Becoming a better critical-thinker

[deltawar567]

I want to become a better critical thinker for my team, I want to pursue being a mechanical engineer for a career and I have come up with some good/great ideas but I think I could do better. I think I might just need to refine my math and science skills.

[GeeTwo]

Originally Posted by deltawar567

I want to become a better critical thinker for my team, I want to pursue being a mechanical engineer for a career and I have come up with some good/great ideas but I think I could do better. I think I might just need to refine my math and science skills.

I know this sounds weird, but the best thing I learned about being a critical thinker for science was something I learned in church. I'm a cradle Episcopalian, and I learned there that it is actually more important to understand and be able to clearly state the question than it is to know the answers.

In science and engineering and mathematics, once the question is clearly stated, it becomes a much simpler method to determine whether the problem at hand already has a known solution, or whether it can be "transformed" into a problem with a known solution.

The bottom line (at least I think I'm done for a bit) is that critical thinking and creative thinking are complementary skills. If you can master either, and be competent at the other, you won't have any problem keeping food on the table. If you can master both, the world is your oyster.

And of course, you need to have the math/science/engineering skills to work through all of those ideas that seem like they should work to figure out whether they are sure things, actually might work, or are doomed from the get-go.

All that said, cultivating "promiscuous correlation" of ideas still leads more quickly to a workable solution (at least for me) than critical thinking. At least for me, the key to this is learning to suppress the peer-pressure lesson which makes you ignore "stupid" ideas too early. Sometimes a "stupid" idea that doesn't let go is the key to a "genius" idea.

Of course, as you noted, you need to have the math/science/engineering skills to determine whether that idea that seems to work in your head is a sure thing, a possibility, or a non-starter.

The bottom line (at least I think I'm done for a while) is that creativity and critical thinking are complementary skills. If you can master either and be competent at the other, you'll never have any problem keeping food on the table. If you can master both, the world is your oyster.

[Ben Wolsieffer]

Originally Posted by GeeTwo

In science and engineering and mathematics, once the question is clearly stated, it becomes a much simpler method to determine whether the problem at hand already has a known solution, or whether it can be "transformed" into a problem with a known solution.

This. There have been many cases for me where I have come up with a solution to a problem after explaining in to someone on a forum or even trying by trying to explain it to my parents. Explaining a problem in simple terms in writing or speech can really make the solution more clear.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by GeeTwo

At least for me, the key to this is learning to suppress the peer-pressure lesson which makes you ignore "stupid" ideas too early. Sometimes a "stupid" idea that doesn't let go is the key to a "genius" idea.

Funny, I had something like that today. Me to my lead: "I've got a stupid idea for [X project I won't go into]. If it works, it'll be great. If not, it's a stupid idea."

At last check, I'm putting 75% odds of it actually working as planned in "prototype" stage, assuming I get around to actually doing it. The proto-prototype stage went well...

[GeeTwo]

Originally Posted by lopsided98

This. There have been many cases for me where I have come up with a solution to a problem after explaining in to someone on a forum or even trying by trying to explain it to my parents. Explaining a problem in simple terms in writing or speech can really make the solution more clear.

I can't begin to tell you how many times I've "solved" someone's problem by getting them to explain it to me. Once they did so, they knew the answer.

[RunawayEngineer]

Originally Posted by deltawar567

I want to become a better critical thinker for my team, I want to pursue being a mechanical engineer for a career and I have come up with some good/great ideas but I think I could do better. I think I might just need to refine my math and science skills.

First - make sure that you are awesome at algebra. If you eliminate algebra as a point of confusion, then you will be able to handle the engineering curriculum a lot better. The hardest part of calculus is the algebra. Also, generally engineers will avoid calculus wherever possible to simplify to algebra - so it helps in industry, too.
Get good at word problems. The way to get good at word problems is to extract the information so that it is no longer a word problem. IMO your ability to do that is a good indicator of critical thinking and basic engineering thinking.
Read a book about creative problem solving. I've read a few and they all have similar lists of things that impede critical thinking and creativity. probably Google searching will get a similar list for free - though a decent book will always be better.
Get hands-on. Maybe in FIRST you get to be hands-on a lot, but be sure to always have a project going on. Having a personal project is best because it is there that you will make the most mistakes and therefore learn the most.

[mrwright]

Originally Posted by GeeTwo

I can't begin to tell you how many times I've "solved" someone's problem by getting them to explain it to me. Once they did so, they knew the answer.

I find this to be very true as well. We have the following quote on our wall,

A problem well-stated is half solved. Charles Kettering- Head Researcher, GM

[deltawar567]

I can relate to having someone explain the idea to me and it seems clear. Thanks for everybodies comments!

[rich2202]

To me, a "critical thinker" is someone who can see the underlying assumptions, and challenge them.

As a mechanical engineer, "creative problem solving" may be more beneficial. Note: That doesn't mean you don't challenge the "conventional wisdom" (what a critical thinker would do).

I am a visual thinker. I visualize the solution, and work backwards - visualize each component. Then, work the details. IMHO, if I can visualize the solution, then there is a fighting chance that I can get it to work.

Don't be afraid of people who say "it won't work" because what they usually mean is "we don't do it that way". If I can get the pieces working, and it solves the problem, then it doesn't matter if they never did it that way before.

Obviously you have to live within constraints of safety, cost, etc. Creative problem solving starts with "no constraints" (brain storming) or you eliminate potential solutions. Work the potential solutions to see if you can get them to fit within your constraints.

[MrJohnston]

Here's what I'd suggest:
* As you approach a problem, never think "it can't be done." Instead, assume that it is possible and ask "How can it be done."
* Challenge all suppositions. Instead of shooting down thoughts and ideas because, "that's not how we do it," "I don't see that happening" or "It just won't work," ask "why?" And make sure that you understand why/why not.
* Yes, continue to improve your STEM education and skills. However, study and strive to understand all disciplines. Read great literature. Study art. Become familiar with history. Masters of other disciplines are great critical thinkers. However, they often have very different thinking "styles" than engineers. By improving your ability to think within other disciplines, you will greatly expand your personal abilities as a critical thinker.
* Strive to understand others' perspectives - even when you disagree with them. If you can think well enough to understand something you find "ridiculous," you'll be ahead of the game.
* Don't be afraid to be creative. Without creativity, we'd never invent new technologies. The creative thinkers on our robotics teams are extremely valuable during the design process as they often come up with brilliant ideas that would never cross an engineer's mind.

[sanddrag]

This report (PDF) may be of interest. I've not yet read it; only skimmed. What I saw so far looked pretty good.

[rlowe61]

Many people have already stated that you need to be able to clearly detail the problem. This is true in every situation, not just engineering.
There is a good book about Critical Thinking and problem solving, "The Thinker's Toolkit" by Morgan D Jones, a Former CIA Analyst. Intelligence Analyst around the world use critical thinking on a continual basis, and his insights will help you as an engineer, and anything else you decide to be.
This book is fantastic as it gets into different techniques for problem solving.
Good Luck

[mathking]

To the excellent suggestions here I will add two things. The first is to read. About different things. Fiction, non-fiction, whatever you want. Several posters have pointed out the importance of being able to identify and clearly state the question you are seeking to answer. Reading (and writing) are just as important as algebra skills when you are doing this. I taught for five years in a Paideia Critical Thinking Skills program with inner city middle school kids. Recently I was chatting with a couple of them who are now engineers and they both said that their middle school education, with weekly Socratic seminars, was excellent preparation for identifying and understanding problems, and it taught them how to defend their own ideas and listen to others' ideas with an open mind. At the heart of the seminar each week was reading some article or short literary piece.

The other piece of advice is to put yourself outside your comfort zone. Learning new stuff forces you to go back to the basics. Being able to walk a problem back to initial principles and assumptions is another important skill. The toughest class I have ever taken was music theory. While it was challenging, I learned a lot. Not only about music but about how to approach difficult problems and how to make sure that my understanding was correct.