Critical Thinking

Ann SmithSioux Falls Public Schools

What it is-

Examples of critical thinkers

What it is not—

Examples of people who don’t think critically

What does it mean to be educated?

Activated Knowledge

Accurate information that can be used to gain more knowledge Mathematical principles Scientific method Principles of critical thinking

Paul. 2002.

Am I a critical thinker?

Stage 1 - Unreflective Thinker Egocentric—and unaware Dismiss ideas we don’t agree with Don’t know what we don’t know

Stage 2 – Challenged Thinker Strives to analyze thinking Understands how concepts,

assumptions, inferences, implications, and points of view form thinking

Paul. 2002.

Recognizes the qualities of sound thinking: clarity, accuracy, precision, relevance, logicalness

May engage in self-deception: “If everyone would think clearly like me, this would be a fine world.”

The Beginning Thinker Checks information for accuracy and

relevance Recognizes assumptions guiding

inferences Identifies prejudicial and biased beliefs,

unjustifiable conclusions, misused words, and missed implications

Analyzes the logic of situations and problems

Expresses clear and precise questions

Paul. 2002.

Stage 4 – The Practicing Thinker Stage 5 – The Advanced Thinker Stage 6 – The Master Thinker

Paul. 2002.

Habits of MindArthur L. Costa & Bena

Kallick

Habits of Mind

Persisting Thinking and communicating with

clarity and precision Managing impulsivity Gathering data through all the

senses Listening with understanding and

empathy Creating, imagining, innovating Thinking flexibly Responding with wonderment and

awe

Habits of Mind (cont)

Thinking about thinking Taking responsible risks Striving for accuracy Finding humor Questioning and posing problems Thinking interdependently Applying past knowledge to new

situations Remaining open to continuous

learning

Strategies for developing critical thinkers

Engage students in reading, writing, speaking

Empower students to evaluate their own reading, writing, speaking

Think out loud to model skilled thinking for students

Compare and contrast different points of view

Encourage students to question Assign a daily notetaker or notetaker

team Assign a daily researcher or

researcher team

Concepts

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” (Shakespeare)

Using precise language Clever – Cunning Selfish – Self-motivated Power – Control Believe – Know Love – Romance Socialize – Educate Friend -- Colleague

Paul. 2002.

Concepts

Recognizing socially conditioned meanings Capitalism Socialism Communism

Paul. 2002.

Testing Information

To what extent could I test the truth of this claim by direct experience?

How does the person who advances this claim support it?

Is there a definite system or procedure for assessing claims of this sort?

Does the acceptance of this information advance the vested interest of the person or group asserting it?

Paul. 2002.

Clarity

Say what you mean, mean what you say.

"What can be done about the education system in America?“

Could you give me an example

Paul. 2002.

Accuracy

How could we find out if that is true? Can it be verified by other sources? On the Web, look for hints in the URL www.register.com/ (whois lookup) On a long URL, delete to the first slash

Bigredhair.com/robots/index.htm Snopes.com

November. 2008.

Precision

Can you give more details. “My daughter has a fever.” “My computer doesn’t work.” “Do you know anyone who writes grants

for education?” “Do you have any books in this library?”

Paul. 2002.

Relevance

A statement can be clear, accurate, and precise…but irrelevant. “I spent 14.6 hours preparing my

elementary library budget, so I should be funded at the full level.”

Public figures answering questions at a press conference.

How does this help us with the issue at hand?

Paul. 2002.

Depth

Does the answer address the complexities of the question? “Just say no” “God said it, I believe it, that settles it.”

Is it dealing with the most significant factors?

Paul. 2002.

Breadth

Is there another way to look at this question?

Do we need to consider another point of view?

Paul. 2002.

Logic

How does that follow? Are these statements contradictory? Don’t confuse correlation with

causation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Correlation_does_not_imply_causation#Examples

Paul. 2002.

Get “REAL”

Read the URL Examine the Content Ask about the author and owner Look at the Links

www.altavista.com Link:http://www.yoursite.com/whatever/

copy

November. 2008.

SMITH (thanks Lee!)

Source Message Intent Techniques How do they want me to respond

Questions that stimulate thinking

Open-ended questions: What are your reactions to this

morning’s Keynote speaker? What aspects of this unit are of interest

to you? What are your reactions to what you

just heard?

Paul. 2002.

Diagnostic Questions What is really rewarded in this

classroom? What conclusions did you draw from

this data? Information-seeking Questions

What are the factors that influence student engagement?

Paul. 2002.

Challenge (testing) Questions Why do you believe that? What evidence supports your

conclusion? What arguments might be developed to

counter that point of view?

Paul. 2002.

Action Questions What needs to be done to address

this problem? Be specific Ask someone who has the ability to help

Paul. 2002.

Questions on priority and sequence Given limited resources, what is the

first step to be taken? The second? The third?

Paul. 2002.

Prediction Questions If your conclusions are correct, what

will be our situation tomorrow? In 5 years? In 20 years?

Hypothetical Questions What if Henry Ford’s gasoline engine

hadn’t become the standard automobile engine?

What if FDR had not initiated the New Deal?

Paul. 2002.

Questions of extension For your grandchildren, what are the

implications of your conclusions about the issue of climate change?

Questions of generalization Based on our exploration of critical

thinking, what do you believe are the major barriers to teaching critical thinking in your classroom? Paul. 2002.

“For to say, that a blind custom of obedience should be a surer obligation than duty taught and understood; it is to affirm, that a blind man may tread surer by a guide than a seeing man can by a light.” Sir Francis Bacon. The Advancement of

Learning.

Suggested Resources

Costa, Arthur and Bena Kallick. Leading and Learning with Habits of Mind. ASCD. 2009. www.habits-of-mind.com

Foundation for Critical Thinking www.criticalthinking.org

SIRS Researcher (subscription database) http://sks.sirs.com

The Question Mark http://www.questioning.org

Resources (cont’d)

November, Alan. Web Literacy for Educators. Corwin Press, 2008.

Paul, Richard. Critical Thinking: Tools for Taking Charge of Your Personal and Professional Life. FT Press, 2002.