Spring 2010 Critical Thinking First Field Notes
Return to Critical Thinking
After our first class, I asked you to be on the look out for "reflective deliberative contexts" that arise in everyday life. Noticing this will help you understand the basic concepts of the course and see opportunities for applying the skills in the course every day.
On this page, I'd like you to report 1-3 examples from your field observations of reflective deliberative contexts. A simple report could begin, "I was at the COG and people at the table started talk about ...." Then try to focus on the specific reasons or explanations you observed during the discussion. Keep it brief, but feel free to comment on the exchange if something comes to mind after you finish your description. Follow the pattern below on section headings
Contents
(Ally)
Field Observation 1 My dance team captains told us that wearing red tshirts to our dance clinic on Saturday would be the best thing to wear. The reasoning was so the girls who were being taught by us (all wearing blue tshirts) could easily tell us apart.
Field Observation 2 My bottle of body wash says that it gives you the "cleanest, freshest, and healthiest skin." Its reasoning is that it is packed with natural, organic, US-sourced ingredients and hasn't been tested on animals.
Field Observation 3 I just read a fitness article that claimed that running on a trail or another type of uneven ground provides better workout results than running on a flat surface. The reasoning was that running on uneven ground challenges you to use your core more for balance, and that should make your core stronger.
(Samantha)
Field Observation 1 Listening to friends talk about football, one claimed that the Raiders would be much better with a different Quarter Back. His rational was that the current QB is a ball hog and does not work hard.
Field Observation 2 When reading an online news journal,I saw that they claimed that Marijuana should be legalized. They supported their claim saying that it would be financially beneficial for the government.
Field Observation 3 My Sociology book asserted that people with weaker ties to others in their community, also tend to have more ties. This is because weaker ties take less time and effort than strong ties, so you can keep up with more of them.
(Jordan)
Field Observation 1 My friend was offered $15 a person to drive a group of people from my dorm up to Mt. Spokane. Although he was going to make more than gas would cost, his rational was that he is being paid for his time.
Field Observation 2 My friend thinks that blueberry italian soda's are healthy. He says this because there is a fruit flavoring in it, and everyone knows that fruit is healthy.
Field Observation 3 Last night my friend was complaining about Valentines Day. I realized that some people are not able to let other people be happy if they are not happy.
(Nick H)
Field Observation 1 - Political commentators are predicting that Democrat Martha Coakley may lose the US Senate election in Massachusetts to her Republican challenger. The explanation for this potential upset is that voters in Massachusetts are displeased with the Democrats' national agenda.
Field Observation 2 - My friends thinks that the movie "Avatar" is an amazing movie. His rational is that the special effects were fantastic.
Field Observation 3 - My friend thinks that Jay Leno shouldn't take The Tonight Show back from Conan O'Brien. His rational is that Jay Leno isn't funny.
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(Caelyn)
Field Observation 1- My mom and dad noticed my horse was acting strangely, meaning he could be ill. My mom panicked and wasn’t sure what the best solution would be in order to prevent it from growing into a larger problem. The formality of the discussion was low, and the parameters were centered on finding a solution to the problem of a sick horse. The levels of intensity varied, my mother had a high intensity level, while I was relatively calm. Reflective styles of the participants were similar in that I made sure to stay calm and try and understand where my mom was coming from in the situation in order to try and mediate it. This is similar in that my mother tried to understand where I was coming from in not being as concerned, and then eventually became calm as she understood where I was coming from.
Field Observation 2- Two of my friends were having a discussion about what movie to rent. I identified one of my friends clearly as a “fact checker” because she wanted to rent a movie that had gotten good reviews from the critics. This particular character trait of hers came in handy because my other friend was clearly a “skeptic,” who needed convincing that this movie was worth the money to rent. The overall situation was clearly informal with a low intensity and was resolved rather quickly due to the balancing of traits between them. The ability of the “fact checker” to be well-informed about the general perception of the movie allowed the “skeptic” to feel relatively well-informed and comfortable about their final decision.
Field Observation 3- The final situation that I was a part of was when my roommate and I had a discussion about the behaviors that we were each expressing. I acted as the “debater,” while my roommate’s role was of a “lurker.” This became frustrating for the both of us when she didn’t feel comfortable expressing to me what the problem was or how to remedy the situation. The parameters of the situation were actually quite strenuous because I wanted a solution to the problem, while she didn’t want to cause conflict. The formality of the discussion was low, while the intensity was high.
(Lindsay)
Field Observation 1 - My friend and I were deciding whether or not to go see a movie at the theater. Our decision was not to go. Our rationale was that we didn't want to see the movie enough to justify paying 10 dollars to see it.
Field Observation 2 - My grandmother gave me a chocolate bar with almonds in it. She said she picked the kind with almonds because the almonds took up room in the chocolate bar and there was therefore less chocolate. Her rationale was that the chocolate with almonds was more healthy than the chocolate without almonds.
Field Observation 3 - I was trying to decide whether to have cereal or toast for breakfast. I chose to have toast because I am lactose intolerant and have run out of dairy pills. My rationale was that the cereal would likely make my stomach hurt.
(Kristie)
Field Observation 1- A representative of the Saint Margaret's homeless shelter claimed that the organization helps homeless women and children change their lives. Her rationale for this is that they provide ongoing counseling services that help homeless women with children set a positive new course for their lives.
Field Observation 2- Some sports fans have said that Nate Keading of the Chargers should not be fired for missing three field goals in the NFL playoffs. They reason that he has a good record overall and helped the Chargers get into the playoffs originally.
Field Observation 3- My friend believes that in the long run, Haiti may have a strong chance of recovery. She believes this because of all of the focus and attention being focused on Haiti since the earthquake.
(Nicole A.)
Field Observation 1: My Criminal Justice teacher told us that elderly and mentally disabled adults are mistreated more than anyone else. He said this was because they could not defend themselves at all and it's easy to take advantage of them.
Field Observation 2: My friends and I were talking about crossing the street and how the crosswalk sign changes automatically. Where I am from it doesn't change automatically you have to push a button. I said that it wasn't automatic where I am from because there is more traffic and that would just make the traffic worse.
Field Observation 3: My mom told me that people who have had a stroke can't smile when asked, but if you show them something that makes them happy they can smile. She said this was because they use different parts of the brain to smile automatically versus smiling on command.
(Nick R.)
Field Observation 1 My friend said that it would be worth it to go to ticket distribution four hours early on Sunday for a chance to play in the NCAA Basketball tournament. The winner of this tournament got a trip to Vegas and 32 out of the 200 tickets got to play in the tournament. His rationale was that if we won the tournament and a trip to Las Vegas, it would be worth the time we spent waiting.
Field Observation 2 My friend told me that we should go skiing for the entire weekend next weekend and not come home until Sunday night. He thought this would be a good idea because we both have season passes to Schweitzer so we should ski all three days in order to get our money's worth.
Field Observation 3 Yesterday my friend was trying to convince me to come home on the weekend of Valentine's Day. Her reasoning was that if I came home we could go out to a special dinner and that I would want to go out with her again.
(Herman)
Field Observation 1: I had to turn my music down. I told my my friends that my music was too loud because the sound was being distorted.
Field Observation 2: In class last Wednesday night, I found out that domestic violence calls are dangerous. My crim teacher said that it was because the victims have been emotionally manipulated.
Field Observation 3: While walking to the mall, my two friends and myself cut across the street, one of my friends was freaking out. I told them to relax because they weren't going to get run over, my reasoning was that there were no cars coming.
(Anastasia E.)
Field Observation 1: I talked with my Art professor about missing class because I would be at my dance competition in California that afternoon. I had sent her an email and she hadn't responded. My professor told me that I must have sent the email to the wrong professor. Her rationale was that there were two professors with her last name, so I may have confused the different emails addresses.
Field Observation 2: I overheard a conversation of a couple sitting at the airport waiting for my flight. They were talking about their weekend and the woman suggested that they make a grocery list for dinner. The man didn't want to but she told him that it would be a good idea because she didn't want to go to the grocery store with 8 people without knowing what to buy because it would be chaotic and they would most likely forget to buy something they would need.
Field Observation 3: While in a parking lot waiting in line to pay for parking the man in front of me was getting upset because his card was not allowing him to pay to park. The attendant told him that the reason it wasn't working was because he was either inserting the card in incorrectly or that his card had insufficient funds on it.
