Critical Thinking, By Dr. Shadia Yousef Banjar

LANE 462

By:By:By:By:

Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. ShadiaShadiaShadiaShadia YousefYousefYousefYousef BanjarBanjarBanjarBanjar

http://SBANJAR.kau.edu.sa/

http://wwwdrshadiabanjar.blogspot.com

Critical Thinking?

7/25/2010 Dr. Shadia Yousef Banjar 1

Everyone thinks; it is our nature to do so. But

much of our thinking, left to itself, is biased,

unclear, partial, uninformed or down-right

prejudiced. Yet the quality of our life and that

of what we produce, make, or build depends

Everyone thinks …..

of what we produce, make, or build depends

precisely on the quality of our thought. Poor

thinking is costly, both in money and in

quality of life. Excellence in thought,

however, must be systematically cultivated.- Richard Paul

Critical Thinking History

2,500 years ago Socrates established the

importance of asking deep questions,

seeking evidence, analyzing basic concepts

before we accept ideas as worthy of

•Socrates – 400 BC

before we accept ideas as worthy of

beliefs .

Socrates

• Questioning

• Inquiring

• Search for meaning

• Search for truth

Plato, Aristotle, and Greek skeptics

emphasized that things are often very

different from what they appear to be and

that only the trained mind is prepared to see

•Plato, Aristotle, Greek skeptics

that only the trained mind is prepared to see

though the way thing look to us on the

surface.

Thomas Aquinas (Sumna Theologica)

ensures that his thinking met the tests of

critical thinkers by answering criticisms of his

In the middle ages

•Thomas Aquinas (Sumna Theologica)

critical thinkers by answering criticisms of his

ideas.

(Colet, Erasmus, More in England)

started thinking critically about religion, art,

society, human, law, and freedom.

15th & 16th C.

(Renaissance)•European scholars

society, human, law, and freedom.

Francis Bacon in England

• wrote The Advancement of Learning,

the 1st book in critical thinking.

•argued for the importance of studying

the world empirically.

•laid the foundation for modern science

with his emphasis on the information-

gathered process.

Francis Bacon

• Father of the Scientific Method

• “We must become as little children in order to

enter the kingdom of science”

Descartes in France

• wrote the 2nd book Rules for the Direction of the Mind

- developed a method of critical thought based on the

principle of systematic doubt.

50 years later •Descartes in France•Sir Thomas More in England

principle of systematic doubt.

•In the same period, Sir Thomas More:

- developed a model for a new social order Utopia in

which every domain the present world was subject to

critique.

16th &17th C. Hobbes & Locke

- not to accept the traditional cultural beliefs

dominant in the thinking of their day as being

rational and normal.

- everything in the world should be explained

by evidence and reasoning.

17th & 18th C.

• Robert Boyle & Isaac Newton in Chemistry &

nature

• other French thinkers in sociology & politics

Adam Smith produces Wealth of Nations in

economics

19th C.

• Darwin's Descent of Man in the biological

domain focused on the history of human

culture and the basis of biological life

• Sigmund Freud study in the unconscious

domain.

•Plus other studies in the Anthropological &

Linguistics domains.

20th C.

•Number of thinkers have increased in every

domain of human thought and within which

reasoning takes place.

•Dewey – 1930’s

•Ennis – 1980’s

Reflective Thinking

• Dispositions of thinking

– Open mindedness

• Native Resources

– Curiosity

– Open mindedness

– Whole heartedness

– Intellectual Responsibility

– Curiosity

– Suggestion

– Orderliness

• Critical thinking is “reasonable, reflective

thinking focused on deciding what to believe or

do.”

Ennis - Actions a learner usually must take in order to think critically

• Judge the credibility of sources

• Identify conclusions, reasons and assumptions

• Judge the quality of an argument including the

acceptability of its reasons, assumptions, and evidence

• Develop and defend a position on an issue

Ennis - Actions a learner usually must take in

order to think critically

• Ask appropriate clarifying questions

• Plan experiments and judge experimental designs

• Define terms in a way appropriate for the context

• Be open-minded

• Try to be well-informed

• Draw conclusions when warranted, but with caution

Thus…Students in school should be taught how to think critically. Classes should be designed based on reasoning and

be designed based on reasoning and rational grounds and not as series of facts.

What Is Critical Thinking?

“Critical thinking is the ability to apply reasoning and

logic to unfamiliar ideas, opinions, and situations.

Thinking critically involves seeing things in an open-

minded way. This important skill allows people to look

past their own views of the world and to adopt a more

aware way of viewing the world.”What is Critical Thinking?

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-critical-thinking.htm

HOW DO YOU DEFINE CRITICAL

THINKING?

•Critical thinking means correct thinking in the

pursuit of relevant and reliable knowledge

about the world. •Another way to describe it is reasonable,

Definition of Critical Thinking

•Another way to describe it is reasonable,

reflective, responsible, and skillful thinking

that is focused on deciding what to believe or

•Critical thinking is not being able to process

information well enough to know to stop for red lights or

whether you received the correct change at the

supermarket. •Such low-order thinking, critical and useful though it

•Such low-order thinking, critical and useful though it

may be, is sufficient only for personal survival; most

individuals master this.

•True critical thinking is higher-order thinking,

enabling a person to, for example, responsibly

judge between political candidates, serve on a

murder trial jury, evaluate society's need for

nuclear power plants, and assess the

consequences of global warming.•

consequences of global warming.• Critical thinking enables an individual to be a

responsible citizen who contributes to society, and

not be merely a consumer of society's

distractions.

•A person who thinks critically can ask appropriate

questions, gather relevant information, efficiently

and creatively sort through this information, reason

logically from this information, and come to reliable

and trustworthy conclusions about the world that

enable one to live and act successfully in it. •Children are not born with the power to think

•Children are not born with the power to think

critically, nor do they develop this ability naturally

beyond survival-level thinking. Critical thinking is a

learned ability that must be taught. Most individuals

never learn it.

•Critical thinking cannot be taught reliably to

students by peers or by most parents.• Trained and knowledgeable instructors are

necessary to impart the proper information and

skills. •Critical thinking can be described as the

•Critical thinking can be described as the

scientific method applied by ordinary

people to the ordinary world.

•This is true because critical thinking mimics the well-known

method of scientific investigation: a question is identified, an

hypothesis formulated, relevant data sought and gathered,

the hypothesis is logically tested and evaluated, and reliable

conclusions are drawn from the result.• All of the skills of scientific investigation are matched by

critical thinking, which is therefore nothing more than

scientific method used in everyday life rather than in

specifically scientific disciplines or endeavors. •

specifically scientific disciplines or endeavors. •Critical thinking is scientific thinking. •A scientifically-literate person, such as a math or science

instructor, has learned to think critically to achieve that level

of scientific awareness. But any individual with an advanced

degree in any university discipline has almost certainly learned

the techniques of critical thinking.

•Critical thinking is the ability to think for one's self and

reliably and responsibly make those decisions that affect

one's life. •Critical thinking is also critical inquiry, so such critical

thinkers investigate problems, ask questions, pose new

answers that challenge the status quo, discover new

information that can be used for good or ill, question

authorities and traditional beliefs, challenge received

dogmas and doctrines, and often end up possessing power

in society greater than their numbers.

•It may be that a workable society or culture can tolerate only a

small number of critical thinkers, that learning, internalizing, and

practicing scientific and critical thinking is discouraged. Most

people are followers of authority: most do not question, are not

curious, and do not challenge authority figures who claim

special knowledge or insight. Most people, therefore, do not

think for themselves, but rely on others to think for them. Most

people indulge in wishful, hopeful, and emotional thinking,

believing that what they believe is true because they wish it,

hope it, or feel it to be true. Most people, therefore, do not think

critically.

•Critical thinking has many components. Life can be

described as a sequence of problems that each

individual must solve for one's self. Critical thinking skills

are nothing more than problem solving skills that result

in reliable knowledge. Humans constantly process

information. Critical thinking is the practice of processing

this information in the most skillful, accurate, and

rigorous manner possible, in such a way that it leads to

the most reliable, logical, and trustworthy conclusions,

upon which one can make responsible decisions about

one's life, behavior, and actions with full knowledge of

assumptions and consequences of those decisions.

Raymond S. Nickerson (1987) characterizes a good critical thinker in

terms of knowledge, abilities, attitudes, and habitual ways of

behaving.

Here are some of the CHARACTERISTICS of such a thinker:

uses evidence skillfully and impartially

A GOOD CRITICAL THINKER

uses evidence skillfully and impartially

organizes thoughts and articulates them concisely and coherently

distinguishers between logically valid and invalid inferences

suspends judgment in the absence of sufficient evidence to support a

decision

understands the difference between reasoning and rationalizing

attempts to anticipate the probable consequences of alternative actions

understands the idea of degrees of belief

sees similarities and analogies that are not superficially apparent

can learn independently and has a long-lasting interest in doing

applies problem-solving techniques in domains other than those

in which learned

can structure informally represented problems in such a way that

formal techniques, such as mathematics, can be used to solve

can strip a verbal argument of irrelevancies and phrase it in its

essential terms

habitually questions one's own views and attempts to

understand both the assumptions that are critical to those views

and the implications of the views

is sensitive to the difference between the validity of a belief

and the intensity with which it is held

is aware of the fact that one's understanding is always limited,

often much more so than would be apparent to one with a

noninquiring attitude

recognizes the fallibility of one's own opinions, the probability

of bias in those opinions, and the danger of weighting evidence

according to personal preferences

This list serves to indicate the type of thinking and approach to

life that critical thinking is supposed to be

A Definition:

Critical thinking is the art of analyzing and

evaluating thinking with a view to improving it.

• Critical thinking

–A set of conceptual tools used to make

decisions

• Intellectual skills and strategies

• Reasonable process

–A mental ability

• Disciplined intelligence

• Problem solving

“It is human irrationality, not a lack of knowledge that threatens human

potential” (Nickerson cited in Kurfiss, 1986).

It . . .• underlies listening and speaking, reading and writing, the basic language

Why Critical Thinking?

• underlies listening and speaking, reading and writing, the basic language

skills.• plays an important part in social change. All institutions in any society:

courts, governments, schools, businesses, are the products of critical

thinking.• plays a key role in technological advances.• frees the human mind from false beliefs and deceptions.

Who Uses Critical Thinking?•• STUDENTS !!! STUDENTS !!! • Parents• Nurses• Doctors• Athletic coaches•

•• Teachers/Professors• Air Traffic Controllers• Military Commanders• Lawyers, Judges• Supervisors• Day Care Workers

W ho W ho W ho W ho SH O U L D SH O U L D SH O U L D SH O U L D th ink critically?think critically?think critically?think critically?

Types of thinkers

Novice thinkers

Expert thinkers

Novice Versus Expert Thinker

• Expert thinkers– Quickly identify relevant information.

– Can formulate a solution with “sketchy” information .

• Novice thinkers

• Novice thinkers– Consider all information equally important.

– Develop hypothesis, test hypothesis.

– Cannot focus on central issues.

Cultivated Critical Thinkers

Well cultivated critical thinkers:

• are able to raise vital questions and problems, as well as formulate and present them clearly.

• can gather and assess information and interpret it effectively.

• can reach well-reasoned conclusions and solutions to

• can reach well-reasoned conclusions and solutions to problems while testing them against relevant criteria and standards.

• can be open-minded.

• can communicate effectively with others in figuring out

solutions to complex problems.

Benefits of critical thinking

Critical thinking empowers and improves

chances of success

• in a career

• as a consumer

• in social roles in our community

– personally, essential to personal autonomy

– socially, essential to democratic system

Pitfalls……

• Teaching for critical thinking takes more time

to prepare.

• Teaching for critical thinking will reduce the

amount of “material” covered.

• Teaching for critical thinking is not popular

with students in the beginning.

• BUT…

How Can One Become a Critical Thinker?

• By asking pertinent questions (of self as well as others);

• By assessing statements and arguments;

• By developing a sense of observation and curiosity;

• By listening carefully to others, thinking about what they say, and giving feedback;

• By observing with an open mind;

• By making assertions based on sound logic and solid

• By becoming interested in finding new solutions;

• By examining beliefs, assumptions, and opinions and weighing them against truth.• By developing a “thinker’svocabulary”.

•on sound logic and solid evidence;

• By sharing ideas with others;

• By becoming an open-minded listener and reader;

• By engaging in active reading and active listening!

Critical thinking begins when you

question beyond what is given.

You want to know more:

• how something happens,

• why it happens, and further

• what will happen if something changes.

Critical thinking therefore requires a conscious level of

processing, analysis, creation and evaluation of possible

outcomes, and reflection.

If you’re a critical thinker,

you think.

•You are willing to examine your beliefs, assumptions,

….No surprise….

•You are willing to examine your beliefs, assumptions,

and opinions and weigh them against facts.

• You are willing to evaluate the generalizations and

stereotypes you have created and are open to change,

if necessary.

Critical thinkers listen carefully.

•If you’re a critical thinker, you listen carefully to what

others are saying and are able to give feedback.

•You are able to suspend judgment until all the facts

have been gathered and considered.

Critical thinkers look for

evidence….

•If you’re a critical thinker, you look for

evidence to support your assumptions and

beliefs.

• You examine problems closely and are

able to reject information that is incorrect

or irrelevant.

Critical thinkers are curious.

They are interested in knowing all there is

about a topic. They look for new and better

ways to do everything. They are not the

person who will settle for “…because that is

the way we have always done it.”

Therefore…through experience, as a critical

thinker, you will:

• identify information that is being put forth as an

argument and break it down to its basic components for

evaluation.

• construct alternative interpretations

• be willing to explore diverse perspectives

• be willing to change personal assumptions when

presented with valid information

• be willing to ask difficult questions and the ability to

receptive to opposing viewpoints.

• Critical thinking is, in short, self-directed, self-

disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking.

• It requires accurate standards of excellence and

mindful command of their use.

• It entails effective communication and problem solving

abilities and a commitment to overcome our native

egocentrism and sociocentrism.

A CRITICAL THINKER CONSIDERS THE ELEMENTS OF

REASONING:

1. Purpose, Goal, Objective, or End in View

2. Question at Issue (or Problem to Be Solved)

3. Point of View, Frame of Reference, Perspective,

Orientation

4. Assumptions (presuppositions, what is taken for granted)

5. Information (data, facts, observations, experiences)

6. Concepts (theories, definitions, axioms, laws, principles,

models)

7. Interpretation & Inferences (conclusions, solutions)

8. Implications & Consequences (Where does this thinking

lead? What will result if this thinking is turned into action?)

Whenever we think,

we think for a purpose,

within a point of view,

based on assumptions,

leading to implications and consequences.

UNIVERSAL STRUCTURES OF THOUGHT

We use data, facts, and experiences,

to make inferences and judgments,

based on concepts and theories,

in attempting to answer a question or solve a problem.

QUESTIONS IMPLIED BY THE UNIVERSAL

STRUCTURES OF THOUGHT: [Use these questions

when beginning work]

•What is my fundamental purpose?

•What is the key question I am trying to answer?

•What information do I need in order to answer my

question?

•What is the most basic concept in the question?

•What assumptions am I using in my reasoning?

•What is my point of view with respect to the issue?

•What are my most fundamental inferences or

conclusions?

•What are the implications and possible consequences

of my reasoning (if my reasoning is valid?

Universal Intellectual Standards

• Clarity : If a statement is unclear we cannot

evaluate its fit with the other standards.

• Accuracy : Accuracy = TRUTH. Is it true?

• Precision : Is there enough detail to completely

understand the statement.

• Relevance : Is the information connected to the

question at hand?

• Depth: Does the statement, fact, etc. address the complexity of the issue?

• Breadth: Are there other points of view or other ways to consider this question? Are you considering the key factors?

• Logic: Does it make sense? Can you make that conclusion based on the information and evidence?

• Significance: Is this the most important problem to

consider? Is this the central idea to focus on? Which of

these facts are most important?

• Fairness: Do I have any vested interest in this issue?

Am I sympathetically representing the viewpoints of

others?

1. The intent of Crawford’s Attribute Listing was to enable students

to operate at the creativity or synthesis level of Bloom’s

Cognitive Taxonomy. Additional cognitive operations, however,

are needed to implement the four-step process. The steps are:

2. Select a problem, product, or system (problem designation)

Robert Platt Crawford 1931 provides a list that can

serve as a bridge to creative thinking

2. Select a problem, product, or system (problem designation)

3. Break it into key attributes or stages or parts

(analysis/synthesis/creative thinking)

4. Identify various ways to achieve each attribute or part

(brainstorming or any idea-generating technique)

5. Design or create a solution by manipulating and recombining the

variables (structured synthesis)

Application Decision MakingEvaluationApplication

Comprehension

Knowledge

Decision Making

Problem Solving

Concept attainment

Evaluation

Synthesis

Analysis

Critical Thinking

Dispositions• Engagement

– Looking for opportunities to use reasoning

– expecting situations that require reasoning

– Confident in reasoning ability

• Innovativeness

– Intellectually curious

– Wants to know the truth

• Cognitive maturity

– Aware that real problems are complex

– Open to other points of view

– Aware of biases and predispositions

To understand reasoning properly, however, we need to

understand how it differs from mere thinking.

•When we are merely thinking our thoughts simply come to us,

one after another: when we reason we actively link thoughts

together in such a way that we believe one thought provides

support for another thought.

•This active process of reasoning is termed inference.

• Inference involves a special relationship between different

thoughts: when we infer B from A, we move from A to B because

we believe that A supports or justifies or makes it reasonable to

believe in the truth of B.

The difference between mere thinking and reasoning or inference is easy to

understand through examples. Consider the following pairs of sentences:

1. Alan is broke, and he is unhappy.

Alan is broke, therefore he is unhappy.

2. Anne was in a car accident last week, and she deserves an extension

on her essay.

Anne was in a car accident last week, so she deserves an extension on

her essay.

3. This triangle has equal sides and equal angles.

This triangle has equal sides; hence it has equal angles.

Notice that the first sentence in each pair simply asserts two thoughts but

says nothing about any relationship between them, while the second

sentence asserts a relationship between two thoughts. This relationship is signaled by the words therefore, so, so, and hence. hence. These are called inference

indicators: words that indicate that one thought is intended to support (i.e., to

justify, provide a reason for, provide evidence for, or entail) another thought.

Critical Thinking

skills and sub-skills• Interpretation

– categorization, decoding, clarifying meaning

– Notes, matrices, charts, patient history

• Analysis

– examining ideas, identifying arguments, analyzing

arguments

– Elements of reasoning, listening, data

• Evaluation

– assessing claims, assessing arguments

– Questioning, credibility, reasonableness, trust.

• Inference–Querying claims, conjecturing alternatives, drawing conclusions– Problem solving, decision making, differential, diagnosis

• Explanation– Stating results, justifying procedures, presenting arguments– Elements of reasoning, stating the case, clarity

• Self-regulation– Self examination, self correction

– Self examination, self correction– Self critique, questioning, changing, recognizing personal

errors in thinking

Aspects of critical thinking

• Issues

– factual

– interpretive

– evaluative

– mere verbal dispute

• Claims

– truth-statement with adequate support

– assumption: claim without support

• hidden assumptions undermine reliability of reasoning

Resolving Obstacles To Critical

Thinking

Obstacle—relativism or subjectivism

• Remedy—patience and tenacity in pursuit of the truth

Obstacle—egocentrism and ethnocentricity

• Remedy— intellectual humility

Obstacle—intimidation by authority

• Remedy—intellectual independence

Obstacle—conformism

• Remedy—intellectual courage

Obstacle—unexamined and inferential assumptions, and

presuppositions

• Remedy—examination of assumptions

Characteristics of Critical Thinkers:

• Strive for understanding• Are honest with themselves• Base judgment on evidence

• Are interested in other people’s ideas• Control their feelings/emotions• Recognize that extreme views are seldom

correct.

• Keep an open mind

• They are very observant

• Identify key issues and raise questions

• Obtain relevant facts

• Evaluate the findings and form judgments

What does the absence of

critical thinking look like?

• We blindly accept at face value all justifications

given by organizations and political leaders.

• We blindly believe TV commercials.

• We blindly continue to hold on to old beliefs.

Young girl? Or old

women?

Man playing

horn? Or a

woman’s

silhouette?

A face of a native

American? Or an

Eskimo’s back?

Thinking Barriers

– Emotions

• Anger

• Passion

• Depression

– Stress

– Bias (values and beliefs)

Personal Barriers to thinking

(Ego Defenses)

• Denial– Refuse to accept reality.

• Projection– We see in others what is really happening to us.

– We see in others what is really happening to us.

• Rationalization– Lying to ourselves about the real reasons for our

behaviors and feelings.

Thinking Errors

• Personalization

– Thinking in which the world revolves around an individual

• Polarized Thinking

– There is only black or white – no gray

• Catastrophizing

– Always consider the worst possible outcome (all the time)

• Selective abstraction

– Focusing on one detail of a situation

and ignoring the larger picture

• Overgeneralization

– Drawing broad conclusions on the

basis of a single incident.

Five Phases of Critical Thinking

• Phase 1: Trigger Event– Usually an unexpected event that causes

some kind of inner discomfort or confusion.

• Phase 2: Appraisal

• Phase 2: Appraisal– A period of reflection and the need to find

another approach to deal with the issue.

• Phase 3: Exploration– People start asking questions and gathering

more information.

• Phase 4: Finding Alternatives

–Also called the transition stage when old

ideas are either left behind and a new way

of thinking begins.

• Phase 5: Integration

– Involves fitting new ideas and information

into everyday usage.

Key Questions to Critical

Thinking

• What are the issues and the expected conclusions?

• What are the reasons?

• What words or phrases are ambiguous?

• What are the value conflicts and assumptions?

• What are the assumptions?

• Are there any fallacies in the reasoning?

• How good is the evidence?

• Are there rival causes?

• Are the statistics deceptive?

• What significant information is omitted?

• What reasonable conclusions are possible?

Critical thinking involves evaluating information or

arguments in terms of their accuracy and worth

• Verbal Reasoning

– Understanding and evaluating the persuasive techniques

found in oral and written language

• Argument Analysis

– Discriminating between reasons that do and do not

support a particular conclusion

Critical thinking involves evaluating information or

arguments in terms of their accuracy and worth

• Decision Making

– identifying and judging several alternatives and selecting

the best alternative

• Critical Analysis of Prior Research

•– evaluating the value of data and research results in terms

of the methods used to obtain them and their potential

relevance to particular conclusions.

Problem Solving Procedure

• Define the problem (not the symptom)

• Remove thinking barriers (bias and logical)

• Gather all relevant facts

• Generate solutions (brainstorming, creative thinking)

• Select a solution and have a back up plan

• Implement and evaluate

Characteristics of Critical Thinking & Decision

Making

• University of Phoenix Model

– Framing the question

– Making the decision

– Evaluating the decision

University of Phoenix Model

How to Apply Bloom’s

Six Levels

• Knowledge

• Comprehension

• Application

• Analysis

• Synthesis

• Evaluation

• Name

• List

• Recognize

RelateTellRecall

Level 1 – Recall

Remembering previously learned material, recalling facts,

terms, basic concepts from stated text

• Recognize

• Choose

• Label

RecallMatchDefine

• Compare

• Describe

• Outline

ExplainRephrase

Level 2 – Understand

Demonstrating understanding of the stated meaning of

facts and ideas

• Outline

• Organize

• Classify

ShowRelateIdentify

• Speculate

• Interpret

Level 2 1/2 – Infer

Demonstrating understanding of the unstated meaning

of facts and ideas

• Infer

• Generalize

• Conclude

• Apply

• Construct

• Model

Dramatize

Restructure

Simulate

Level 3 – Put to Use

Solving problems by applying acquired knowledge,

facts, and techniques in a different situation

• Model

• Use

• Practice

Simulate

Translate

Experiment

• Analyze

• Diagram

• Classify

• Contrast

Simplify

Summarize

Relate to

Categorize

Level 4 – Break down

Examining and breaking down information into parts

• Contrast

• Sequence

Categorize

Differentiate

• Compose

• Design

• Develop

Elaborate

Formulate

Originate

Level 5 – Put together

Compiling information in a different way by combining elements

in a new pattern

• Develop

• Propose

• Adapt

Originate

Invent

• Judge

• Rank

• Rate

Defend

Justify

Prioritize

Level 6 – Judge

Presenting and defending opinions by making judgments

about information based on criteria

• Rate

• Evaluate

• Recommend

Prioritize

Support

Active learning

Active learning ….

• Appeal to a variety of learning styles

• Emphasis on development of skills over transmission of information

transmission of information

• Emphasis on ‘higher order’ thinking skills

• Learning experiences are ‘active’ (reading, discussing, writing)

• Explore students’ attitudes, values

Active learning

• Participants like it

• More fun and interesting for the instructor

• Research literature supports it

• Provides time to process information

• Effective transfers to long-term memory

• Greater retention of skills & information

• Leads to higher cognitive learning

• Leads to affective learning

• Very effective for adult learning

Active learning

• Match important objectives to active learning exercises

• If using groups, provide clear instructions on:

– forming groups

– objectives

– time limits

– reporting back

Active learning• Be prepared—everything will take longer than

expected

• Hand out exercises as students enter

• Limit number of choices

• Plan efficient strategies for forming groups

• Circulate among groups during group work (to keep on task, assist)

Active learning

You need to …..

• Ask groups to take discussion notes

• Provide time for reporting back

• Ensure all can hear (repeat remarks if necessary)

• Summarize after group reports

Working Assumptions

• Active learning is necessary for the teaching of critical thinking.

• Critical thinking should be integrated into every aspect of

• Critical thinking should be integrated into every aspect of the educational process.

• Students should be made aware of the thinking process.

• Critical thinking must be taught explicitly.

• Process is as important as content.

Working Definitions

• Active Learning - “students involved in doing

things & thinking about the things they are doing”

• Critical Thinking - “reasonable reflective thinking

that is focused on deciding what to do and what to

believe” OR “interpreting, analyzing or evaluating

information, arguments or experiences with a set of

reflective attitudes, skills, and abilities to guide our

thoughts, beliefs and actions” OR “examining the

thinking of others to improve our own”

Thinking Tools

• A Thinking ToolThinking Tool is an instrument that can help us in using our minds systematically and effectively.

• With the use of thinking tools, the intended ideas will be arranged more systematically, clearly, and easy to be understood.

There are 4 types of THINKING TOOLS:

• Questioning

• Concepts

• Mindmaps

• Cognitive Research Trust

Questioning

Questioning is one approach to motivate

others to:

• Get information

• Test understanding

• Develop interest

• Evaluate the ability of individuals

towards understanding certain things.“A person who asks “A person who asks

questions questions is a person who thinks.”’is a person who thinks.”’

- William Wilen

Questioning - Bloom’s Taxonomy

AnalysisAnalysis

SynthesisSynthesis

EvaluationEvaluation

Higher-Level

Thinking

KnowledgeKnowledge

InterpretationInterpretation

Application

AnalysisAnalysis

Lower-level

Thinking

Concepts

Structure of Concepts:

•• SignSign - word/symbol that names the

PROPERTIES

ConceptsConcepts are general ideas that we use to identify and

organize our experience. Words are the vocabulary of

language; Concepts are the vocabulary of thought.

•• SignSign - word/symbol that names the

concept

• ReferentsReferents - examples of the

concept

• PropertiesProperties - qualities that all

examples of the concept share in

common.

CONCEPT

SIGN REFERENTS

3 Mindmaps

A mindmapmindmap can be defined as a visual presentation of the ways

in which conceptsconcepts can be related to one another.

Cognitive Research Trust

Thinking Method

• The essence of the (Cognitive Research Trust) Thinking

Method is to focus attention directly on different

aspects of thinking and to crystallize these aspects into

definite concepts and tools that can be used

deliberately.

• It is designed to encourage students to broaden their

thinking.

Final WordsCRITICAL THINKING is the active and systematic process of

• Communication

• Problem-solving

• Evaluation

• Analysis

• Synthesis

• Reflection

both individually and in community to

• develop understanding

• Support positive decision-making and

• Guide action

References

Crawford, R. P. (1964). The techniques of creative thinking: How to use your ideas to achieve success. Burlington, VT: Fraser Publishing Co. Dewey, J. (1933). How we think. New York: D. C. Heath.Ennis, R. (1993). Critical thinking assessment. Theory Into Practice, 32(3). Retrieved October 25, 2006, from Academic Search Premier database.Johnson, S. (1998). Skills, Socrates, and the Sophists: Learning from history. British Journal of Educational Studies 46(2). Retrieved March 23, 2009, from JSTOR database.Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2006b). The miniature guide to critical thinking concepts and tools (4th ed.). Dillon Beach, CA: Foundation for Critical

Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2006b). The miniature guide to critical thinking concepts and tools (4th ed.). Dillon Beach, CA: Foundation for Critical Thinking.Pedersen, O. (1997). The first universities: Stadium Generale and the origins of university education in Europe. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Foundation for Critical Thinking. Critical Thinking: Basic Theory and

Instructional Structures. Sonoma, California: 1998.)

Internet Resources:

www.kcmetro.cc.mo.us/longview/ctac/definitions.htm

www.criticalthinking.org

www.chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/cogsys/critthnk.html

www.calpress.com/critical.html

www.coping.org/write/percept/intro.htm

www.utexas.edu/student/utlc/handouts/1414.html

www.coun.uvic.ca/learn/crit.html

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