What does it mean to be a critical thinker?

Critical Thinking

AGENDA

• Understand the complexity of thinking critically

• Improve critical thinking skills• Learn to apply critical thinking in

everyday life• Questions? (Stop me and ask throughout)

A THINKING METAPHOR

The performance of a car does not depend on the horsepower of the car, but upon the skill with which the car is driven by the driver. So, if intelligence is the horsepower of the car, then “thinking” is the skill with which that horsepower is used.

Intelligence is a potential. Thinking is an operating skill.

Thinking is the operating skill through which intelligence acts upon experience

- Edward DeBono Thinking Course, p. 2

Characteristics of Strong Critical Thinkers(from Vincent Ruggiero, Beyond Feelings, A Guide to Critical Thinking):

• Critical Thinkers... "Are honest with themselves, acknowledging what they don't know, recognizing their limitations, and being watchful of their own errors."

• Critical Thinkers... "Regard problems and controversial issues as exciting challenges."

• Critical Thinkers... "Strive for understanding, keep curiosity alive, remain patient with complexity and ready to invest time to overcome confusion."

• Critical Thinkers... "Set aside personal preferences and base judgments on evidence, deferring judgment whenever evidence is insufficient. They revise judgments when new evidence reveals error."

• Critical Thinkers... "Are interested in other people's ideas, so are willing to read and listen attentively, even when they tend to disagree with the other person."

• Critical Thinkers... "Recognize that extreme views (whether conservative or liberal) are seldom correct, so they avoid them, practice fair-mindedness, and seek a balanced view."

• Critical Thinkers... "Practice restraint, controlling their feelings rather than being controlled by them, and thinking before acting."

Critical thinking is about understanding, analyzing and evaluating “texts” in order to comprehend,

judge accuracy, & relevancy.

UNDERSTANDINGANALYZINGEVALUATING

What

Do

You

See

???

How Old Is this Woman?

NOSE

EYE

CHIN

EAR

Processing INFORMATION - Ink Blot Picture

DON QUIXOTE

Pablo Picasso's black on white drawing of Don

Quixote

DALMATION

GEORGE WASHINGTON

SNOWMAN

ARCHIPELAGO - ISLANDS

The Dahlak Archipelago is an island group located in the Red Sea near Massawa,

Eritrea.

The Archipelago of Albion

Bloom’s Taxonomy

KNOWLEDGE - Student recalls or recognizes information, ideas, and principles in the approximate form in which

theywere learned.

COMPREHENSION - Student translates, comprehends, or interprets information based on prior learning.

APPLICATION - Student selects, transfers, and uses data and principles to complete a problem or task with a

minimum of direction.

ANALYSIS - Student distinguishes, classifies, and relates the assumptions, hypotheses, evidence, or structure of a

statement or question.

SYNTHESIS - Student originates, integrates, and combines ideas into a product, plan or proposal that is new to him or her.

EVALUATION - Student appraises, assesses, or critiqueson a basis of specific standards and criteria.

Real Life Example – A Drum

• Knowledge – What is it?• Comprehension – Classification• Application – What does it do?• Analysis – How does it work?• Synthesis – What happens when

you…• Evaluation – What was the quality?

INPUT

The actual “text”and purpose for “reading”

&What you bring to the

critical thinking process

The Text• “The Assignment”• “The Reading”• “The Lecture”• “The Movie”• “The Conversation”

Personal Characteristics• Your Learning Style• Your Experience• Your Attitude• Your Filter• Your Schema/Prior Knowledge

UNDERSTANDING

The meaning you gain/makeas you “read” the “text”

Your comprehension - of the “text”

What is “understanding”?

• Knowing what needs to be known and why/what will be done with the information

• Activated Schema

• “Thinking”

• Comprehending – Key Issues/ Main Points

• Summarizing in your own words

Strategies for how to get itActivating Schema

SQ3RSays/Does

SummarizingNote Taking

Graphic Organizing

How you piece together the significance and organization

of the parts of the text

ANALYSIS

What is “analysis”• Identify the Elements, Relationships

and Organization of the “text”

• Know the Parts of the “text”

• Look for the relationships between ideas

• Interpretation

Strategies for how to do it Context Clues

Association with Schema Says/Does

OutliningGraphic Organizing/Mindmapping

PTR2 Interpretation of Intent/Facts

How you judge the qualityand make decisions basedon the evidence, structure,

and logic of the reading

EVALUATION

What it is• Assess merits of the

argument• EFFECTIVENESS• Draw conclusions • Critique the structure, content,

or implications• Generate possible solutions• Look for logical fallacies

Strategies for how to do itOutlining

Graphic OrganizingPTR2

Interpretation of Intent/Facts

EXAMPLES of Ways to Read and Discuss TextFrom: www.criticalreading.com/ways_to_read.htm

Consider the following nursery rhyme... Mary had a little lamb, Its fleece was white as snow,

and everywhere that Mary went The lamb was sure to go.

What A Text Says talks about the topic of the original text, Mary and the lamb. Mary had a lamb that followed her everywhere.

What A Text Does talks about the story. The nursery rhyme describes a pet that followed its mistress everywhere.

What a Text Means talks about meaning within the story, here the idea of innocent devotion. An image of innocent devotion is conveyed by the story of a lamb's close connection to its mistress.

The devotion is emphasized by repetition that emphasizes the constancy of the lamb's actions ("everywhere"…"sure to go.") The notion of innocence is conveyed by the image of a young lamb, "white as snow." By making it seem that this connection between pet and mistress is natural and good, the nursery rhyme asserts innocent devotion as a positive relationship.

Using Critical Thinking Skills in Your Writing

• Approach the assignment with an “open mind”• Be prepared to ask many questions/seek

answers during your prewriting exercises• Tap into your prior learning (your schema)• Relate theory to practice• Attempt to draw your own conclusions and

theories• Make a claim and support it

PTR2roblem

hesis

easons

esults

PTRR

INTRO== BODY

= Conclusion

Summary of Critical Thinking• It’s a process• You can improve it• Embrace the challenge

Input

Understanding

Analysis

Evalutation

Evaluation

Synthesis

Analysis

Application

Comprehension

Knowledge

1. Consider the problem2. Evaluate your options3. Gather more information4. Determine your answer

Fun Websites to Boost your Brain Power

• http://queendom.com/• http://www.braingle.com/• http://www.brainbashers.com/• http://www.khanacademy.org brain teasers