Released: Rationale 2.0.9

We have just released  Rationale 2.0.9.

The changes compared to version 2.0.8 are:

- FIXED: Workbundle html file did not display correctly in IE9

- FIXED: Translation errors

- FIXED: Link errors ( the Rationale WIKI is available again).

Austhink in progress..

People all around the world are using Rationale™ to improve their critical thinking and decision-making.
To be able to continue and expand the use of Rationale in the next decade it is necessary to develop an on-line version.
Rationale Online will solve at the same time the inconveniences that Mac/Linux users have now with using Rationale.

In 2010 it became clear that Austhink Software Ltd. was for a variety of reasons not able to make the necessary investments in the development of Rationale Online.

Critical Thinking Skills (CTS), a Dutch organisation with its headquarters in Amsterdam, is since 2011 the new owner of the software Rationale as well as bCisive and bCisive Online.

CTS will continue under the name Austhink the development of the software and selling of licenses world wide. In the Netherlands CTS operates under the name Kritisch Denken. Kritisch Denken developed the Dutch version of Rationale.

Right now we are in the process of developing Rationale Online. We expect the first version the second half of 2012. After having available the online version of Rationale, a Spanish version and the option of online colloboration will be added.

To give you a preview: hereunder a picture of a screen of Rationale Online in a browser and on an iPad - although we have not decided yet that the development of Rationale for an iPad is worth the effort (screen too small?).

Let us know your thoughts!

Making Smarter Decisions

Kevin Hoffberg of Decision Quality has a nice presentation:Making Smart Decisions

I particularly like his straightforward process for making a difficult decision:

bCisive Online and bCisive desktop are flexible enough to apply these steps.  Give it a try!

Anecdotal proof that argument mapping helps with essay writing

Bali-based educationalist and teacher trainer Steve Bolton has been getting results with Rationale.  He writes:

Finally some proof that argument mapping works. My current class have been reeling off fantastic essays after planning them using argument maps. Here we can see low and high tech versions. Today a student handed me a six-page (A4) map of an essay, and while I am clueless about Novi’s field of study, I can follow her reasoning with ease. Exciting stuff!

My emphasis.

We already know that argument mapping improves critical thinking [pdf].  Of course seeing the results in one's own classroom must be extremely gratifying.

How your computer can help you think

Here's a nice video tutorial from Thomas Teepe about using mind-mapping software for problem-solving:


His technique of using a "mentor map" which captures abstract process to help build a more concrete "work map" is nice, and neatly addresses the problem of "starting with a blank screen".

Building your own "mentor map" is a great way of organizing the processes that one finds personally useful, and the overall process looks like it should be easy to learn.

Note that whereas in mind-mapping tools one must be use multiple windows, all of Austhink's products support multiple maps per workspace.

* * *

When we add user-editable template support to bCisive Online, we should also consider including a starter "mentor map", as an out-of-the-box template.

My favorite box

My favorite box is the plain box.  It has three great uses:

• Brainstorming
• Categorizing
• When no other box will do

Brainstorming
In bCisive (Online and desktop) and Rationale you can get an empty box by just double-clicking on the workspace.  This is great for brain-storming -- just getting ideas onto the workspace:

Brainstorming for this article

The next step is to bang them together into a basic structure:

Same ideas, with an initial organization

And then assign the boxes a type, and elaborate:

Same ideas, elaborated

Categorizing

Sometimes you have lots of related ideas, questions, whatever, and it is helpful to introduce categories to break things down.  The plain box can help.  For example: What was one option can easily become a elaborated into a number of variations.

The plain boxes group related options

Throwing in an plain box can be visually effective in giving a break from all the strong graphics.  This act of categorizing (also called abstracting) works well whether you are working top down or bottom up.  Top down you start with the original idea and then break down into several variations.  Bottom up, you start with a long list of ideas, and then cluster them when you notice which ones are related.

When no other box will do

Sometimes I get bogged down because I don't have the exact right box type for a particular idea.  In bCisive Online I can just change a heading (e.g. relabel a "Pro" as a "Reason"), but sometimes none of the images seem appropriate.

When no image fits, just use no image!  The plain box saves the day again.

Video: Plan and write a great essay with Rationale

Along with free-form mapping to encourage the development of critical thinking skills, Rationale includes a nifty Essay Planner to help students learn how to plan and produce clear, well-written essays.

We've produced a 3-minute video showing the Essay Planner in action: (To watch it at full size, click Play and then click the title or the YouTube logo)



If you'd like to try it for yourself, download a free Rationale trial.