys and he starts
searching for them in different places then this becomes motor
exploration; but if he tries to think of different ways of how he
can get out of the room then this becomes mental exploration-
THINKING.)

8. Types of Thinking: Convergent
• Convergent thinking is the process of coming up with the best answer to a
question using our memory, resources around us, or logic.
• This thinking skill does not require significant creativity or lateral thinking
strategies. It is not the best for solving problems that are complex or
require thinking out of the box. Instead, it uses very straightforward
thought processes. A convergent thinker simply needs to apply already
established procedures and memory recall to reach the ‘correct’ answer.
• Convergent thinking is very commonly used for standardized and multiple-
choice tests. These sorts of tests simply assess our knowledge and ability to
apply knowledge to simple and logical situations.
• The key elements required to be a skilled convergent thinker are
SPEED, ACCURACY and LOGIC.

9. Types of Thinking: Divergent
• Divergent thinking is the exact opposite of convergent thinking. It
involves coming up to solutions, paths forward or new ideas when
there is no single correct answer. Questions like “should I study to
become a doctor or a lawyer?” may not have a simple answer. You
might be good at both, and both options might bring you happiness
and a good life. So, which option should you choose?
• To come up with solutions to questions without clear answers, you
need to break down the possibilities and analyze each part. You
might create a pros and cons list, a Venn diagram or a table to lay out
your options and consider each one in turn.
• We often encourage divergent thinking from a very young age. For
example, we encourage children to play or simply ‘be playful’ in order
to solve problems and discover how their world is complex and full of
possibility.

10. Types of Thinking: Critical
• Critical thinking skills involve analyzing something in order to
form a judgement about it. A critical thinker does not take the
assumptions of a topic for granted. Instead, the critical thinking
involves ‘critiquing’ what you are viewing using your available
intellectual knowledge.
• People who think critically can use three processes to develop
critical insights on a topic: deduction, induction and abduction.

11. Types of Thinking: Creative
• Creative thinking involves thinking about a topic in unusual,
unconventional and alternative ways to generate new ideas
about an established topic. A creative thinker will try to address
an issue from a perspective that hasn’t been used before.
• While creative thinking may appear illogical, it is in fact a great
driver of human development. Creative thinkers identify gaps in
marketplaces or new, easier, faster and better ways of doing
things. When a creative thinker comes up with a great new way
of approaching an issue, their new method can become the new
orthodoxy.

12. Methods/Tools for Developing
Thinking
Mind Mapping
• It is a timeless classic. Mind mapping (aka brainstorming or
spider diagrams) is the little black dress of idea generation; it
never goes out of fashion. It almost feels wrong to walk into an
agency and not see some form of mind map on a whiteboard
somewhere.
• The key to mind mapping is to take note of every idea that
comes up. Don’t neglect anything, no matter how far-fetched it
may seem. Save the critical selection process for later. Generate
as many ideas as possible; the more you jot down, the bigger
chance of finding that golden ticket idea.

13. Methods/Tools for Developing
Thinking
Random Word Generation
• I love this technique. Simply pick two random words and try
and tie your content to it in the most imaginative way possible.
Simple as that.
• The real fun part is how you choose to come up with the words.
You could use an online generator; you could flick through a
dictionary; or you could write words on a bunch of plastic balls,
throw them into the air, and then choose the words on the first
two balls you catch. Have fun.

14. Methods/Tools for Developing
Thinking
Picture Association
• If you’re truly stuck for ideas, perform an image search on your
topic of choice, pick a random photo. Work backwards from the
picture, developing a story around how the photo was taken.
• For example, if you see a picture of a dog looking up at the night
sky, ask yourself what it could be thinking. Is it a stargazing
dog? Does that dog secretly long to be an astronaut? Perhaps a
story about a space dog would be awesome! In fact a space dog
would make a great mascot for any business so we could look at
the best business mascots. So on so forth.

16. Methods/Tools for Developing
Thinking
Change Perspective
• This can often be hard to do, but try putting yourself in other
people’s shoes. Sometimes you can get too attached to your own
work, I know I always do it. You may be too close to notice that
there are faults visible from afar.
• Share your ideas with others, and get a fresh pair of eyes to look
at your work. Encourage constructive criticism, you don’t have
to take it all on board, but it may offer up some seriously
beneficial observations.

17. Methods/Tools for Developing
Thinking
Get Up and Go Out
• People underestimate the value of being bored. If you work
around screens all day, if can often prove both relaxing and
rewarding to just get up and walk about for a bit. Let your mind
wander instead of focusing on a task so hard it hurts.
• Take a walk around your local woods, indulge yourself in your
own personal contemplation montage as you skim rocks across
a pond. Let the miracle of nature, and that brief moment of what
is hopefully peace and quiet, inspire and energise you.

18. Methods/Tools for Developing
Thinking
Six Thinking Hats
• Developed by Edward de Bono in the early 80s, this popular
technique is now used by businesses all over the world. They involve
putting on a selection of metaphorical hats when it comes to making
a decision. Each hat represents a different direction of thinking.
• White Hat – Facts
• Red Hat – Emotions
• Black Hat – Judgement, Caution
• Yellow Hat – Logic
• Green Hat – Creativity
• Blue Hat – Control

19. Methods/Tools for Developing
Thinking
• Alex Osborn, who is often coined as the father of brainstorming,
established around 75 creative questions to help encourage ideas in his
fantastic book, Applied Imagination. It’s well worth a read if you can get
hold of it, but to give you a head start, there are six universal questions that
can be asked:
• Why?
• Where?
• When?
• Who?
• What?
• How?
• Ask yourself these question (in some form) every time you create content,
and chances are you’ll come up with some pretty interesting answers.

20. Thinking for yourself
=
Thanking yourself