If that happens, you can be very certain that critical thinking was employed.
I like to think of the sponge method as the first stage of a complete critical thinking process. The advantage of the sponge method is that you are learning as you assimilate data. This will be useful later as we begin to use the Panning For Gold method, which I would consider to be stage two of a total critical thinking process. Without gathering data, there would be nothing in the pan. With a wealth of data, it becomes a much simpler matter to sift out the ambiguous or misleading information and limit the remaining data to factual information that will be useful in coming to a thoughtful final decision.
McCall and Kaplan say "decision-making comes close to being - if it is not in fact - the very heart of managerial work." (McCall and Kaplan, p. vii) Furthermore, they say, "Decisions are streams of choices. While each choice might be treated as a discrete event and each subproblem might be considered a discrete problem, the choices accumulate either by design or happen-stance." (McCall and Kaplan, p. 4).
Critical thinking is a process that leads to the decision making process. During the critical thinking process, data is gathered and assimilated. To continue the process, the data is sorted and supporting reasons are assigned to both sides of an issue. The decision making process begins after the data is organized in a manner that will be conducive to making a clear decision. The data is evaluated to determine the value of both sides of the argument. The decision would be made based on which side of the issue presents the most beneficial solution to the issue.
One of the clear benefits to being a critical thinker is the ability to make an educated and informed decision. Too many times, decisions are based on how we feel about an issue. It is easy for us to just listen to an issue and pick a side without truly listening to the issue or evaluating the benefits derived from the decision for either side.
