What does it take to be a good individual thinker

based on the book”the art of thinking” by vincent ruggiero, and the book “blink” by malcom gladwell
Your Writing Assignment . . . In a 4 to 5 page paper, draw upon the readings to define for yourself what it takes to be a good, individual thinker. Select specific criteria to support your thesis and use your paper to present and explain your reasoning. As you conclude, reflect on what obstacles get in the way when we think.

Note: must use Ruggiero Chapters 1-4 and Malcolm Gladwell’s ideas in Blink along with your own knowledge and life experiences to develop and illustrate the criteria used in your definition.

Demonstrates adequate essay and paragraph writing:

• Introduction that presents the central focus of the essay in a thesis statement

For this paper, has the writer presented a very specific definition of what it takes to be a good, individual thinker? Have they explained what “good” means to them? In other words, do they have named criteria that they can elaborate on in the body paragraphs?? Or is their definition vague/general/obvious. Be honest with them! The thesis should provide a clear roadmap for the rest of the essay, and the more defined the better.

• Paragraphs that address ONE supporting point at a time, usually expressed in an opening sentence

Are the paragraphs explaining the criteria and developing the thesis piece by specific piece, point by point, step by step? Or are they lumping all their criteria into one general/broad paragraph? If you address one criteria at a time, then you have more space to fully explore it—you can provide more evidence and more fully develop your reasoning before transitioning to the next piece.

• Paragraphs that explain/develop/defend that thesis with specific, detailed evidence from readings,
general knowledge and personal experience

Are they referring to the readings, quoting, paraphrasing and interacting with the content in this module? Can you tell they have done the reading and know how to use the ideas and talk intelligently about creative thinking with the authors (Ruggiero and Gladwell)? Or is their essay pretty general, like it was written by anyone talking about creativity rather than someone specifically in our class?

• Sentences that employ clear syntactical structure, that are varied in length and style, and that follow basic rules of grammar and spelling

If the writer has spelling or grammatical errors, try to assess whether they are “distracting” (you notice them) or whether they are “problematic” (they make it hard for you to understand or follow the reasoning). This latter is the most important and should be mentioned.

• Quotations properly cited in MLA style

First, is the writer quoting in the paper (we should be doing this)? If you are familiar with MLA style, then you can comment on their formatting.