Arena: Applied Critical Thinking
Assumptions and Indispensable Information
Activity 1 – Identifying Significance + Certainty
Step 1
Work independently. Review the higher purposes on your 3-Column Statement Map.
In the column below each higher purpose, enumerate the assumptions you are making in your statements. Rate the significance and your certainty of each assumption. Next to the assumptions with high significance and low certainty, identify the indispensable information you need to increase certainty.
Step 2 Designing an Effective Research Path
Take a big paper. Fold it in half. One one side write a professional opportunity statement that you have been developing or create a new one. On the other side, write a personal or community opportunity statement.
Step 3
Design an effective research path for each of these statements. Enumerate the assumptions you are making. Rate the significance and your certainty of each assumption. Next to the assumptions with high significance and low certainty, identify the indispensable information you need to increase certainty.
Step 4
How will you research the indispensable information you need? Who has it? Where might you find it? Think through your research path for each opportunity statement. Note your methodology on the poster.
Step 5
In the final 20 minutes of the lab, gather in groups of 3-4. Share your findings. Share the questions you are having about assumptions and indispensable information.