David Sylvesterand

Rita Brown

Critical thinking is the art of thinking about your thinking while you are thinking in order to make your thinking better: more clear, more accurate, or more defensible. (Paul in Craven & Hirnle (2000) p.139)

Critical thinking is a lot like jazz. We may not be able to define it, but we can recognize it when we hear it.

John Netland in Critial Thinking at Calvin College, 2007

◦“The Delphi Report” November 1990 Two dimensional definition Cognitive Skills Affective Disposition

CT According to the Delphi Report

Cognitive skills required (Core CT skills)◦Interpretation◦Analysis◦Evaluation◦Inference◦Explanation◦Self-regulation

Approaches to life and living in general:

◦Inquisitive in a wide range of issues

◦Wish to remain well informed

◦Trust in the processes of reasoned inquiry

◦Honesty in facing one’s own biases

Approaches to specific issues, questions or problems:

◦ Clarity in stating question or concern

◦ Orderliness in working with complexity

◦ Diligence in seeking relevant information

◦ Care in focusing attention on the concern at hand

Model behaviors that demonstrate the desired dispositions

Insist on student behavior that reflects the dispositions sought

Engage students in repeated activities that require use of these dispositions

Reinforce behaviors that demonstrate the appropriate dispositions

Encourage students to challenge you

Calvin College

Critical Thinking Task Force 2007◦ Found Delphi definition to be too narrow

◦ Felt passionate engagement was an essential piece

◦ Focused on cultural discernment and influence of worldviews as a mode of CT.

◦ Found that no definition of CT incorporated all its subtleties

Developed a rubric to evaluate students’ stages of critical thinking in place of developing another definition

5 CT skills

6 dimensions associated with CT

Found that 95% of questions students answered only required recall.

Identified 6 levels of intellectual behavior (cognitive domain)

Old

Knowledge Comprehension Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation

New

Remembering Understanding Applying Analyzing Evaluating Creating

Level 1 – RecallRemembering previously learned material,

recalling facts, terms, basic concepts from stated text 

Name, List, Recognize, Choose, Label, Relate, Tell, Recall, Match, Define

Level 2 – Understand Demonstrating understanding of the statedmeaning of facts and ideas 

Compare, Describe, Outline, Organize, Classify, Explain, Rephrase, Show, Relate, Identify

 Level 3 – Put to UseSolving problems by applying acquiredknowledge, facts, and techniques in a

different situation

Apply, Construct, Model, Use, Practice, Dramatize, Restructure, Simulate, Translate, Experiment

Level 4 – Break downExamining and breaking down information

intoparts

Analyze, Diagram, Classify, Contrast, Sequence, Simplify, Summarize, Relate to, Categorize, Differentiate

Level 5 – Put togetherCompiling information in a different way bycombining elements in a new pattern

Compose, Design, Develop, Propose, Adapt, Elaborate, Formulate, Originate, Solve, Invent

Level 6 – JudgePresenting and defending opinions by makingjudgments about information based on

criteria

Judge, Rank, Rate, Evaluate, Recommend, Defend, Justify, Prioritize, Support, Prove

How important should covering the content be as compared to teaching or cultivating Critical Thinking?

Use content to develop their self-awareness of their learning

Model how to learn – model your own thinking processes ◦ Show your drafts of work, notes on your own

reading ◦ Talk aloud as you problem solve

Make content relevant◦ Show its apparent intrigue◦ Show its power to answer questions

Students apply the content◦ Writing-to-learning activities ◦ Cooperative learning ◦ Case studies ◦ Other real-world applications/projects

Students learn from each other Climate of learning – interaction with

autonomy and responsibility

Teacher establishes parameters and assigns students to:◦ Decide on policies about class participation ◦ Organize content ◦ Give examples ◦ Summarize discussions ◦ Solve problems ◦ Draw diagrams, charts, graphs ◦ Chose assignments

Attempting to turn passive learners into autonomous learners is challenging

Why do they resist?◦ More work for them◦ More threatening for them – their decisions

might be wrong

◦ May be too much for some – not capable of such self-confidence or intellectual maturity

◦ Loss of certainty as the student moves to higher stages of self-directedness and intellectual development

◦ Many lack basic skills needed for college and are often busy with work/children.

This causes students to be dependent and passive

The more structure we give the more students want

The more responsibility we assume the less they accept

Don’t abandon rules – use them carefully

Don’t summarize chapters for students who haven’t read them

Don’t give negative attendance points for tardies◦ Give a quiz at the beginning of the period instead

Give frequent exams – put unread material on the test (for the unprepared students)

Be consistent with your policies and how you follow through

Encourage students to think of themselves as learners ◦ Explain the purposes of an assignment and

what troubles some may have with it ◦ Help with time management ◦ Guide in the management of group projects

Involve students in a discussion of creating climate that promotes learning ◦ “In the best class I ever had, the teacher…”◦ “In the best class I ever had, students…” ◦ “I learn best when…” ◦ “I feel most confident as a learner when…”

Revisit the discussion later in the semester and get feedback

Questioning strategies◦ Ask for clarification, evidence, reasoning

More than recall◦ Ask questions with more than one correct answer

Have students use oral and written language often and informally ◦ Have students write answers to questions, before

speaking up in class ◦ Use small-group tasks ◦ Teach students reading and note-taking

strategies

Design tasks that require thinking about content as a primary goal ◦ Use active-learning strategies that require

students to process information, not just recall it

Teach explicitly how to do the thinking needed for the tasks ◦ Practice is not enough◦ Model the thinking processes required◦ Give feedback

Create a classroom atmosphere that promotes risk-taking and speculative thinking ◦ Arrange physical space to promote student-

student interaction ◦ Avoid competition ◦ Foster interaction among students

Facione, P.A. (1990). The delphi report: Executive summary. California Academic Press

Facione, P.A. (1998). Critical thinking: What it is and why it counts. California Academic Press

Critical Thinking at Calvin College (2007)http://www.calvin.edu/admin/provost/

assessment/criticalthinking/cttf-report.pdf

Foundation for Critical Thinking◦ http://www.criticalthinking.org/

Critical thinking: What is it and why it counts 2010 Update (permission to copy unlimited)◦ http://www.insightassessment.com/pdf_files/what

&why2007.pdf

Holistic Critical Thinking Rubric◦ http://www.insightassessment.com/hctsr.html