developing critical thinking skills

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School-Based School-Based Professional Development 2Professional Development 2

25th April 2013Thursday07:45 am

Irushadhiyya School

Developing Critical Thinking Skills

What is Critical Thinking Why Critical thinking?

Strategies to Improve Critical Thinking Skills

Why is it Important?

What is It?

How Does it Improve Teaching and Learning?

Critical Thinking

“Standards” TypicallyUsed in Thinking

“It’s true because I believe it” (innate egocentrism)

“It’s true because we believe it” (innate sociocentrism)“It’s true because I want to believe it” (innate wish fulfillment)

“It’s true because I have always believed it.”(innate self-validation)“It’s true because it is in my selfish interest to believe it.” (innate selfishness)

Types of Thinking

CriticalCriticalThinkingThinking

• AnalyzingAnalyzing• EvaluatingEvaluating• ReasoningReasoning

Problem SolvingDecision MakingProblem SolvingDecision Making

NewNewIdeasIdeas

CreativeCreativeThinkingThinking

Do you agree with this statement?Some people study all their life and at their

death they have learnt everything except to THINK.

-Francoise Domergue

Why is it Important?

What is It?

How Does it Improve Teaching and Learning?

Critical Thinking

What is Critical Thinking?

Write your understanding of critical thinking?

What is Critical Thinking?

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Critical Thinkingis a self-directed

processby which we take deliberate stepsto think at the

highest level of quality.

Robert Ennis Definition

“Critical thinking is reasonable, reflective

thinking that is focused on deciding what to believe

or do.”

Matthew Lipman Definition

“Critical thinking is skillful, responsible thinking that is

conducive to good judgment because it is sensitive to context,

relies on criteria, and is self-correcting.”

Richard Paul’s definition

“Critical thinking is thinking about your thinking, while you’re thinking, in order to

make your thinking better.”

Paul’s (1992) definition

“Critical thinking is disciplined, self-directed thinking that exemplifies the perfection of thinking appropriate to a particular

mode or domain of thought.

Definition

“Critical thinking is skilful, responsible thinking that

that facilitates good judgment”.

critical thinking: disciplined, self-guided thinking

aimed at living a well reasoned life.

Thinking thatanalyzes thinking

Thinking thatassesses thinking

Thinking thatdevelops within itself

intellectual habits

thinking thatcombats its native

egocentricity

Overview slide

How Does it Improve Teaching and Learning?Does questioning improve students’ critical thinking skills?

Critical Thinking

The Critical Thinking MindThe Critical Thinking Mind

==

The Educated MindThe Educated Mind

The critical thinking mind is the educated mind

Make lesson plans that include thinking skills.

Ask thought-provoking questions such as “How do you know?” “Why…?”

Call on students to tell what they understand.

Connect each lesson to students’ experiences.

Ask students to summarize the lesson creatively.

The critical thinking mind is the educated mindStrategies to Promote Critical

thinking Skills

Questioning to develop critical thinking requires students to: Raise issuesDiscover ideas and thingsPeruse problematic areasSeek clarity and relevance of ideas and Find evidence and make conclusions.

The critical thinking mind is the educated mindAsking question is the heart

of critical thinking

Group ActivityIn groups, select a topic (any subject) and design a lesson emphasizing to develop Critical thinking Skills.

ActivityA woman goes for a haircut at a

hair-cutting salloon. The hairdresser asks her what brand of shampoo she uses. He then puts some of her hairs under a microscope and shows her that there is a white film on the hairs. He recommends that she buy the store’s brand of shampoo rather than the one she has been using.

What are some good questions to ask herself about this situation?

Possible questions• Will the same film be there with all shampoos,

even the store’s? • Is the film the result of the shampoo or of

something else entirely?• Is there anything negative about having that film

on my hair that can only be seen with a microscope?

• To what extent do we ask these types of questions of ourselves in similar contexts?

How do you help students learn the skills needed to form

clear, probing questions?

What did we do today?

Instructional Strategies

SEEISTATE in your own words what someone else

has said or written or the key concept, problem or question at issue.

ELABORATE on your statement. In other words…

EXEMPLIFY: give an example of the concept from your life and from the content.

ILLUSTRATE: create an analogy, metaphor, simile, graph, chart, cartoon, etc.

Benefits of Critical Thinking Skills

Why teach teach critical thinking skills?

Critical Thinking

Benefits of Critical ThinkingExamples:

Academic Performance understand the arguments and beliefs of others Critically evaluating those arguments and beliefs Develop and defend one's own well-supported arguments

and beliefs.

Workplace Helps us to reflect and get a deeper understanding of our

own and others’ decisions Encourage open-mindedness to change Aid us in being more analytical in solving problems

Daily life Helps us to avoid making foolish personal decisions. Promotes an informed and concerned citizenry capable of

making good decisions on important social, political and economic issues.

Aids in the development of autonomous thinkers capable of examining their assumptions, dogmas, and prejudices.

Barriers to Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking

Barriers to Critical Thinking

If Critical Thinking is so important, why is it that uncritical thinking is so common?

Why is that so many people including many highly educated and intelligent people find critical thinking so difficult?

Barriers to Critical Thinking Lack of relevant background information Poor reading skills Poor listening skills Bias Prejudice Superstition Egocentrism Socio-centrism Peer pressure Mindless Conformism Mindless non-conformism Provincialism Narrow-mindedness Closed-mindedness

Barriers to Critical ThinkingDistrust of reasonStereotypingUnwarranted assumptions and stereotypes Relativistic thinkingScapegoatingRationalization Wishful thinkingShort-term thinkingSelective perception / attentionSelective memoryOverpowering emotions Self-deceptionFace-savingFear of change

Barriers to Critical ThinkingFive Powerful Barriers to Critical Thinking:

Self-centered thinking

self-interested thinking

self-serving bias

Group-centered thinking

Group bias

Conformism

Beliefs that are presumed to be true without adequate evidence or justification

Assumption

Stereotyping

Believing that something is true because one wishes it were true.

The truth is “just a matter of opinion”

Relativism Subjectivism Cultural relativism

EgocentrismEgocentrism

Unwarranted Unwarranted AssumptionsAssumptions

SociocentrismSociocentrism

Relativistic Relativistic ThinkingThinking

Wishful Wishful ThinkingThinking

I am probably

the greatest thinker since

Socrates!

Answers for the argumentsArgument 1. Invalid. Premise might be true, but there are other possible reason explaining why things started g missing in June.Argument 2. Invalid. Premise might be true, but humans and mice aren’t the same animals, therefore logically the two premises aren’t comparable.

Argument 3. Valid. Premise are true and the conclusion allows from them.

Argument 4. Invalid. The structure is logical, but premise 1 is false – not all teachers are female.

Characteristics of Critical Thinker

Are you OPEN MINDED about other people’s view?

Are you HONEST to yourself (or others) when you are wrong?

Do you have the COURAGE and PASSION to take initiative and confront problems and

meet challenges?

Are you AWARE of your own biases and preconceptions?

Do you WELCOME CRITICISM from other people?

Do you have INDEPENDENT opinions and are not afraid to disagree?

Summary1. What is Thinking? Thinking is a purposeful, organized cognitive process that we use to make

sense of our world.

2. Types of Thinking Creative & Critical Thinking

3. What is Critical Thinking? Critical Thinking is the general term given to a wide range of cognitive and intellectual skills needed to: Effectively identify, analyze, and evaluate arguments; Discover and overcome personal prejudices and biases; Formulate and present convincing reasons in support of conclusions; and Make reasonable, intelligent decisions about what to believe and what to do. Critical thinking skills emphasized in this course, include: Reasoning, Analyzing, Evaluating, Decision Making and Problem solving.

5. Benefits of Critical Thinking Academic performance, workplace and daily life.

6. Barriers to Critical Thinking Examples include Egocentrism, Sociocentrism, Unwarranted Assumptions, Wishful Thinking, and Relativistic Thinking

7. Characteristics of a Critical Thinker Open-mindedness, independent thinking, self-aware, passionate, insightful, honest and intellectual humility, intellectual courage, and welcome criticism, etc.

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