Transcript Slide 1

Thinking Critically
about the Teaching
of Critical Thinking
November 4, 2004
POD Pre-Conference Workshop
Tine Reimers, Ph.D., Director
UTEP Center for Effective Teaching and Learning
Bill Roberson, Ph.D.
Exec. Director, Instructional Support Services
University of Texas at El Paso
All slides for this session will be posted
on our website.
http://cetal.utep.edu/
Reality:
University instructors can speak eloquently about
what CT is in their disciplines…
…BUT standard practices of university teaching
do not consistently encourage it.
Today’s workshop goal:
Begin bridging the gap between stated CT goals
and actual teaching practice.
What we hope you’ll leave with
today…

Ideas for leading a campus conversation on CT

Models of exercises plus ready-to-use activities
for workshopping with faculty and graduate
students.
Your roles in this workshop

Students participating in CT activities

Faculty designing CT lessons and courses

Faculty developers working with faculty on CT
strategies
What words occur to you when you
hear “Critical Thinking?”
Learning as information-reception
VS
Learning as problem-solving
(using information)
“Critical Thinking is… self-directed,
self-disciplined, self-monitored, and
self-corrective thinking.”
(Richard Paul and Linda Elder)
Dimensions of Critical Thinking

A self-awareness of the thought process—
of how you came up with an answer

A self-awareness of change in your way of
thinking

An attitude of inquiry (this can be
learned!!!)
It’s easy to change what people know.
It’s much harder to change how people think.
What are the conditions for teaching
critical thinking?

Disaggregate the dimensions of CT (it’s a big
concept)

Identify precisely which dimensions of CT matter
to you and your discipline

Choose the most important ones. Ensure that
lesson and course design target those.
What are the conditions for teaching
critical thinking?

Ensure that students practice these targeted
dimensions daily, in order to develop a CT
attitude.

Ensure that your learning assessments actually
address those same targeted dimensions.
The problem
What habits and practices lead to the most student
learning?
The Experiment
_____Group A: Listened to the lecture, did not take notes, and
took the exam one week later.
_____Group B: Did not listen to the lecture, were given a copy of
professor’s lecture notes, reviewed notes before
taking exam one week later.
_____Group C: Listened to the lecture, took notes, reviewed notes
just before taking exam one week later.
_____Group D: Listened to the lecture, took notes, but did not
review notes before taking the exam one week later.
_____Group E: Did not attend lecture, did not receive a copy of
the lecture notes, were not enrolled in the course, had
never taken the course, and took the exam cold.
(Adapted from the Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, Vol. 18, no. 1)
What assumptions about how students learn
do your group’s answers reveal?
Time-Out:
Facilitating Critical Reflection
1. Construct an engaging question in your discipline
that requires a response based on incomplete data.
2. Introduce complexity and/or doubt .
3. Force a decision (act on assumptions).
4. Make students aware of their own assumptions.
5. Encourage reflection and analysis.
The Experiment
_____Group C: Listened to lecture, took notes,
reviewed notes before taking exam.
_____Group B: Did not listen to lecture, were given
prof’s notes, reviewed notes before taking exam.
Differences between these groups were statistically insignificant:
Group A:
Group D:
Group E:
Attended lecture, did not take notes, and took
exam.
Attended lecture, took notes, did not review notes
before taking exam.
Were not in the course, had never taken course,
did not attend lecture, took the exam cold.
In light of the experiment, rank the following
as to significance for doing well on
exams:
Listening to a lecture
Taking notes
Reviewing notes before an exam
Attending class
Having accurate notes to study
Facilitating Critical Reflection
1. Construct an engaging question in your discipline,
requiring a response based on incomplete data.
2.
Introduce complexity and/or doubt.
3.
Force a decision (act on assumptions).
4.
Make students aware of their own assumptions.
5.
Encourage reflection and analysis.
6. Make explicit any revisions of
assumptions.
How to Promote Critical Reflection
1. Design a complex task requiring a clear decision
(ranking, T/F, Y/N, Multiple choice)
2. Provide less information than would allow for a
definitive judgment.
3. Reduce speed; exaggerate steps.
4. Reflect on and discuss the process, itself (meta-analysis:
what did we just do?).
5. Use the social dynamics of groups to reduce the impact
of authority on student judgment (attitude development).
The Case of the Troublesome Pit
Work in groups of 3 - 6 to answer the following questions
about the case.
1. Given the test question, what seem to be the professor’s
assumptions about what students should learn in this
course?
2. What is the student’s assumption about what she should
learn in this course?
The Case of the Troublesome Pit
3. As a teacher, what could you do to change the thought
process, strategy and CT attitude of this student?
Teaching with Cases
Almost any discipline-specific concept (from
engineering to medical science to literature) can
be addressed in an open case approach to
teaching critical thinking.
Benefits:
 contextual
 reality-based
 fosters independence within the academic
framework
 attitudinal re-alignment
The Case Approach fosters effective assessment
of critical thinking, by allowing us to observe
how students function as independent thinkers
in situations of complexity and ambiguity.
“Kindred Spirits”
An interactive game on Critical
Thinking, based on William Perry’s
“Scheme of intellectual and ethical
development”
Directions for Exercise
1. Read the statement on the piece of paper you have.
2. Find a partner. Compare your statements
3. Make a judgment:

If your two statements express a similar attitude about
learning, join with your new “partner” to form a team,
and look for kindred spirits elsewhere in the room.

If your two statements express conflicting attitudes
about learning, leave your partner and continue looking
for “kindred spirits”.
4. Find all the “kindred spirits” in the room and form a team.
Directions (Part II)
5. Give an appropriate name to your team—one that
accurately represents the attitude expressed in all of your
team’s statements.
6. Attach a sheet of paper to the wall, and write the name of
your team at the top.
7. Record the individual statements (use shorthand if you
wish) from your team on this paper. Check to verify that
each statement really does relate to the learning philosophy
common to all your statements.

What was the process you used to assess the
statements?

How did the experience make you feel?
William G. Perry’s Scheme of
Intellectual Development
I.
Dualism

Knowledge: viewed as received Truth

What matters: facts—things are right or wrong

Teacher: has the Answers

Learning: memorizing notes for tests, finding the “right” answer,
getting the “A” is what counts
Frustrations:
Why won’t the teacher answer my questions?
Questions without clear-cut answers are “tricky”
I’m an “A” student but I’m making a “D” in your
class—what’s wrong with you?
Perry’s Scheme of Intellectual Development
II. Multiplicity

Knowledge: a matter of opinion; theory = belief

What matters: personal thoughts, feelings, perspectives; all opinions
and statements are OK

Teacher: not the authority—just another opinion; give him/her what
she wants

Learning: a purely personal exercise; university = a teacher’s game
Frustrations:
How can the teacher evaluate my work if it’s just a
matter of OPINION as to whether it’s good or bad?
Grades are based on whom the professor likes…
Perry’s Scheme of Intellectual Development
III. Relativism (“Everything has a context”)

Knowledge: based on evidence

What matters: supporting your argument with reasons

Teacher: conversation partner, acts as guide, shows the direction, helps
students discover

Learning: depends on the context—what we “know” is colored by
perspective and assumptions. Facts are essential, but not sufficient.
Teacher’s “Game” is now more sophisticated.
Frustrations:
We need more information and more than one
perspective.
Classes are often not challenging enough
Perry’s Scheme of Intellectual Development
IV. Commitment in Relativism

Knowledge: leads to personal actions outside the classroom

What matters: facts, feelings and perspectives and how I will act upon
them

Teacher is a source among other sources

Learning: making choices, acting on and taking responsibility for those
choices
Question asked: what were the results of my action? What does that
mean about my future actions & principles I live by?
How the Perry Scheme and the Game Help Students

Objectification of stages is non-threatening—you
don’t identify or categorize students

Self Analysis—one student said: “Oh I could see
where I’m in that stage in that class, and at a
different stage in this other class! Wow!”

Language used in directions is non-threatening—
confusion can be scary and frustrating; but making
it friendly helps students be patient as they work.
How the Perry Scheme Helps Faculty

Recognition versus frustration and resentment

More appropriate responses to students
“What’s going to be on the test?” = Dualist?
“But I worked all night on this paper, why did I get a D?” = Multiplist?

“I recognize where you are, now I can think about
ways to move you along.”
When are you a Dualist, a Multiplist,
or a Relativist?
When are you a Dualist, a Multiplist, or a
Relativist?
Write an essay showing how the ideas of
Karl Marx are relevant to the work
situation at your local MacDonald’s
restaurant.
When are you a Dualist, a Multiplist, or a
Relativist?
Open up the casing of your computer and
install some new memory and a wireless
card.
When are you a Dualist, a Multiplist, or a
Relativist?
Design a chemistry experiment to prove a
hypothesis.
Follow-up exercises for faculty:
Design an exercise or assignment in your
area of specialization that will help move
students from dualism to multiplism.
Design an exercise or assignment in your
area of specialization that will help move
students from multiplism to relativism.
The Case of Dr. Swift
Work with your group to answer the following
questions.
1.
What seems to have happened in this class?
Develop your own hypothesis.
2.
How would you find out if your hypothesis is
correct?
The Case of Dr. Swift
What principles of good teaching could you
construct from what the students said?
A Simple Plan: Overview
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Experience/observation
Analyze and Reflect
Construct Meaning
Provide theory and new information
Apply to new situations
Assess
Experience
Students experience and/or observe something
and make a preliminary decision or judgment
about it.
Precedes giving students large amounts of information.
Why: to engage students, make the lesson
personally relevant. Eliminate notion that goal is
simply to memorize. Develop attitude of
inquiry.
Analyze and Reflect
Instructor facilitates discussion to elicit
students’ reflections on their immediate
experiences and observations.
Why: clarify implications of the experience
for students; probe for assumptions;
assess accuracy of student observations.
***Construct Meaning***
Students consider the implication or relevance of
their own observations and/or experience, and try
to develop some general principles, theories,
concepts or strategies.
Why: encourages students to become active,
develop critical thinking free of authority, develop
ownership of the disciplinary knowledge…i.e., to
do what professors and professionals do.
Provide Theory and New Information
Instructor serves as resource, and supplies
students with expert perspectives, useful
information, strategies.
Why: students have tried out their own ideas,
can now test them against those of people
with more authority, experience, knowledge,
expertise.
Apply to New Situations
Students practice by applying what they have now
learned to different but related circumstances and
events.
Why:
 Encourages students to transfer what they’ve
learned to broader usage

Encourages them to take control of their learning,
see their own gains—attitudinal change

Gives students practice with the theories and
principles, to establish new habits, new neural
pathways
Assess
Instructor and students measure student
change.
Why: To see if the instruction has been
effective. To see if learning has
occurred.
A Simple Plan

Experience/observation (student-centered)
Analyze & Reflect (teacher-led)

Construct meaning (students do this!!!!)

Introduce theory/new info. (teachercentered)
Apply (student-centered)
Assess (teacher and student-centered)


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The Logic of a Lesson Plan
-- Experience/observation
--Analysis and Reflection
--Construct meaning (hypothesis, speculation)
--Receive information from instructor
= 95% of traditional teaching
--New applications
--Assessment
The logic of a lesson plan…
…is deeper than the subject matter because it
relates more to what’s happening in students’
brains than to what’s happening in the textbook
…is therefore not confined to the logic of a
discipline or subject—it is transferable. It is an
attitude as much as a thinking process.
Enlightened university professor:
“I don’t teach history, I teach students.”
Who in this group is strong in Geology?
Design a Geology Lesson
Objective: Students need to be able to characterize and classify
accurately a wide variety of rocks, according to origin, mineral
composition, hardness, density, elasticity, etc.
Your task: Design a short lesson plan (sequence of activities) that would help students
toward this objective. What will students (and you) do?

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Experience (What will the students do?)
Reflection-Analysis (How will you facilitate this?)
Construct Meaning (How will students do this?)
Theory, New information (How will you provide this?)
Application (What will students do this time?)
Assessment (What will students do that you can
measure?)
Why did we choose Geology?
Working outside one’s own discipline removes
pressure of “knowing” enough to design well.
Clarifies that the logic of an activity for CT
(from experiential-to-theoretical) does not
follow the traditional flow of transfer of
content knowledge (from theoretical-toexperiential)
Faculty Activity:
Use the Simple Plan
Work alone: choose a topic or part of your own
course with which your students traditionally
have difficulty.
Design a lesson plan for that topic using the
Simple Plan.
A Simple Plan

Experience (What will the students do?)

Reflection-Analysis (How will you facilitate this?)

Construct Meaning (How will students do this? What
theories, concepts and principles will they construct?)

Theory, New information (How will you provide this?)

Application (What will students do this time?)

Assessment (What will students do that you can
measure?)
Share your plans with your group.



Choose the group’s favorite.
Work as a group to integrate any new
ideas.
Write the complete plan on a giant Postit.
Design of a Whole Course for
Critical Thinking

Which dimensions of critical thinking do you value most in
this course?

Where in your course do you plan critical thinking
activities?
 (does it happen early on? frequently? how does it relate
to content transfer?)

What are these activities?

How will you know whether your students reached the
goal?
Most importantly:
You are measuring out units of critical thinking,
not units of content!!
Some Conclusions:
Learning to think critically requires…

Practice at thinking the way it really happens in the discipline
(inquiry vs. reception)

Frequent repetition and ratcheting up

Interaction student-to-student and professor-to-student

Assessment of the changes in thinking

Slowing down the process and reflecting: It’s not critical thinking
until they’ve done it AND reflected on it!
For Follow-up…
Tine Reimers
[email protected]
Bill Roberson
[email protected]