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KINE 1301 FOUNDATIONS OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION

FLC PORTFOLIO SUBMITTED FALL 2008

by Graeme Cox

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

TABLE OF CONTENTS ..............................................................................................................1

INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................2

KINE 1301 SYLLABUS ................................................................................................................6

PRACTICE 1 ..................................................................................................................................8

PRACTICE 2 ................................................................................................................................12

PRACTICE 3 ................................................................................................................................15

PRACTICE 4 ................................................................................................................................17

APPENDIX A ...............................................................................................................................19

APPENDIX B ...............................................................................................................................21

APPENDIX C ...............................................................................................................................23

APPENDIX D ...............................................................................................................................24

REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................25

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INTRODUCTION

Critical Thinking and the FLC

I feel the pain of our less enthusiastic students. For me, education was not necessarily a fun,

pleasant experience either. The classes were time intensive and content driven which left very

little room for analysis or thinking about the lessons. It meant copying copious quantities of

comments from the chalkboard.

Studying was certainly no better. It was hours and hours of rewriting notes to get as much of the

information in my head as possible. It was a hard slog and as much work as digging ditches in

the sun (but less enjoyable). Furthermore, learning and studying was such a sedentary activity. I

enjoyed reading interesting novels, but some of the stuff we were forced to read - Ahhh! (I think

Wuthering Heights was the shocker of all shockers – apologies to all Emily Bronte fans). As I

sat there reading, my mind would invariably drift away and ten minutes later I had no idea what I

had been reading about and had to do it all over again. I was much happier moving and running

around. So naturally I become a kinesiology teacher. I understand that sitting still is part of the

process, and it is one of the biggest challenges with my students, many of whom I know would

rather be running around themselves.

I believe that when we first start teaching, we teach in the same manner that we were taught. We

also teach with respect to the same manner in which we learned. This opinion is supported by

the work of Shindler (p1). That meant I had to give my students as much information as possible

and it was up to them to memorize it. Previously when I taught this lecture class, KINE 1301:

Foundations of Physical Education, the students knew the textbook from cover to cover. After

all they had paid over $100 for it, I wanted them to get their money’s worth! It also came with

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ancillary materials. PowerPoint’s for every chapter. Well I had to use them too, didn’t I? Using

that technological and visual medium only made it all the more professional. I was such a good

teacher!!! So why did I feel that my classes were horrible? Why were my students suicidal (or

worse homicidal)? I felt a little suicidal myself because I just hated how I was teaching.

However, it was how I had been taught and since my teachers must have known what they were

doing it had to be right, right? Now, it is wrong to make such sweeping generalizations that all

my teachers taught in a “formal authority” style with very little active learning by the students,

but I more easily remember these negative aspects of the classroom. I see this type of teaching

as one of the reasons our students come so ill-prepared for college, because their high school

experience is centered on passing the TAKS test. The students aren’t required to think problems

through; they are encouraged to memorize the correct answers. Unfortunately, life is not a series

of correct answers. Life is a whole lot of critical thinking about issues that are unlikely to have

truly correct or incorrect answers and the goal is to figure out which is the best answer for you.

Then along came the FLC. Here was an opportunity to share pedagogy with other faculty

members, and an opportunity to discover ways to teach critical thinking, the skill of intellectual

decision making, to my students. It was also an opportunity to look at my own teaching and ask

“Is there a better way?” Well yes, I believe there is, and I am so grateful for the opportunities I

have had in the FLC to learn some of them.

In the FLC we have used the Elements of Reasoning from the Richard Paul and Linda Elder

model as a basis for understanding the concepts of critical thinking. While this is not the only

method of critical thinking, it serves as a good foundation on which to develop an understanding,

and easily reach the students with fairly straight-forward concepts.

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Another idea from Linda Elder is to determine the main concept students should get from the

class. I can’t get it down to one but this is the main concept of KINE 1301: “Understand the

origins of modern Physical Education and understand career options and how to reach them.”

Now I structure my KINE 1301 class focusing on the main concept of each chapter in relation to

the main course concept. This semester we may discuss only a couple of key questions that

focus on concepts, rather than the content of 30 PowerPoint slides per chapter.

I have particularly enjoyed the use of Socratic questioning. It has led to some interesting

discussions during class, and allowed the students to hear the opinions of others. It keeps most

of the students more involved because they have a stake in the discussion, and most have

opinions they are willing to share. We recently had a very interesting discussion about ethics

and whether it was OK to cheat on an exam (unfortunately, many students felt it was OK to cheat

as long as they didn’t get caught).

The lecture class I teach in Spring, KINE 1338: Concepts OF Physical Fitness, is more science

based and it is more challenging to teach with Socratic questioning. That will not stop me from

doing my best to keep the students engaged by asking questions rather than giving them the

information. I am also planning a field trip to the Museum of Natural Science to see “Body

Worlds 2” which should bring anatomy to life for the students (dare I say more so than my

skeleton and shoelace model). A field trip – sacrilege! Shouldn’t I be in the classroom teaching?

I have never taken a class on a field trip because I thought getting through that content was the

most important thing.

I also created The Kinesiology Club as a way of generating more student interest in attending

and submitting scholarly research to professional conferences. My goal is also to network within

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the community to increase students’ employment opportunities, both part-time and full-time.

Involvement in the club will also augment the development of their leadership qualities. I credit

my experiences in the FLC as being solely responsible for this personal growth and

development. Likewise, the FLC has opened my eyes to a host of possibilities that will mean

more to the overall education of my students.

I understand not every class has the flexibility to leave some of the content to the students, and

that some classes are prerequisites for upper level classes, but there are ways to incorporate

different learning strategies that may mean more to the students in the long run. It is simply a

matter of trying a few different methods and seeing what fits into your class routine. I doubt that

students retain much of the specific content, but they are more likely to retain concepts they were

involved in learning.

I think the FLC has had a great impact on all the participants. We see there are many challenges

to implementing these teaching and learning strategies, but it can be done and they can be

modified to serve the purpose we seek. I think we have all taken ideas and opportunities from

our learning experience which we bring to our classes and Lee College in a positive way.

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KINE 1301 FOUNDATIONS IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Tuesday and Thursday, 9:25 – 10:40am Gymnasium, Room 130

Instructor/Division Chair: Graeme Cox Office: Gymnasium, Room 115 Contact: Office phone: (281) 425-6223 Email:gcox@lee.edu Web Page: www.lee.edu/~gcox Office Hours: 8-9:25am Monday - Thursday Division Secretary: Brenda Gentry, (281) 425-6487, Room 121 Text: Introduction to Physical Education, Exercise Science, and Sport Studies. Angela Lumpkin. McGraw Hill. New York, 2002. Course Objectives: Learn and retain assigned components of Kinesiology, history, principles, terminology, and objectives of kinesiology and related areas of health and recreation. Grading: Midterm Exam 20 % A = 100 - 90

Final Exam 20 % B = 89 - 80 Interview 20 % C = 79 - 70 Semester Plan 10 % D = 69 - 60 Oral Presentation / Peer Assessment 10% F = < 60 Presentation Paper 10% Self Assessment 10% Extra Credit 2 points each for the five counselor workshops (see handout or web site) 2 points for presenting your voter registration card (by September 30)

Semester Plan: Prioritize and map out your semester plan for successful completion of all the requirements of the class. Consider your current class, work and sport schedules and your own understanding of your abilities (or struggles) with study and researching and writing assignments. DUE DATE: September 4th. (THAT’S NEXT WEEK!!!). Interview: Interview a professional in the field. Use the questions from page 194 of your text as a guide. In the paper I would like you to decide whether you would like this job, or if you might look at another area in our discipline. The interview is due November 20th. I need the email address of your interviewee by September 18th so I can send an instruction packet to them so they can be prepared for your questions. Failure to supply an email address by the due date will result in the loss of half your points for this assignment. Presentation Paper: Choose a pioneer in the field of Physical Education or specific Olympic Games. It should be between 4-6 pages in length (stapled, double-spaced, Font: 12 point, Times Roman, Left & Right margins 1 inch)

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Oral Presentation: This oral presentation is 5 -10 minutes in length and reflects the research you did for your paper. Presentations will be after the midterm exam but you can nominate your subject as soon as you would like. A list of recommended topics will be provided but feel free to do your own research if you prefer. Peer Assessment: The class will grade you on your Oral Presentation. Better make it good! Self Assessment: You will critically assess your performance in the class and justify your grade in a written paper. It should be about 4 pages (double spaced). Student Policies: Please refer to Chapter 2 of the Lee College catalog for information regarding academic misconduct, student support services, or accommodations for students with special needs. Please inform the instructor if you need assistance. Withdrawal Policy: It is the responsibility of the student to drop or withdraw officially from the course. Failure to withdraw officially will result in a grade of "F" in the course (For more information, refer to the student handbook). Important Dates: Labor Day September 1 Last Day to Drop November 14

Thanksgiving November 26-30 Final Thursday, December 11

KEY DATES ACTIVITY WEEK 1 Give Practice 1 Assignment (Semester Plan) WEEK 2 Practice 1 Due (Semester Plan) WEEK 3 Pre-test: Critical Thinking and Reading WEEK 3 Practice 2 (Classroom Group Exercise: SEE-I) WEEK 4 Practice 2 (Homework Assignment Exercise: SEE-I) WEEK 4 Library Research Class (conducted by Jeannie Colson) WEEK 5 Give Practice 2 (SEE-I: 5 Philosophies) WEEK 7 Practice 2 Due (SEE-I: 5 Philosophies) WEEK 8 Midterm Exam WEEK 9 Give Practice 4 materials (Elements of Reasoning) WEEK 10 Practice 4 in Classroom WEEK 16 Post-test: Critical Thinking and Reading WEEK 16 Practice 3 Due (Self Evaluation) WEEK 16 Final Exam

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Practice 1: Semester Plan.

Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to help students realize they need to start working

on their schoolwork no later than the second week of class. This assignment includes all of the

Paul and Elder “Elements of Reasoning,” and their applications are explained in the Table below.

For further reference see Appendices B, and C.

ELEMENT: APPLICATION ELEMENT: APPLICATION

Purpose: Get an A in the class. Concepts: If I study I will learn the material and get an A.

Question: How do I schedule the necessary steps to complete my assignments?

Point of View: Is my schedule achievable? Is there another way of structuring my semester?

Information: What information do I need to successfully complete each assignment/exam?

Assumptions: I can get an A. Sticking to a semester plan will achieve my goal.

Inferences: The only way to get an A is to work throughout the semester. Is this inference a logical conclusion?

Implications: Will I indeed get an A if I follow this plan? Have I considered all other activities in my life that will affect this plan?

For many students, their first major assessment is between 4-6 weeks from the start of the

semester and most see that as years away. They will do minimal, if any, work outside the

classroom until it is too late for them to be as successful as they could. Until they see how long

it takes to do an assignment properly, most do not realize the necessary time commitment. Of

course this shocks most of them because they only previously saw the deadline as a month from

now and the thought had never entered their mind that they needed to spend more time than the

final weekend. This assignment is due by the end of the second week of class and is worth 10%

so it has value to them. The assignments they are planning for include:

• An interview with a professional in their chosen field.

• A 4-8 page historical paper about a topic of their choice from a list I have created. This

list includes pioneers in the field of Physical Education or specific Olympic Games where

there were political or social events that had a major impact or influence on the Games.

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• A 5-10 minute PowerPoint presentation on their historical paper (above).

• A self reflection paper where they assess and justify what their grade should be in the

class. This is Practice 3 in this portfolio and will be discussed in more detail later.

• There are also midterm and final examinations.

Instructions: I start by drawing a timeline on the board and telling the students they have an

assignment in about a month (this is a fictitious assignment because I would hate to use a real

assignment as the example). When you finish going through this example you may find that a

couple of enthusiastic students ask what the assignment is about (love that enthusiasm).

My first question is “Why did I pick that due date. Was there something specific about it?”

Expect any number of responses, but my reply is always “It’s an arbitrary date. As such you can

choose your own arbitrary date about 3-5 days earlier.” My purpose is to give them room to

work around problems that are bound to come up if they leave their assignments until the last

minute. I guarantee their computer and or printer will crash if they are trying to get this

completed 30 minutes before class. I also want them to proof read their work (most students

seem to skip this step).

Then we work backwards from that new due date using the following tasks as key criteria:

• Writing time (I break this down to 1st and 2nd drafts prior to the finished paper)

• Planning time

• Researching time

Here we discuss individual differences in performing these tasks. Based on their understanding

of their own strengths and weaknesses, each student needs to decide how long it will take them

to successfully complete each task.

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Continue taking suggestions from the class until you see an achievable goal for each task and add

that to the timeline. Depending on the assignment, they may find they need to be in the library

early next week. I tell them to follow that procedure for all the class assignments.

For the midterm and final, I recommend they budget time in a regular weekly schedule. In this

activity, I suggest they be more specific with their time. In planning for their assignments, I only

suggest dates for when they have met their minor goals. With the regular study, I recommend

they schedule actual times when they can study. Just as they plan on being in class at 9:25am, I

think the best way for them to make study a regular habit is to make a specific time commitment.

Again, the weekend before the exam is not the time to suddenly make study important.

My only other suggestion for their school work is to follow this procedure for all of their classes,

so they can see how busy they will be throughout the entire semester, not just before the due

dates.

I also suggest they take into consideration their personal commitments (work, play/sport, family,

church). While these activities are not necessarily part of the submitted assignment, they need to

be considered in planning their semester.

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Goal: The students should understand they need to analyze all facets of their personal and

educational commitments to establish a semester plan that suits their abilities. Having

established their commitments, they should figure in their aspirations for the class in relation to

their grade. If a student’s goal is simply to pass the class, they can be less rigid in their planning

than another student who strives for an A. Also individual differences in study habits and

abilities have to be factored in. From my perspective, this analysis of “self” is very powerful

because if the student understands them self, they can develop strategies to deal with any

situation.

Then there is the added element of seeing that they possibly need to be working on 2 or more

assignments at the same time. If not for my class, then surely between all their classes, they will

be working on several assignments concurrently.

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Practice 2: Clarity using SEE-I.

Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is for students to clearly define a concept or theory.

“Clarity is a gateway standard. If a statement is unclear, we cannot determine whether it is

accurate or relevant. In fact, we cannot tell anything about it because we don’t yet know what it

is saying” (Paul and Elder, p3:30). Therefore, clarity is probably the most important Intellectual

Standard to apply to all of the elements of reasoning. The seven most significant Universal

Intellectual Standards are explained in Appendix A.

SEE-I is an acronym for Statement, Elaboration, Exemplify and Illustration (see instructions

below). I particularly like this method because it is easy to use and challenges the students to

think deeper than they normally would about a topic. It works very well defining terms that are

discipline specific, and creating an image for the student which helps them more easily

remember the definition. I introduce this method early in the semester to give students practice

with how to think using these criteria. We initially practice in groups which helps get all

students towards the same level of understanding. I then give a relatively basic definition for

them to do as homework where they are to work on their own to develop their responses. This is

building towards the assignment described below. This evaluative technique for clarity is

adapted from “Learning to Think Things Through” by Gerald Nosich.

Instructions: Chapter 4 of the KINE 1301 text covers five main philosophies: Idealism,

Realism, Pragmatism, Naturalism and Existentialism. Using SEE-I, students will develop an

understanding and ability to differentiate between the main themes and applications of the

philosophies. This is a relatively straightforward homework assignment that we discuss in class.

I usually give them 1-2 weeks so the students have plenty of time to do a strong preparation and

even reconsider their initial responses.

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1. Statement: In this case, students will use the text book definition as the statement. This

gives a baseline and a source for further examination of the other steps.

2. Elaboration: “In other words …” is the easiest way to begin this analysis of the

Statement. Here the student uses his or her own words to describe the Statement giving it

a more personal meaning. It is the first step in “buying into” a deeper understanding of

the Statement.

3. Exemplify: Give well-chosen examples of the statement. Nosich even recommends

giving contrasting examples to further clarify the statement (p36). My preference is that

student’s think of their own examples but I find that in many cases they use one from the

text.

4. Illustration: This is by far the most difficult step in the SEE-I process, (not only for the

students), but is possibly the most rewarding. The illustration is a verbal picture of the

statement, a metaphor. I recommend they use a description as if they are trying to

explain the Statement to a child. Sometimes the students may come up with an actual

drawn image or diagram for their illustration. Either is fine as long as they are able to

describe its meaning to the class. Of course the purpose of the illustration is to make it

easier for the student to remember and understand the concept, so I am happy with

anything that achieves that intention.

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Goal: Nosich describes that clarity has two aspects: one that the individual understands the idea,

and second that the idea can be clearly communicated to others (p35). A good illustration is a

most powerful tool to achieve that goal. After this assignment, students should be able to take

any concept, idea or definition and break it down to clear, simple terms they can understand and

explain to others. The Illistration creates a mental image that connects the major points of the

definition, and the students should have no further need for rote memorization.

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Practice 3: Self Evaluation Paper.

Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is for the students to review their semester and justify

their expected grade. This assignment is worth 10%, and the more accurately they support their

final grade, the better their grade for this assignment. Contrary to what many students think, the

title of the paper is not “Why I deserve an A.” Usually the students, who put that as their title,

invariably don’t! As the semester progresses, along with their grade (score), students will

receive feedback for all written assignments, their oral presentation, and the midterm exam. I

grade this paper after their final exam so I can compare their assessment with what their expected

grade will be. This assignment is adapted from “Critical Thinking: Basic Theory and

Instructional Structures” by Richard Paul and Linda Elder. Paul and Elder use a complex

grading system based on the elements and standards of Critical Thinking. While this may be

something to strive for in the future, it is a little too much to expect my students to comprehend

these concepts and be able to evaluate their performance of them, by using them, in one

semester.

Instructions: Students are to reflect on their efforts for each of the graded assessments: When

they write this paper, they should have grades for their semester plan, midterm, interview, paper,

and presentation (70% of their total). The only grades they are missing are the final and this self

evaluation paper (30% of their total).

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Criteria to help students justify their class grade should include:

• The grades (scores) from all of their graded assignments

• Consideration for their ungraded efforts such as this reflection paper and their final exam

by making some evaluation of the effort and accuracy of both of those assessments.

• Instructor feedback on all graded assignments

• Personal reflection about their quality of effort for each assignment

Goal: In many cases this personal reflection paper will reveal through their own thinking, the

reasons for their grade. The easiest determination for students is whether or not they followed

their semester plan. Students who follow their plan usually get As or Bs, those who did not

generally get no better than Cs. Reference back to their semester plan is a recurring theme as

they describe their performance in the different class assessments. As this is the last assignment

of the semester, my hope with this reflective paper is they take their observations to future

semesters and classes.

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Practice 4: Using the Elements of Reasoning: Why a career in Kinesiology?

Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to introduce the Elements of Reasoning using a

practical example. “The Elements of Reasoning are those essential dimensions of reasoning

which are present whenever and wherever reasoning occurs” (Paul and Elder, p3:7). They

include Purpose, Question at Issue, Information, Interpretation and Inference, Implications and

Assumptions, Concepts, Points of View, and Assumptions (see Appendices B and C). This

classroom assignment brings awareness to all of these elements. Obviously, we don’t delve

deeply into any one particular element, although some lend themselves to easier assessment. My

purpose is to give the students a “toolkit” of the multiple elements rather than to focus deeply on

one. Since most students are Kinesiology majors, they have already chosen a career in

Kinesiology, but it may be interesting for them to apply critical reasoning to their decision.

Some may find the answers to the important questions are different than their original ideas and

they did not make their decision for the right reasons and now feel they should look at another

career.

Instructions: About a week prior to our classroom session I will give the students the Question:

“Why a career in Kinesiology?” and Appendices A, B and C. Their only instructions are to read

them and think about the topic before we discuss it. This question essentially covers Chapter 5

of the KINE 1301 text.

The classroom assignment is a group discussion with approximately four students per group.

They will be given five minutes to discuss each element in relation to the Question, and then

share their ideas with the class. The Elements and Standards Online Model from The

Foundation for Critical Thinking: http://www.criticalthinking.org/CTmodel/CTModel1.cfm will

be displayed to stimulate relevant questions while the groups discuss each element. A screen

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shot has been attached as Appendix D to help visualize how the model works. You will see nine

Intellectual Standards in the upper right, and the “wheel” with all 8 elements on the left (figure

a). As you roll your mouse over the Elements, that element is highlighted and a new circle

appears on the lower right with a list of questions relevant to that element (figure b). As an

example, figure b shows the questions for the element of Concepts.

Students will be guided to use the generated questions through all eight elements from this model

during their classroom group discussions. These questions will also remain displayed during the

class discussion of the elements.

Goal: By the end of the class period all students should be able to draw a well reasoned

conclusion for the question “Why a career in Kinesiology”. This activity should also raise their

awareness of the components of intellectual thought in decision making. My hope is that they

can question their own thoughts or decisions as they grow through intellectual maturity.

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APPENDIX A Universal Intellectual Standards by Linda Elder and Richard Paul

Universal intellectual standards are standards which must be applied to thinking whenever one isinterested in checking the quality of reasoning about a problem, issue, or situation. To think critically entails having command of these standards. To help students learn them, teachersshould pose questions which probe student thinking; questions which hold students accountablefor their thinking; questions which, through consistent use by the teacher in the classroom, become internalized by students as questions they need to ask themselves.

The ultimate goal, then, is for these questions to become infused in the thinking of students,forming part of their inner voice, which then guides them to better and better reasoning. While there are a number of universal standards, the following are the most significant:

1. CLARITY: Could you elaborate further on that point? Could you express that point inanother way? Could you give me an illustration? Could you give me an example? Clarity is the gateway standard. If a statement is unclear, we cannot determine whether it isaccurate or relevant. In fact, we cannot tell anything about it because we don't yet knowwhat it is saying. For example, the question, "What can be done about the education system in America?" is unclear. In order to address the question adequately, we wouldneed to have a clearer understanding of what the person asking the question isconsidering the "problem" to be. A clearer question might be "What can educators do to ensure that students learn the skills and abilities which help them function successfully on the job and in their daily decision-making?"

2. ACCURACY: Is that really true? How could we check that? How could we find out if that is true? A statement can be clear but not accurate, as in "Most dogs are over 300pounds in weight."

3. PRECISION: Could you give more details? Could you be more specific?A statement can be both clear and accurate, but not precise, as in "Jack is overweight." (We don’t know how overweight Jack is, one pound or 500 pounds.)

4. RELEVANCE: How is that connected to the question? How does that bear on the issue?A statement can be clear, accurate, and precise, but not relevant to the question at issue.For example, students often think that the amount of effort they put into a course shouldbe used in raising their grade in a course. Often, however, the "effort" does not measurethe quality of student learning; and when this is so, effort is irrelevant to their appropriategrade.

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5. DEPTH: How does your answer address the complexities in the question? How are youtaking into account the problems in the question? Is that dealing with the most significant factors? A statement can be clear, accurate, precise, and relevant, but superficial (that is,lack depth). For example, the statement, "Just say No!" which is often used to discouragechildren and teens from using drugs, is clear, accurate, precise, and relevant. Nevertheless, it lacks depth because it treats an extremely complex issue, the pervasiveproblem of drug use among young people, superficially. It fails to deal with thecomplexities of the issue.

6. BREADTH: Do we need to consider another point of view? Is there another way to look at this question? What would this look like from a conservative standpoint? What wouldthis look like from the point of view of . . .? A line of reasoning may be clear accurate, precise, relevant, and deep, but lack breadth (as in an argument from either the conservative or liberal standpoint which gets deeply into an issue, but only recognizes theinsights of one side of the question.)

7. LOGIC: Does this really make sense? Does that follow from what you said? How doesthat follow? But before you implied this, and now you are saying that; how can both betrue? When we think, we bring a variety of thoughts together into some order. When thecombinations of thoughts are mutually supporting and make sense in combination, thethinking is "logical." When the combination is not mutually supporting, is contradictoryin some sense or does not "make sense," the combination is not logical.

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APPENDIX B The Analysis & Assessment of Thinking (Helping Students Assess Their Thinking) by Richard Paul and Linda Elder

There are two essential dimensions of thinking that students need to master in order to develop asfair-minded critical thinkers. They need to be able to identify the "parts" of thinking, and theyneed to be able to assess use of these parts of thinking , as follows:

• All reasoning has a purpose • All reasoning is an attempt to figure something out, to settle some question, to solve

some problem • All reasoning is based on assumptions • All reasoning is done from some point of view • All reasoning is based on data, information, and evidence • All reasoning is expressed through, and shaped by, concepts and ideas • All reasoning contains inferences by which we draw conclusions and give meaning to

data • All reasoning leads somewhere, has implications and consequences

The question can then be raised, "What appropriate intellectual standards do students need toassess the 'parts' of their thinking?" There are many standards appropriate to the assessment ofthinking as it might occur in this or that context, but some standards are virtually universal (thatis, applicable to all thinking): clarity, precision, accuracy, relevance, depth, breadth, and logic.

How well a student is reasoning depends on how well he/she applies these universal standards to the elements (or parts) of thinking.

What follows are some guidelines helpful to students as they work toward developing theirreasoning abilities:

1. All reasoning has a PURPOSE: o Take time to state your purpose clearly o Distinguish your purpose from related purposes o Check periodically to be sure you are still on target o Choose significant and realistic purposes

2. All reasoning is an attempt to FIGURE SOMETHING OUT, TO SETTLE SOME

QUESTION, TO SOLVE SOME PROBLEM: o Take time to clearly and precisely state the question at issue o Express the question in several ways to clarify its meaning and scope o Break the question into sub questions o Identify if the question has one right answer, is a matter of opinion, or requires

reasoning from more than one point of view

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3. All reasoning is based on ASSUMPTIONS: o Clearly identify your assumptions and determine whether they are justifiable o Consider how your assumptions are shaping your point of view

4. All reasoning is done from some POINT OF VIEW: o Identify your point of view o Seek other points of view and identify their strengths as well as weaknesses o Strive to be fair-minded in evaluating all points of view

5. All reasoning is based on DATA, INFORMATION and EVIDENCE: o Restrict your claims to those supported by the data you have o Search for information that opposes your position as well as information that

supports it o Make sure that all information used is clear, accurate, and relevant to the question

at issue o Make sure you have gathered sufficient information

6. All reasoning is expressed through, and shaped by, CONCEPTS and IDEAS: o Identify key concepts and explain them clearly o Consider alternative concepts or alternative definitions to concepts o Make sure you are using concepts with care and precision

7. All reasoning contains INFERENCES or INTERPRETATIONS by which we draw CONCLUSIONS and give meaning to data:

o Infer only what the evidence implies o Check inferences for their consistency with each other o Identify assumptions which lead you to your inferences

8. All reasoning leads somewhere or has IMPLICATIONS and CONSEQUENCES: o Trace the implications and consequences that follow from your reasoning o Search for negative as well as positive implications o Consider all possible consequences

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APPENDIX C

ELEMENTS OF REASONING

QUESTION What question am I trying to answer?

What other questions does it raise?

INFORMATION What data or facts do I

need? What information is relevant to the problem?

IMPLICATIONS What is the likely

outcome of this thinking? Should I look further

before acting?

PURPOSE What is the goal or

objective I am trying to achieve? Should

this be refined? Do I have a hidden

agenda?

CONCEPTS What ideas, theories, or laws am I using?

Are these correct and appropriate?

INFERENCES Is my conclusion logical?

Are there others? Does the solution follow from the

data?

ASSUMPTIONS What beliefs am I taking

for granted? Are they justified by sound

evidence?

POINT of VIEW Am I looking at the

situation objectively? Is there another

viewpoint?

25

APPENDIX D

THE ELEMENTS AND STANDARDS ONLINE MODEL

a)

b)

26

REFERENCES

1. Nosich, G. (2008). Learning to Think Things Through. 3rd Edition. Prentice Hall.

2. Paul, R. and Elder, L. (2000). Critical Thinking: Basic Theory and Instructional Structures. 2nd Edition. Foundation for Critical Thinking.

3. Shindler, John. Teaching for the Success of all Learning Styles: Five Principles for Promoting Greater Teacher Effectiveness and Higher Student Achievement for all Students. California State University, Los Angeles. http://www.calstatela.edu/faculty/jshindl/cm/Teachingacrosstype5Principlesv1.htm