Critical and Creative Thinking Curriculum

2009 Critical and Creative Thinking Curriculum

Unit One—Why ask Why? Goals and Objectives:

• Establish a basic understanding of critical and creative thinking • Define the steps for different ways of thinking • Examine the relationship between modes of thought and innovation • Apply knowledge to several sample situations in the medical field

Reading and Comprehension Checkpoints:

These questions are designed to assess students’ comprehension of the chapter. The answers are included.

• Q: Define critical thinking and explain how it can help in problematic

situations. A: Critical thinking is deeper level thinking; it is analytical and can be used to identify and analyze problems, seek solutions and evaluate outcomes.

• Q: What are the six basic steps to critical thinking?

A: The steps are: asking why a problem exists, observing the problem, questioning all facets of the situation to gather information, analyzing the information, seeking and applying solutions and evaluating outcomes.

• Q: How is creative thinking different from critical thinking?

A: Creative thinking is different from critical thinking in that it is expansive, focusing on producing unique solutions. It requires you to temporarily suspend what you might know about a situation to gain different perspectives.

• Q: What are the steps to creative thinking?

A: The steps are: asking why a problem exists, observing the problem, reflecting on what you know, letting go of what you know to gain new perspectives, brainstorming fresh ideas, testing new ideas and evaluating ideas as possible solutions.

• Q: Name one way in which asking “why” has changed the medical field.

A: Possible answers include: Lister’s questioning whether germs traveled via human contact; Nightingale’s questioning how a lack of sanitary conditions in a hospital might have contributed to soldiers’ deaths.


Powerful Questions for Discussion: These questions also appear at the end of the chapter in the book. They can be used to facilitate discussions after the chapter is read and activities from the book are completed.

1. Is medicine a science that emphasizes critical thinking, or an art that emphasizes creative thinking?

2. Choose another recent advancement in medicine that is changing how we understand and deal with both disease and health. How have creative and critical thinking strategies been applied to reach this advancement?

3. When in history have groups of humans been discouraged to “ask why” regarding their own health? What were the forces at play that discouraged deeper level thinking?

4. When do you resist deeper level thinking regarding your own health and well being? What might it cost you?

Journal Topics: Below are topics for student journaling. The objective is for the students to write as freely and openly as possible. It is not about punctuation, grammar and style, but about making connections and letting ideas flow.

1. Now that you can define the different types of thinking, make some creative connections between your high school classes. For example, how can you use your knowledge of biology in a history class? How can your art class inform what you’re learning in geometry?

2. Why does the field of medicine keep changing? How do you think the medical field will evolve in your lifetime?

3. Write about a time in your life when you were sick. What medical technology (if any) did you rely upon for recovery? How do you think that this illness will be treated fifty years from now?


Analytical Activity: Connecting Diseases of the Past with the Present Learning Goals

• Apply the thinking strategy presented in this chapter to other periods of time in history

• Develop abilities to compare, contrast and connect information • Practice research and writing skills

Materials needed: access to library, internet, research materials; paper/pen Chapter One discusses how Joseph Lister and Florence Nightingale challenged the assumptions of their day. They revolutionized the way patients were treated and opened the door to new discoveries concerning germ theory. For this activity consider the following diseases: Bubonic Plague Small Pox Cholera Polio Research each of these diseases and make a list of the “why” questions that might have been asked when the cures were being sought. For example, why was the disease more prevalent in city populations? Or, why did it most often strike people in their late teens and early twenties? Now analyze each of your “why” questions by comparing and contrasting them. In addition, consider the questions Dr. Lister and Miss Nightingale asked. What connections do you see? Are there major differences between the thinking involved in each of these scenarios? What are the similarities? Finally, consider some of the unsolved medical mysteries of our day: AIDS Cancer Lyme Disease West Nile Virus How do the “why” questions you’ve studied relate to these conditions? Are there other “why” questions you can generate that lead to greater understanding of these diseases that are so prevalent today? Now, write an essay comparing and contrasting the thinking around the diseases of yesterday with the diseases of today. Incorporate the “why” questions you’ve generated for each of these categories in your analysis.


Practical Activity: Teenagers Looking through the Lens of Medicine Learning Goals:

• Apply the thinking strategy from this chapter to area of personal health • Provide insight into common health conditions affecting teenagers • Identify risk behaviors for certain diseases • Develop action plans for ensuring health • Share responses and concerns with classmates

Materials needed: access to library, internet, research materials; paper/pen As we’ve discussed, asking “why” is critical for understanding the spread of diseases and putting a halt to deaths in hospitals. But how does this thinking strategy relate to your health concerns as a typical teenager? This activity asks you to consider the following list of prevalent conditions many young people face. Acne Mononucleosis Allergies Repetitive Stress Injuries Asthma Sexually Transmitted Diseases Female Athlete Triad Type II Diabetes Meningococcal Diseases Ulcers As you think about each one of these conditions, answer the following questions.

• Why is this disease significant? • Why should I be concerned? • How would it affect me or others around me? • What are the symptoms of the disease? • What behaviors put me at risk for the disease? • What specific actions can I take to ensure my health? • What other significant questions can I ask regarding this condition?

Generate answers to each of these questions for the diseases listed above. If comfortable, share your responses with the class.


Creative Activity: Possessing the Power to Cure Learning Goals:

• Identify and prioritize diseases needing cures • Debate issues that surround various diseases • Analyze implications of curing one disease over another

Materials: pen and paper Divide into pairs for this activity. Imagine you and your partner can invent a vaccine that can cure one of the greatest diseases facing humans today. However, the vaccine will be very expensive and difficult to produce. As a result, you’ll only have access to 2,000 doses of the vaccine each year. Begin by creating a list of diseases that currently need a cure. Next, consider the benefits for developing a vaccine for each of the diseases on your list. In this step you will want to think about the following:

• the number of people afflicted with the disease • the current costs of treating (but not necessarily curing) the disease • the impact the disease has on communities and cultures • the average age of people who contract the disease • any other relevant factors

As a team, decide which disease your vaccine will cure. Knowing that you will only have 2,000 doses of the vaccine each year, consider the following questions:

• Who will be your primary target for receiving the treatment? • How will you determine who can and cannot receive the treatment?

Now share your decisions with the other groups in your class. Be sure to mention which disease your vaccine will cure, your reasons for choosing the beneficiaries of the treatment, and the costs of your chosen plan (such as excluding other populations for treatment and not treating other diseases). In other words, carefully think through your choices by asking as many questions of yourself as you can. Be prepared to defend your ideas.


Case Study: Mahlangu Hand-Washer Irene van Peer is a Dutch designer who has taken creative steps to help stop the spread of disease in Africa. While she was in South Africa, she noticed the difficulty that residents of African townships had in washing their hands so as to to sanitize them. She asked “why” and took matters into her own hands. Using an old drinking bottle and other commonly found items such as cork and wire, van Peer constructed a sort of faucet that can be hung and drained when needed. Residents can wash their hands approximately 60 times using the water held by a one liter bottle. Van Peer has expanded her work in this area by teaching others how to make the invention so that the residents can become more self-sufficient and helpful to each other.

Source: “Mahlangu Hand-Washer,” by Alice Rawsthorn, The New York Times Magazine/Year In Ideas 2008. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/12/14/magazine/2008_IDEAS.html Discussion Topics for the Case Study 1. Do you think van Peer’s hand washing device is a viable solution for helping to stop the spread of disease in Africa? Why or why not? 2. Where else have you witnessed a simple solution used to help solve a complex problem? 3. Sometimes large problems can be tackled by taking small steps that introduce temporary solutions. Where can you imagine this type of problem solving strategy being used? How do you envision it working?

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Critical and Creative Thinking Curriculum