A foundational skill for the future of a working student. future of a working world.
The only solution for improving the success of your organisation will be found in implementing critical thinking skills in your workplace.
THE NEED
“We cannot solve our problems with the same
thinking we used when we created them.”
~ Albert Einstein
WHAT IS CRITICAL THINKING?
• Critical thinking is thinking about the way we think
• Critical thinking aims to find the best solutions to an issue by investigating various sides of an issue
• Not defending your ego and keeping it out of the thinking process
• Being open to new evidence that disconfirms your ideas
• Reasoning dispassionatley by being unbiased and using independent thought
• Demanding that claims be backed by evidence
• Using emotional intelligence
• Deducing and inferring conclusions from available facts and finding the the best solutions
• Informed action is the desired outcome of critical thinking
• Critical thinking is ongoing learning, unlearning, and relearning processes without end
Now you are following the route prescribed by Albert Einstein to improve your thinking ability.
The Current Educational System Restricts Cr!tical Th!nking Skills
¹Learning skills in the formative school years have historically not emphasised the ongoing development tools needed to think critically and creatively.
²This handicaps a student when moving into the workplace where problem-solving, innovation, and creativity are required in the future world of work.
³The education of students needs to focus on “how to do” rather than teaching “what to know.”
⁴Employers’ hiring needs are primarily based on critical thinking skills, workplace skills, attitudes, and competency rather than solely on education.
ROTE LEARNING
* The Memorisation of Information based on Repetition.
A SIGNIFICANT CAUSE OF NOT BEING ABLE TO THINK CRITICALLY
Not thinking at all, only accepting what is being taught, and the regurgitation of these accepted facts at examination time is how students pass exams and enter the workplace. Being like a tape recorder is required, not any power of thinking at all, let alone any critical thinking and creative thinking. The South African school education system is based on rote learning, with all its limitations to restrict critical thinking and the inability to find creative solutions to issues.
The Following Statistics are Reflective of this Problem
• South African students are ranked 75th out of 76 mainly affluent countries in the world. (OECD)
• Unemployment of nearly 1 out of 2 willing workers in South Africa. (StatsSA)
• Youth unemployment of 2 out of 3 youths wanting to work. (StatsSA)
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As a result, many people in organisations in South Africa cannot resolve problems and find solutions, let alone find innovative, creative solutions to a problem.This stunts the profitability and growth of organisations in South Africa resulting in a real economic growth rate of 0.4%p.a. during the last five years, 2016-2021.
The quality of our life and what we produce depends precisely on the quality of our thoughts.
The solution is the ability to think critically and creatively to resolve problems in the workplace and personally, resulting in self-growth and increased profitability.
The PRESENT & FUTURE World of Work
An acronym that is becoming commonplace to describe the chaotic conditions in which the modern business must thrive is VUCA which stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity.
It describes the situation of constant, unpredictable change that is now the norm. VUCA demands that you avoid traditional, outdated management and leadership and day-to-day working approaches and replace them with agility, innovation, resilience, and critical thinking, which are the foundations of effective problem solving and decision-making.
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The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Future of Jobs Report (2020) identifies the skills required to adapt to the changing VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world of work transitioning into the Fifth Industrial Revolution.
The WEF states that Critical thinking skills dominate this process.
Skills gaps continue to be high as in-demand skills across jobs change in the next five years. The top skills and skill groups that employers see as rising in prominence in the lead-up to 2025 include critical thinking and analysis, problem-solving, and self-management skills such as active learning, resilience, stress tolerance, and flexibility.
On average, companies estimate that around 40% of workers will require reskilling in six months or less, and 94% of business leaders report that they expect employees to pick up new skills on the job, a sharp uptake from 65% in 2018.
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Such upskilling will require critical thinking as the foundational competence at all current and future organisation levels.
THE SOLUTION
Upskill & Empower your workforce with vital Critical Thinking skills
Adrienne Berkowitz – Founder of the Academy of Critical Thinking
Adrienne has a Masters Degree in Technology and Innovation from Da Vinci Institute.
Her Masters Dissertation is titled- Critical Thinking: Building a Foundation for a Managerial Leader, and the findings have been converted into a training programme on critical thinking.
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For the past 25 years, she has been a lecturer
at Henley Business School,
Da Vinci Institute, Varsity College
& the Institute of Marketing Management.
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Her passion is to equip people with skills for self and organisational growth.
She has used critical thinking as the foundation for all her training programmes and facilitation.
She is an exponent of lifelong and experiential learning and possesses a growth mindset, qualities she imparts in her engagements with people.
She has also lectured on various programmes in her own and other training institutions to corporates.
Adrienne’s network of associates extends to collaborating with highly qualified and experienced people in most disciplines relevant to improving organisational skills.
She customises her training programmes according to the specific needs of her clients.
Her proven areas of skills training include:
Academic Literacy | Change Management | Communication | Conflict Resolution | Creative Thinking
Critical Thinking | Emotional Intelligence | Entrepreneurship | General Soft Skills Training
High Performing Teams | Innovation | Leadership Development | Marketing
Management of People | Problem Solving & Decision Making
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Before beginning her lecturing career, Adrienne was involved in the travel, hospitality, and commercial real estate industries for 17 years. For the last nine years of her commercial career, she held various managerial positions in entrepreneurial businesses.
In addition to her Masters degree, her qualifications include a B.A., Higher Education Diploma (P.G.), and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Marketing. She has contributed to an office practice textbook.
To see how Adrienne can assist your organisation or educational institution, please get in touch.
