Teaching Critical Thinking 2009 and Notes

8/10/2019 Teaching Critical Thinking 2009 and Notes

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Teaching Critical Thinking

Dr John Peters

Academic development andpractice


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Session blurb

This session will share the way in we

already, often implicitly, address critical

thinking and offer some alternative

ideas and practical exercises for

embedding the teaching of critically

thinking skills in subject programmes.


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Learning Outcomes

Offer definitions and models of critical thinking

Explore reasons for teaching critical thinking

Make more explicit current support for student

critical thinking

Consider the possibilities of explicitly teaching

critical thinking

Deploy practical exercises to support studentlearning of critical thinking skills


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What is critical thinking?

Reviewing from different perspectives in order toformulate own personalised judgement / view pointand to be able to apply it to the matter in hand andengage in development

Stepping back & recognising different perspectives

Comprehending & valuing different viewpoints

Appreciating someone elses viewpoint and logic butnot necessarily agreeing

Being able to underpin your argument with evidence

Reviewing and developinga constant cycle ofreflection and adaptation

Analysistaking things to pieces


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What is critical thinking?

an ability to present, evaluate, and

interpret data, to develop lines of

argument and make sound judgements.

QAA, Framework for Higher Education

Qualifications, Certificate level


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Issues

Requiring

Defining

Teaching Learning

What do we do already?


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Defining Critical Thinking 1

Critical thinking is about uncovering the

truth by attacking and removing all that

is false.

Therefore its reactive, destructive and

adversarial

It is thus a small part of thinking and toomuch emphasis is already placed on it

(De Bono, 1993)


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Defining Critical Thinking 2

Critical thinking is a rational and

purposeful attempt to use thought to

move towards a future goal (Halpern

1984 in Brookfield, 1987)

Therefore it is productive, positive,

open, engaged and humble (Brookfield,

1987)


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Defining critical thinking 3

Four traditions of critical thinking

Analytical philosophy & logic

psycho-analytical & personal criticality Ideology critiquecritiquing the dominant

ideology and challenging hegemony

Pragmatic constructivism

(Brookfield 2005)


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Components of critical thinking

Identifying and challenging assumptions:notice differences between assumptions andexperience

Awareness & exploration of context:everything is contextual

Imagining and exploring alternatives:divergence & diversity

Analysis, judgement, resolution & action

Reflective scepticism: particularly to claims ofuniversal truth Brookfield 1987


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An example of reactive critical

thinking

Christopher

Columbusdiscovered

America in 1492

Discuss?!?


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Teaching critical thinking 1

Identifying arguments Structure, logic, consistency & reasoning

Identifying assumptions

premises & connotations Identifying flaws in arguments

False analogies, emotive, tautology,misrepresentation

Providing evidenceAuthentic, valid, reliable, robust & current

Cottrell (2005)


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Ideas for teaching the application

of critical thinking to the work of

others

Reading texts using structured critical

thinking questions Analysis then evaluation

Assessing example assignments

.


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So whats an argument?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teMlv

3ripSM

Could this be used with students?!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teMlv3ripSMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teMlv3ripSMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teMlv3ripSMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teMlv3ripSM


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An Example of Constructive

Critical Thinking

An argument: an attempt to persuade byoffering reason[s] and a conclusion

Reason: Students are not very good at critical

thinking Conclusion: So we should teach critical

thinking skills

Two key questions

Is the reason acceptable / valid / well-founded?

Does the conclusion follow logically from thereason?


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Issues

No evidence of the assertion

Issue of struggling with academic critical

thinking

Its the context and constraints that are the

problemconfidence?!

Reason doesnt follow

We need to know why?


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Constructing a better

argumentWe should teach critical thinking skillsbecause or better

Students should learn to be critical thinkers

because... or better still, perhaps,

We should encourage student to value and

deploy critical thinking because....

Because its fundamental / a good thing /

makes them better professionals / learnersBecause itll get them a good degree and a

job


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Helping others think critically

Recognise that questioning assumptions can be

threatening and emotional

Model assumption analysis

Encourage critique of assumptions in assignments Encourage critique of our own work

Encourage self-evaluation

Model risk taking

Model openness, hold real conversations

Encourage divergence & creativity

Brookfield


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Ideas for teaching the application

of critical thinking to own work

Self assessment

Peer assessment

Argument construction in sessions More non-team sport should be done in

schools because

Nurses should engage in CPD because

Germany was responsible for the second

world war because


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De Bono, 5 stage general structure

TO: focus & objectives, define the problem

LO: look around, explore, gather information,

examine factors, assess context

PO: generate possibilities, speculations,

options, ideas, propose alternatives

SO: compare, sift, check & decide

GO: action plan


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Teaching creativity

Sternberg, R. & Williams, W. 24Teaching for creativity: two dozen tips

http://www.cdl.org/resource-

library/articles/teaching_creativity.php

Norman Jackson, Tackling the wickedproblem of creativity in HE

http://www.surrey.ac.uk/sceptre/documents/TACKLINGTHEWICKEDPROBLEM09.pdf
http://www.cdl.org/resource-library/articles/teaching_creativity.phphttp://www.cdl.org/resource-library/articles/teaching_creativity.phphttp://www.surrey.ac.uk/sceptre/documents/TACKLINGTHEWICKEDPROBLEM09.pdfhttp://www.surrey.ac.uk/sceptre/documents/TACKLINGTHEWICKEDPROBLEM09.pdfhttp://www.surrey.ac.uk/sceptre/documents/TACKLINGTHEWICKEDPROBLEM09.pdfhttp://www.surrey.ac.uk/sceptre/documents/TACKLINGTHEWICKEDPROBLEM09.pdfhttp://www.surrey.ac.uk/sceptre/documents/TACKLINGTHEWICKEDPROBLEM09.pdfhttp://www.surrey.ac.uk/sceptre/documents/TACKLINGTHEWICKEDPROBLEM09.pdfhttp://www.cdl.org/resource-library/articles/teaching_creativity.phphttp://www.cdl.org/resource-library/articles/teaching_creativity.phphttp://www.cdl.org/resource-library/articles/teaching_creativity.php


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Documents

Teaching Critical Thinking 2009 and Notes