Promoting Critical Thinking in the English classroom
José Manuel VillafuerteOffice of English Language Programs, U.S. Embassy
IPN, July 29, 2011
What is Critical Thinking?• Assessing the authenticity, accuracy and worth
of knowledge claims, beliefs, or arguments. Barry Beyer
• Critical thinking is the art of analyzing and evaluating thinking with a view to improving it.
Richard Paul & Linda Elder
• It helps students to apply everthing they alreadyknow and feel, to evaluate their own thinking, and especially to change their behavior.
Stephen Norris
Importance of Critical Thinking• Makes learning meaningful, thus fostering
academic performance and achievement• Enables us to adapt to a rapidly changing,
technologically oriented world• Allows us to solve problems in creative,
innovative ways• Develops conscience, character
and stance• Can be developed throughout life
EvaluationKnowledge
Bloom’s taxonomy
AffectiveRealm
Bloom’s TaxonomyPsychomotor
Realm
Comprehension
Application
Synthesis
Analysis
CognitiveRealmRemembering
Understanding
Applying Analyzing
Creating
Evaluating
Action words related to CT skillsRemembering
• Count• Define • Draw• Read
Understanding
• Associate• Compute • Give examples• Paraphrase
Applying
• Calculate• Classify• Graph• Use
Analyzing
• Break down• Combine • Detect• Infer
Evaluating
• Appraise• Compare • Justify• Rank
Creating
• Categorize• Design• Plan • Summarize
An inventory of CT skills• Analyzing• Applying• Augmenting /
Elaborating• Categorizing /
Classifying / Organizing
• Comparing / Contrasting
• Connecting / Associating
• Decisionmaking
• Defining
• Describing / Summarizing
• Determiningcause-effect
• Drawingconclusions / Inferringconsequences
• Eliminating• Evaluating /
Assessing• Explaining• Experimenting• Generalizing
• Interpreting• Inventing• Investigating• Making
analogies• Observing• Patterning• Planning• Predicting /
Hypothesizing• Prioritizing• Problem
solving
• Questioning• Reducing /
Simplifying• Reflecting /
Metacognition• Relating• Reversing /
Inversing• Role-taking /
Empathizing• Sequencing• Substituting• Symbolizing• Synthesizing
Categorizing / Classifying / Organizing
Group these!
By size...
By shape...
By color...
An inventory of CT skills• Analyzing• Applying• Augmenting /
Elaborating• Categorizing /
Classifying / Organizing
• Comparing / Contrasting
• Connecting / Associating
• Decisionmaking
• Defining
• Describing / Summarizing
• Determiningcause-effect
• Drawingconclusions / Inferringconsequences
• Eliminating• Evaluating /
Assessing• Explaining• Experimenting• Generalizing
• Interpreting• Inventing• Investigating• Making
analogies• Observing• Patterning• Planning• Predicting /
Hypothesizing• Prioritizing• Problem
solving
• Questioning• Reducing /
Simplifying• Reflecting /
Metacognition• Relating• Reversing /
Inversing• Role-taking /
Empathizing• Sequencing• Substituting• Symbolizing• Synthesizing
Categorizing / Classifying / Organizing
Analyzing
Comparing / ContrastingConnecting / AssociatingDecisionmaking
Evaluating / Assessing
Generalizing
Observing
Problemsolving
Questioning
Explaining
Another exercise… • What’s your name? • What’s your last name? • How old are you? • Where do you live? • What’s your address? • What’s your telephone number?
… and yet another one!
Ideas for more CT activities• Categorizing, classifying,
organizing: • Building blocks, crayons,
puppets, school supplies• Comparing, contrasting:
• Find the differences• Venn diagrams
• Connecting, associating• Matching, establishing
relations
• Describing• Pictures, toys, black box
• Determining cause-effect• Conditionals• Connectors (so, because)
• Eliminating• Odd one out
• Observing• Jigsaw puzzles
• Decision making
Tactics that encourage active learning
• Summarize / put into their own words what someone else said
• Elaborate on what they said • Relate the issue or content to
their own knowledge and experience
• Give examples to clarify or support what they have said
• Make connections between related concepts
• Restate the instructions / assignment in their own words
• State the question at issue • Compare / contrast their point
of view on the issue with someone else’s
• Take a few minutes to write down any of the above
• Write down the most pressing question on their mind at this point. Then use the above tactics to help ss reason through questions
Source: http://www.criticalthinking.org/resources/k12/TRK12-tactics-encourage-learning.cfm
Keep in mind... • There are many ways to integrate critical
thinking to your class activities• Go from easy to difficult and from simple to
complex• Find all the different skills involved in a single
activity• Encourage reflection and metacognition• Praise!
Keep in mind... • “Critical thinking has two important dimensions:
It is both a frame of mind and a number of specific mental operations” (Beyer, 1985)
• Students can learn to think better if we teachthem how to do so
Support withDATA
Identify yourPOINT OF
VIEW
Identifyyour
ASSUMPTIONS
Precise your
QUESTION
The process of Critical ThinkingStateyour
PURPOSE
Trace IMPLICATIONS &CONSEQUENCES
INFER, INTERPRET, CONCLUDE
Define KEY
CONCEPTS