 Demonstrate the knowledge and understanding of the thinking skills of Classification  Demonstrate the knowledge and understanding of the thinking skills of Compare and Contrast

1. DSM 224
CRITICAL &
CREATIVE THINKING
Section 4: Analyzing ideas 1

2. Learning Outcomes
 Demonstrate the knowledge and
understanding of the thinking skills of
Classification
 Demonstrate the knowledge and
understanding of the thinking skills of
Compare and Contrast
2

3. Classification

4. Classification
 Purpose of Classification
 To help us select something we need.
 To determine important relationships between
ideas/items
 To protect things from harm or damage.
 Classification involves putting particular things
in general categories because these things have
certain characteristics which we use to define
those categories.

5. Common Defaults in Classification
 The way things are classified may not fit the
purposes of classifying them (the category
may be too broad or too narrow)
 We may not know what defines the category
and may put the wrong things in it. (fuzzy
thinking)
 We may know what defines the category but
misperceive or misjudge that an individual
thing has those characteristics, will result in us
to misclassify it.

6. Common Default Scenarios
 If I put all of my business expense receipts in a
folder but did not differentiate them in different
years, I would not be able to use this collection
easily in doing my year 2007 income tax
(classification too broad)
 If I just keep year 2007 car expenses receipts,
I will have to search for other receipts to be
able to figure out my overall business
expenses. (classification too narrow)

7. Common Defaults Scenario
 If I am confused about what a business receipt
is and put bills as well as receipts in the folder,
that may cause problems. (fuzzy)
 I may think I see "2006" on a receipt but it was
actually a "2007" receipt. (Misperception)
 If I classify a receipt for a meal as a business
receipt, but it fails to meet the requirements for
a legitimate business expense, it may cause
problems. (Misjudgment)

8. Types of Classification
 Bottom Up Classification (Specific to Broad)
 Top Down Classification (Broad to Specific)

9. Bottom-up Classification
 Thinking Map Questions
 What characteristics do the given items
have?
 What classifications do these characteristics
define?
 What purpose do we have for classifying the
items?
 What way of classifying the items best serves
this purpose?
 Which items fall into each category?

10. WAYS TO CLASSIFY THINGS
CATEGORIES TYPES OF CATEGORIES
pen Healthy food
Vegetables
Carnivore animals
Pink marker pen
Black & Blue pen
fruits
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________

11. Sample Bottom-Up Classification

12. Top-Down Classification
 Thinking Map Questions
 What are the defining characteristics of the
categories under which I want to classify things?
 Which items have these characteristics?
 How do I classify these items into the given
categories?

13. Top-Down Classification
CATEGORY CATEGORY CATEGORY
Defining
characteristics
Defining
characteristics
Defining
characteristics
Items Items Items
ITEMS TO BE
CLASSIFIED
characteristics
ITEMS TO BE
CLASSIFIED
ITEMS TO BE
CLASSIFIED
ITEMS TO BE
CLASSIFIED
characteristics characteristics characteristics
How Classified How Classified How Classified How Classified

14. Sample Top-Down Classification

15. Sample Top-Down Classification
Animal
Kingdom

16. Compare and Contrast

17. Compare and Contrast
 Comparing and contrasting involves detecting
a variety of similarities and differences
between two or more objects, events,
organisms, institutions, or ideas in order to
achieve certain specific purposes.

18. Compare and Contrast
 What is the value of the skill of compare and
contrast?
 To gain a deeper understanding of the ideas or
solutions being considered
 Can lead to more effective choices and deeper
insights

19. Common Defaults when doing
Compare and Contrast
 Too little similarities and differences
 Identify only a few similarities and differences.
 Identify only superficial similarities and
differences.
 Making rough and imprecise judgments of
similarity and difference.
 Do no draw out the implications of the
similarities and differences we have identified.

20. 2 basic ways to compare &
contrast skillfully
 Open Compare and Contrast
 Focused Compare and Contrast

21. Open Compare and Contrast
 Uses all possible similarities and differences
 Select similarities and differences which are
most significant
 Draw out the implications
 Arrive at conclusion

22. Open Compare and Contrast
 Thinking Map Questions
 How are they similar?
 How are they different?
 What similarities and differences seem
significant?
 What categories or patterns do you see in the
significant similarities and differences?
 What interpretation or conclusion is suggested
by the significant similarities and differences?

23. How are they alike?
How are they different?
Criteria Object BObject A
Object BObject A
Patterns of Significant Differences or Similarities
Conclusion or Interpretation

24. Focused Compare and Contrast
 A more specific form of compare and contrast
where the criteria are already defined before
the compare and contrast is done.
 Usually starts off with determining the purpose
or FOCUS of the compare and contrast

25. Thinking Map Questions
1. What kinds of similarities and differences
are significant to the purpose of the
comparison and contrast?
2. What similarities fall into these categories?
3. What differences fall into these categories?
4. What pattern of similarities and
differences are revealed?
5. What conclusion or interpretation is
suggested by the comparison and contrast
that is significant to its purpose?

26. Object BObject A
Purpose
Factors to consider
How are they alike?
How are they
different?
Factors that are considered in
this activity
Conclusion or Interpretation

27. Advantages of Focused and Open
Compare and Contrast
 Go beyond merely listing similarities and
differences.
 Bring more organization and depth to
comparing and contrasting than we ordinarily
find when we just list similarities and
differences.
 Both generate a conclusion suggested by the
comparisons and differences.