Problem Solving and Problem Solving and Critical ThinkingCritical Thinking

Hafni BachtiarHafni Bachtiar

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Presentation outline • Why teaching Critical Thinking and

Problem Solving is important• Nature of Critical Thinking and Problem

Solving • Characteristics of an effective Critical

Thinker• Challenges to teaching Critical Thinking

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In your group discuss what you think the following proverb means for you as a teacher

If I hear it, I forget it . If I see it, I remember it .

If I do it, I know it .

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What is Critical ThinkingWhat is Critical Thinking?? The art of thinking about your thinking, while The art of thinking about your thinking, while youyou’’re thinking, so as to make your thinking re thinking, so as to make your thinking more clear, precise, accurate, relevant, more clear, precise, accurate, relevant, consistent, and fair; the art of constructive consistent, and fair; the art of constructive skepticism; the art of identifying and skepticism; the art of identifying and removing biasremoving bias……and one-sidedness of thought; and one-sidedness of thought;

the art of self-directed, in-depth thinkingthe art of self-directed, in-depth thinking…… (Paul, 1990)

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Critical Thinking is:

1 .“interpreting, analyzing or evaluating information, arguments or experiences with a

set of reflective attitudes, skills, and abilities”

2. “reasonable reflective thinking that is focused on deciding what to do and what to believe” OR “to guide our thoughts, beliefs and actions”

3. “examining the thinking of others to improve our own”

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Elements of Critical Thinking1. Observation: From a series of

observations, we can come to establish:

2. Facts: From a series of facts, or an absence of facts, we make:

3. Inferences: Testing the validity of our inferences, we make :

4. Assumptions: From our assumptions, we form our…

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5.Opinions: Taking our opinions, we use the principles of logic to develop:

6.Arguments: When we want to challenge the arguments of others, we employ:

7.Critical analysis

Activity Thinking about your students, which of the

elements above are your students capable of ?

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Bloom’s Taxonomy of Thinking Skills

• Knowledge – facts or bits of information• Comprehension – understanding what

information means• Application – finding a practical use for

the knowledge• Analysis – breaking down the knowledge

into component parts• Synthesis – connecting knowledge to

other knowledge and devising something new

• Evaluation – judging knowledge

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Why is Critical Thinking important?

• Critical thinking prepares students to educate themselves for the rest of their lives

• Critical thinking skills are necessary for success in many fields

• Critical thinkers are less likely to just go along with the crowd, and…

• Passing the new Tawjihi !!

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Read the following story, and then do the activity at the end:

Napoleon Brown lives on the fourth floor of a block of flats. Every day he goes downstairs at 7:30, takes the bus from the end of the street at around 7:35 and arrives at his office at about 8 o'clock. When the weather is fine, he rushes into the lift and takes the lift to the fourth floor. He gets out and walks up to the fifth floor where his office is, and starts work at around 8:15. When the weather is bad, he takes the lift right up to the fifth floor. He works until 5 p.m.,then takes the lift down to the lobby and hurries to the bus stop to get his bus home. At home, he takes the lift up to his flat.

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In your groups, do the following:

1. Read the story quickly (1 minute only!)2. Write questions that start with the

following words: what, when, where, how, why, how often, what do you think, could… on the papers provided

3. Swap your papers with another group4. Answer their questions, on the back of

their papers5. Discuss the answers of the other

groups together

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How to teach Critical Thinking?

• Use analogies• Promote interaction among students• Ask open-ended questions• Allow sufficient time for reflection• Teach students to apply knowledge to

other domains• Use real-life problems• Allow thinking practice

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Developing Creativity

Exposure to creative examples

Teacher models creative approaches through activities

Encourage students to play with words & ideas

task, problem, challenge

Students draw on existing knowledge of world

Students draw on specific skills in English

outcome

Students’ evaluation

Meta-cognitive reflection on process

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Developing thinking skills through questioning

• Why do I ask questions in teaching?• What about students asking questions?• Why are students’ questions important?• What types of questions are there?• What should we avoid in questioning?• Is there a simple way to develop questioning?• How can I follow up a question?• Why is waiting in questioning a good idea?• How does questioning develop language and

thinking?• What are some alternatives to direct

questioning?

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Questioning is the door of knowledge.

It is not disgraceful to ask: it is disgraceful not to ask.

He that nothing questions, nothing learns.

He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever.

If you are ashamed to ask questions, you will only lose your way.

How can these proverbs help our students to improve their critical

thinking skills?

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Problem Solving… … is a mental process whereby an

individual utilizes his/her previous knowledge and experience to respond to the requirements of an unfamiliar situation. The response should seek out the conflict or ambiguity of the situation.

Activity What are the steps to solving

problems?

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The Steps to Problem Solving

1 -Defining the problem2 -Gathering information

3- Studying and analyzing the collected information

4 -Suggesting solutions5 -Evaluating the suggested solutions

6 -Solving the problemActivityYou’ll be given a problem - try to apply these steps in order

to solve it.

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Challenges and Barriers to Teaching CT

• Student fear• Impulsiveness• Overdependence on the teacher• Missing the meaning• Inflexibility• Lack of confidence• Dogmatic, assertive behavior• Inability to concentrate• Unwillingness to think

(Raths, et al., 1986)

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Teachers’ roles• change participation practices

gradually: start with brief, focused activities, then later proceed to longer or more complex ones

• model thoughtfulness, creativity & socio-cultural awareness in own behaviour; give examples of these

• encourage active participation & relevant uses of English; recognize thoughtful & creative contributions

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Thank you for coming!

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