teaching thinking: a guide for the perplexed yoram harpaz [email protected]
TRANSCRIPT
A simple and sweeping idea
Instead of teaching knowledge, teach how to deal with knowledge – to think
Thinking: combining knowledge in new ways
Good thinking: combining knowledge in critical,
creative and effective ways
A few reasons for the acceptance of the teaching thinking idea
• The state of knowledge (explosion, obsolescence, accessibility)
• The picture of knowledge (relativity) • Knowledge economy• Democratic society• Effective learning • The cognitive science • The charm of teaching thinking• The savior syndrome
The result :inflation and cacophony
“There are an awful lot of theories around.” (Robert Sternberg)
“With so much controversy in the air, it’s
understandable that only a few teachers and schools make the attempt.” (David Perkins)
“Mind Workers Unite!” (Arthur Costa)
A possible cure: conceptual map
Approaches to Teaching Thinking
• The skills approach• The dispositions approach • The understanding approach
Definitions
Thinking Skills: Thinking tools and efficient
(fast and accurate) use of them.
Thinking dispositions: Intellectual traits; Habits
of mind; Motivated patterns of thought
Understanding: Locating a concept in a
relevant and rich context; Performing cognitive
moves with a concept
Teaching thinking is…
• Imparting thinking skills
• Cultivating thinking dispositions
• Constructing understanding
Theories, programs, ideas - examples
De Bono – CoRT Ennis - Taxonomy of critical chinking Beyer - Direct teaching of thinking Perkins - Thinking frames Perkins & Swartz - Graphic organizers Swartz & Parks – Infusion Sternberg - Intelligence implied Treffinger, Isaksen & Dorval - Creative problem polving Johnson & Blair - Informal logic Chaffee - thinking critically Whimbey & Lochhead - Problem solving Feuerstein. - Instrumental Enrichment Lipman - Philosophy for children
Perkins - Dispositions theory of thinking Tishman - Thinking dispositions Costa - Habits of mind Baron -Theory of rationality Langer – Mindfulness Barrel – Thoughtfulness Facione - Critical thinking dispositions Passmore - Critical thinking as a character trait Siegel - The spirit of the critical thinker Sternberg - Successful intelligence Golman - Emotional Intelligence Lipman - Philosophy for children
Perkins - Understanding performances Gardner - Understanding in the disciplines Wiske - Teaching for understanding Wiggins & McTighe - Understanding by design Paul - Critical thinking in the strong sense McPeck - The reflective critical thinker Brown - Community of learners Smith - Understanding as good thinking Brooks & Brooks - Constructivist instruction Lipman - Philosophy for children Harpaz & Lefstein - Community of thinking
ApproachesCharacteristics
The Skills ApproachThe Dispositions Approach
The Understanding Approach
Theories and programs
The metaphorical aspect
The skills approach: toolbox
The disposition approach: deep currents
The understanding approach: net
The patterns of teaching Thinking
Teaching: education through knowledgeThe elements of teaching: Teacher + Knowledge +
Students
Skills: The pattern of impartation (direct) = demonstration (teacher) + taxonomy (knowledge) + practice (students)
Dispositions: The pattern of cultivation (indirect) = modeling (teacher) + explicitness (knowledge) + identification and internalization (students) Understanding: The pattern of construction (semi-direct) = stimulating (teacher) + “big ideas” (knowledge) + inquiry (students)
Two Essential Questions
1 .What to believe– why three?
2 .What to do– which approach is best?
1. Why three?
Three elements of good thinking against three components of thinking:
Thinking skills Processes of thinking
Thinking disposition Qualities of thinking
Understanding Contents of thinking
2. Which approach is best?
Understanding; The pattern of ConstructionBecause…
• Good thinking is a product of understanding• We teach content in school• Understanding valuable ideas is a key
educational objective
Understanding understanding: 1. locating in context
Global perspective
Constitutional perspective
Cultural perspective
Sociological perspective
Historical perspective
Philosophical perspective
Democracy
Understanding understanding:2. understanding performances
To present knowledge
To operate on and with knowledge
To criticize and create knowledge
To express knowledge in your own words
To analyze knowledge
To give reasons to knowledge
To explain knowledge
To synthesize knowledge
To find contradictions or tensions in knowledge
To interpret knowledge
To imply knowledge
To question knowledge
Understanding understanding:2. understanding performances (continued)
To present knowledge
To operate on and with knowledge
To criticize and create knowledge
To construct a model
To bring example, to invent metaphor, to make
comparison, etc .
To expose the basic assumptions of knowledge
To present knowledge in various ways
To generalizeTo formulate counter- knowledge
To present knowledge from different perspectives
To predict on the basis of knowledge
To generate new knowledge
The dispositions
approach
Dispositio
ns-
thinking qualities
thinking dispositio
ns
a disposition to
think
The understanding approach
understanding - content substantive
understanding reflective understanding
Thinking =processes + qualities +
content Good thinking =
skills + dispositions + understanding
The skills
approach
skills - processes
neutral skills
normative skills
