Making smart decisions is especially important, whether you’re in school, at home, or working. And guess what? Challenges pop up every day. You can either face them or try to run away, but here’s the thing: being a hero means facing problems and finding wise solutions. Yup! It is fighting and winning that make you the hero. So, what are these analytical skills that can help you solve challenges like a champ? We will be looking at two: critical thinking and problem solving.
Two Types of Analytical Skills
Critical Thinking
Critical thinking helps you make sense of the world around you by analysing and interpreting situations in a logical and thoughtful way. Let’s look at a quick example of what this means. Imagine you have been given history homework that involves you looking through different sources of information to come up with an argument in favour or against the situation. How would you handle that? You could do these in the following steps:
- You identify the different sources, such as textbooks and online resources, related to the historical event.
- You evaluate the credibility of the sources. You might consider who wrote the book, when it was written, and how reliable the source is.
- After you have affirmed that the sources are credible, you can map out your arguments.
Can you see how this flows? This entire process we have just completed is called critical thinking, and although different people may have their own slightly different process, the main thing critical thinking aims at is for you to make informed decisions.
Problem-solving
Problem-solving, on the other hand, is about finding the best solutions after you have used critical thinking to define the problem. Using the same analogy as the history homework, after you have thought through the process and interpreted the situation, propose realistic solutions to the problem. Consider the pros and cons of every solution you think of before making final decisions.
Now that we have clearly defined what problem solving and critical thinking are, let’s explore some ways you can improve your brain’s capacity so that you’re better at these skills.
- Intellectual games: Fun games like chess, sudoku, and scrabble can help you become better at these skills. Playing these games isn’t just fun; it also makes your brain sharper. They improve your focus, creativity, and how you think strategically. And guess what? There’s a Multiplayer Quiz feature on the uLesson app, where you can challenge other students from all over the world and become the top player globally!
- Practice solving questions: Engage in puzzles, brain teasers, or real-world challenges to exercise problem-solving skills regularly. On the uLesson app, you have access to thousands of practice questions and even mock exams to help you sharpen your brain.
- Continuous Learning: There’s a plethora of learning materials in our uLesson Video Library and our daily Live Lessons that will help you improve your critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Download the uLesson app or use the web version to sharpen your brain today!
