thinking skills

HUMBER COLLEGE OF APPLIED ARTS AND TECHNOLOGYGENERIC/EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS

THINKING SKILLS

Compiled bySheila Money

Copyright © 2003 by Humber College of Applied Arts and Technology

Humber College Generic Skills Thinking Skills

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSSpecial thanks are due to the many faculty who have given generously of their time andideas to make both the process and products of this initiative useful and relevant to theHumber community.

Thanks to all of you who have contributed in some or all of the following ways:• Attending coordinator/faculty information and feedback meetings• Contributing to focus group discussions• Participating in Professional Development workshops• Participating in Humber Showcase and other conferences• Developing new courses to incorporate Generic Skills• Editing and formatting the Resource manuals• Submitting Best Practices

The engagement of the Humber community would not have been possible without thevaluable communications link afforded by the Generic Skills School Representatives. Thanks are due to these people:

School of Applied Technology: Steve BodsworthSchool of Business: Khyati Antani, Jim SkinnerSchool of Creative and Performing Arts: Diana Belshaw, Antanas SileikaSchool of Health Sciences: Audrey TavesSchool of Hospitality, Recreation and Tourism: Judy HebnerSchool Of Information Technology: Shelly Cunningham, Jeremy FrapeSchool Of Liberal Arts and Science: Barb RitchieSchool of Media Studies: Nancy RodriguesSchool Of Social and Community Services: Grace Nostbakken

As well, the Implementation Team would like to recognize the invaluable support of • Robert Gordon, Humber College President: Dr. Gordon struck the Generic

Skills Task Force and the Implementation phase and has fully supported theinitiative in its various stages.

• Joe Aversa, Chair of the Generic Skills Task Force, and member of the TaskForce who provided the framework for the Implementation team to moveforward.

• Richard Hook, Humber College VP Academic, sponsor of the Generic SkillsInitiative: Because of Dr. Hook’s constant guidance, support, feedback andimmense flexibility, this initiative has developed successfully in spirit and inaction.

• The Deans who made Generic Skills a priority and who supported facultyand staff to work on the initiative.

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HUMBER COLLEGETHE GENERIC/EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS INITIATIVE

Generic/Employability Skills are transferrable Skills that provide the foundation for astudent’s academic, vocational, and personal success. Humber College’sGeneric/Employability Skills initiative has evolved over several years and has included theengagement of staff, faculty and administration from across the college.

In 1995, Ontario’s College Standards and Accreditation Council (CSAC) published a reportoutlining Generic Skills Learning Outcomes required for two and three year collegeprograms. In 1996, Humber president Dr. Robert Gordon struck a Task Force to furtherdevelop generic/Employability Skills for Humber College. This Task Force, with college-wide representation, produced a report that identified six major categories ofGeneric/Employability Skills and their related subsets. The major categories areCommunications, Personal, Interpersonal, Thinking, Mathematics, and ComputerSkills.

After the Task Force completed its report, the Generic Skills Implementation team wasestablished. The major goal of the team was to work with college programs to help themensure that Humber’s graduates have met the learning outcomes of the sixGeneric/Employability Skills. The Implementation Team’s Project Leaders have compiledresource manuals that identify the learning outcomes and specific instructional objectivesfor each learning outcome. The manuals also offer examples of techniques for teaching,reinforcing and evaluating the skills and samples of Best Practices. This information isvaluable for faculty and administrators in new and established programs who areincorporating Generic Skills into the curriculum.

Judy ClarkeGeneric/Employability Skills Coordinator

Generic Skills Resource Manuals

Book 1A: Communications Skills Barbara Ford

Book 1B: Writing Across the Curriculum Karen Golets Pancer

Book 2: Personal Skills Pat Hedley

Book 3: Interpersonal Skills Grace Nostbakken

Book 4: Thinking Skills Sheila Money

Book 5: Mathematics Skills Jim Watson

Book 6: Computer Skills Shelly Cunninghamiii


Table of Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Humber College’s Generic/Employability Skills: Thinking Skills

4.1 Critical Thinking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.2 Problem-Solving/Decision-Making . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44.3 Creative Thinking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54.4 Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Methods of Teaching Thinking Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Methods of Evaluating Thinking Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Faculty Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Appendix A - Summary of Humber College’s Thinking Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Appendix B - Sample Exercises/Assignments for Thinking Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Appendix C - Assignments Requiring a Variety of Generic Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

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1Humber College Generic Skills Thinking Skills

Introduction

Many verbs in the English language refer to thinking. Some of these are analyse, assess,assume, believe, calculate, conceptualize, consider, contemplate, determine, estimate,hypothesize, invent, mediate, propose, rationalize and understand, and this list is notexhaustive. All thinking depends on knowledge. Thinking skills provide a commondenominator for all fields of knowledge. Thinking is a mental activity that occurs all thetime. Thinking is a skill which is best developed through experience and practice. Thisskill can be considered more definitively under four main categories: critical thinking,problem-solving/decision-making, creative thinking and research. The ability to thinkeffectively is essential to cope with the constant changes in society and to live happy,productive lives. Teachers have a responsibility in the classroom to assist students todevelop thinking skills.

The ability to think clearly is one of the most important skills an individual can possess. Thinking skills need developing for the individual to achieve satisfaction, success andupward mobility in society. Without adequate thinking skills, people have difficultycoping with the constant societal changes in their lives. Thinking skills providestudents with confidence so that they can have some control over their lives. Studentslearn to think critically when they have opportunities and reasons to think critically, andthey learn from other critical thinkers. Paul (1993) says “An open society requires openminds. Collectively reinforced egocentric and sociocentric thoughts, conjoined withmassive technical knowledge and power, are not the foundations for a genuinedemocracy” (p. 209). This manual attempts to define thinking skills, to describe the subsets of thinking, to indicate learning outcomes and instructionalobjectives, and it offers some suggestions for teaching strategies to assist in thedevelopment of effective thinking skills.

This version of the Thinking Skills manual would not have been possible without thework completed by Bernie Wosnick. Many thanks to Bernie for researching and writingthe first edition of the Thinking Skills Manual and for his immense contribution to theGeneric Skills Initiative in its first year.

A summary of the Generic/Employability Skills Learning Outcomes and InstructionalObjectives for Thinking Skills can be found in Appendix A. (Note: Generic/Employability Skills will be referred to as Generic Skills in most parts ofthis manual.)


Humber College’s Generic/Employability Skills: Thinking Skills

This manual attempts to define thinking skills, to describe the subsets of thinking, toindicate learning outcomes and instructional objectives, and it offers some suggestionsfor teaching strategies to assist in the development of effective thinking skills. Somethinking skills are also described in several of the other Generic/Employability Skillsmanuals.

4.1 CRITICAL THINKINGCritical thinking is purposeful thinking in which the individual in an orderly manner identifies the standards and procedures of thinking. Critical thinkers also continuallyseparate, evaluate and reflect on facts, ideas and thoughts without bias or prejudice (Paul, 1993). Furthermore, opposing points of view are sought out by the criticalthinker.

Learning Outcome

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to apply critical thinking skillsin order to make decisions, plan strategies, and question established ideas.

Explanation - The following illustrates critical thinking: a college student receivesconsistently poor grades. The student rationalizes this situation by assuming thatpersonal problems beyond his/her control are preventing the achievement of goodgrades. A non-critical thinker accepts this assumption as truth and does not try toimprove the situation. A critical thinker examines the assumption and asks questionssuch as: What are my unique problems? Who has problems similar to mine? Are therestudents with more serious problems than mine who are achieving good grades? Whatcan I conclude from this data? Why do I have no control over my problems? What ismy evaluation of the original assumption?

In the past, it was assumed that each student inherited a certain level of thinking abilitywhich would remain static or evolve in the course of studying certain subjects. Thus,education focussed on didactic teaching rather than on encouraging creative andproblem-solving skills. Learning information is very important, since prior knowledgeprovides the foundation which allows us to question, analyse, and evaluate informationin the process of thinking critically, but education is now responding to learner andemployer needs by focussing on critical and creative thinking and is clearly shiftingfrom a teacher-centred system (transferring information) to a learner-centred system(active participation by the student).


Instructional Objectives

The student will be able to

4.1.1 Identify premises, conclusions and reasons to justify thinking4.1.2 Assess the validity and soundness of arguments4.1.3 Draw conclusions about how information can be used4.1.4 Evaluate the process used in assessing hypotheses and creating models.

Questions that develop Critical Thinking Skills

Is it important for our students to be productive members of the workforce?

What will facilitate student learning?

Are schools the best place to prepare students for the workforce?

Can critical thinking be taught?

How effective is the lecture method in teaching critical thinking?

Sample Teaching Strategies for Critical Thinking

1. Encourage students to critique a textbook. All textbooks have strengths andweaknesses. To develop critical thinking skills, students should be encouraged toquestion and think about the consequences and the implication of the knowledgepresented, not just to memorize the information for test purposes.

2. Stress not only the importance of being good citizens but additionally explore how toachieve this goal in a course such as politics.

3. Encourage students to reflect on the overtly negative stereotypes such as idealcapitalism and socialism.

4. Discuss topics such as chief exports of countries and have students think about theimplications and the consequences of such activities.

For related information, consult the manual Generic/Employability Skills,Communications Skills: Critical Reading located in Section: 1.2 (Ford, 2003).


4.2 PROBLEM-SOLVING/DECISION-MAKING

Problem-solving is a process to resolve perplexing situations by assessing the quality ofthe information and ideas, eliminating biases, establishing criteria and judging thecredibility of sources. Extensive practice in problem-solving is essential to developingcritical thought (Paul, 1993).

Learning Outcome

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to apply his/her knowledge todemonstrate an ability to solve problems and make decisions in his/her subject area.

Explanation - Every time we learn, remember, or construct something, we solve aproblem. Problems can be specific such as technical, mathematical, medical, social orethical, and the list could continue. Technical problems might include the work ofplumbing or repairing a computer. Mathematical problems might include makingchange after the purchase of merchandise or measuring the speed of sound. Medicalproblems often consist of making a clear diagnosis or performing surgery. Socialproblems in our society include finding solutions to homelessness, poverty, and childabuse to mention only a few. Finally, examples of ethical problems could include issuesconcerning cloning and the availability of abortions. These problems are diverse anddifferent strategies will be required to solve them.



4.2.1 Identify and define problems within the context of the course of study4.2.2 Gather data related to the problem4.2.3 Generate a set of appropriate alternative solutions4.2.4 Select and implement the best alternative.

Questions that Develop Problem-Solving Skills/Decision-Making

1. How does one repair a personal computer? (This question requires the student tocollect information, make a plan, implement actions that result from the plan, and thenevaluate whether the plan has achieved the desired result.)

2. What statistical procedure should we use on a particular set of data? Should nurses berequired to wear uniforms on duty? (There is no right or wrong answer; a decision isrequired.)

3. How can we make health care available to all citizens?

4. How do teachers decide on the standards for their courses?


Examples of Problem-Solving/Decision-Making

1. Students are able to determine the type of problem with which they are confronted.

2. Students are able to recognize the limits of their information and their thinking skills,and also their potential for thinking through the problem.

3. Students are able to conduct inductive reasoning which provides some support butless than conclusive support for the conclusions reached in the problem-solving process.

4. Students are able to conduct deductive reasoning which provides absolutelyconclusive reasons for accepting a solution reached in the problem-solving process(Moore and Parker, 1991).

4.3 CREATIVE THINKING

Creative thinking is often limited to the context of certain kinds of activities that achievestandards of quality and originality, but we all think creatively, whether or not weengage in activities that are called creative and artistic. Learners require experience andencouragement in creative and artistic activities to become creative thinkers (Smith,1990).

Learning Outcome

Upon completion of this course, the student will demonstrate the ability to thinkcreatively and/or produce products.

Explanation - Most creative thinkers have very broad interests, and they often do notuse standardized methods for problem-solving. The creative thinker embraces changesand is confident in his/her own judgment. Trial and error are often used in reachingconclusions. The creative learner is able to generate ideas and products to satisfy asocietal need. The strategies and products will be evaluated according to how they meetthe identified needs.



4.3.1 Create new ideas, concepts, products and systems by using idea-generatingstrategies

4.3.2 Create innovative strategies and /or products to anticipate or meet emergingneeds by using a variety of thinking skills

4.3.3 Play with ideas and have the confidence to look at information, ideas, beliefs,problems, and existing systems in new ways.


Questions that Develop Creative Thinking

1. Ask a question and try to have it answered in an unusual way. e.g. How many usescan you think of for a bath towel other than the standard use?

2. Argue against the following statement: “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.”

3. Ask a question such as “What recent creative idea have you had or heard about?”

4. Ask a question such as “What creative activity have you experienced recently?”

5. Study a splotch and generate as many meanings as possible to explain the splotch.

Examples of Creative Thinking Skills

1. Horticultural students could prepare plans for a landscaped garden, attending toclimatic conditions, cost, and maintenance.

2. Business students could prepare an investment portfolio for an elderly client beingaware of the client’s present financial situation and financial needs in the future.

3. Marketing students could produce an effective marketing plan for a new collegecourse.

4 Technology students could create a device that would alert drivers when they are tooclose to the driver in front for the speed they are driving.

5. Music students could be asked to develop music that would correlate with emotionssuch as joy, fear, anger.

6. Media study students could be asked to produce a program that would appeal tochildren viewing it in the year 2010.


4.4 RESEARCH

Research reflects the ability to identify a problem, gather relevant information, organizethe information, identify the relevance of the material and then solve the identifiedproblem or provide new information uncovered by the process (Miller and Babcock,1996).

Learning Outcome

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to collect and analyze data tounderstand the research process.

Explanation - Students must understand how knowledge is organized, how to findinformation and how to evaluate it. People who are able to understand this process ofusing information to direct their own process of enquiry are said to be information-literate. Research is a careful, systematic investigation in some field of knowledge. Thepurpose of research is to discover or establish facts or principles or solutions toproblems. Research is a process in which a problem is identified; a structure is designedfor the study; and a sample is decided on. All data are collected and analyzed, and thefindings are described and conclusions are made. Some college students may actuallypublish the results of their research; however, the standard is that students be able toread research critically in their field of study.



4.4.1 Identify the nature of the information required to answer a question4.4.2 Use various sources of information to gather data4.4.3 Organize the information appropriately4.4.4 Analyze the information and select relevant, important, useful data.

Questions to Develop Research Thinking Skills

1. How do you carry out research?

2. Is the research design appropriate for the problem?

3. Is the sample representative of the population under study?

4. How are subjects selected?

5. Are the limitations of the study noted?


Examples of Research Thinking Skills

To assist the student to develop research thinking skills, the teacher might give thestudent an appropriate research report and ask the following questions: 1. What is the problem?

2. What is your interest in the problem?

3. Is the research question stated clearly?

4. Is the literature review relevant?

5. Is the research design identified?

6. How were the subjects selected?

7. How was the data collected?

8. Are the results clear and logical?

9. Does the data answer the research question?

10. Does the evidence justify the conclusions?

For a discussion of computer skills needed to accomplish electronic research, consult themanual, Generic/Employability Skills: Computer Skills, Section 6.5: InformationLiteracy (Cunningham, 2003).

For further discussion regarding research skills, see Generic/Employability Skills:Communications Skills, Section 1.2: Reading Skills and Section 1.5: Communicatingthrough Evolving Media (Ford, 2003).

Critical thinking, problem-solving, creative thinking and research have been describedas four subsets of thinking skills. These four components of thinking are thecornerstones of the development of thinking skills in the college system. The emphasisshould be not on what to think but on how to think. Making students aware of theseconstructs and practising the techniques will improve their ability to think.

(Several of these learning outcomes are also linked to the Generic/Employability Skillsof Communication, Personal, Interpersonal, and Mathematics and may be developed inpartnership with some of the teaching and evaluation strategies for these skills. Seecorresponding manuals.)


Methods of Teaching Thinking Skills

To make critical thinking an important part of a curriculum, students must practise andbecome actively involved in the process. Students who are enthusiastic about the taskare very likely to succeed. They need to come to an understanding of what criticalthinking is, how it is achieved, and when and why it is essential for the learning process. Students need to be motivated to analyze and question assumptions and biases. Activities in the classroom should act as a catalyst for discovery, discussion and inquiry.

One of the goals of critical thinking is to empower students so that they can takeresponsibility for their own learning. Opportunities for students to practise critical-thinking abilities in the classroom must be provided. There needs to be time forreflection, questioning and probing. Discussion with others who use critical thinkingtechniques will be helpful in adding to the variety of methods of developing these skills.

A very important technique for infusing critical thinking into the subject matter is theuse of critical questioning, as the underlying method of prompting reflective analysisrather than simply eliciting information which only reveals the students’ knowledge andassumptions. Specific questions assist students to recognize their assumptions and tocontemplate various alternatives. Specific questions related to specific events,situations, people, and actions should be asked. “Think back to a class and identify anevent in which you felt that you were successful at critical thinking.” Students can beasked to imagine that they are required to judge the performance of someone who isperforming a task that they might have to complete. They are encouraged to think aboutwhat elements are the most important to succeed at this assignment.

Critical questioning can be used to reach all levels of learning, according to Bloom’staxonomy (Bloom, 1956). To elicit knowledge, the question might be “What isgeometry?” At the comprehension level, the question would be “What effect doesgeometry have on the individual?” An application question might be “How doesgeometry affect people in their daily lives?” An analysis question might be “What arethe differences and similarities between geometry and algebra?” The synthesis questionmight be “What are the major effects of geometry on your life?” This type ofquestioning allows students to think about the answers to these questions.

Case studies or real life situations can be presented to the students to develop criticalthinking and decision-making around problems in a specific subject area. These casestudies can begin with very simple problems and progress to complex issues that requirehigh-level cognitive skills. The case study also lends itself to learning by group activityand brainstorming. The teacher observes the procedures and ensures that the studentsare achieving realistic and effective solutions that they will find valuable in their lifeexperiences.


Computer-assisted instruction has been employed to develop problem-solving abilitiesby students in many disciplines. At the present time, many computer programs arefocussed on the basic knowledge of the discipline, the lowest denominator of theproblem-solving process. Programs that encourage the development of higher-levelcritical thinking will need to be developed if this teaching methodology is to be usedroutinely. It is important to point out that some students will find computers an effectivelearning experience while other students will achieve better results with other methodsof learning.

Writing has been found to be an effective method to develop critical thinking abilities. When students are required to express themselves by writing, it allows students to thinkin the abstract and to generalize, interpret, and reason, facilitating critical thinking. Often faculty are reluctant to require writing because of the time it takes to mark andcritique the work, but the importance of writing as a method of developing criticalthinking should not be underestimated, and teachers need to evaluate this carefully. Many disciplines have used journal writing as a method of practising and reinforcingcritical thinking. Many authors attest to the effectiveness of this strategy in developingcritical thinking skills. Additionally, the ability to write logically and succinctly is a veryimportant skill for the educated person.

Interviews are another technique that can be used to facilitate critical thinking instudents. Students in pairs discuss controversial subjects or questions that are difficultto comprehend. The teacher may need to evaluate the questions the students will ask tomaintain a high level of teaching, learning and critical thinking.

The Critical Debate is effective as a learning tool in developing thinking skills. Students are asked to take an unfamiliar perspective on an issue and explain in asupportive manner a position with which they disagree. For example, the teacher framesa controversial motion about which the students are well-informed and asks them tovolunteer for teams which will speak for and against the motion. Then the teams areasked to switch sides. The teams are given twenty minutes to prepare their argumentsand to select one member to speak for them. Each spokesperson has ten minutes topresent the case. After both teams have presented, team members have ten minutes todiscuss possible rebuttals. An additional five minutes is given to each team to presentrebuttals. There must be a twenty to thirty minute debriefing following the rebuttals. Students analyse and discuss their reactions to the activity, the kinds of thinking thatoccurred, their success at arguing for viewpoints with which they were uncomfortable,and the performance of their opponents.

Critical Incident Exercises prompt students to identify an incident or event that forsome reason was of particular significance to them. For example, think back over thelast six months and identify an incident at work that you remember as causing you thegreatest discomfort, pressure, or difficulty.


Write down, in no more that one half page, a brief description of the incident:

(1) when and where it occurred,

(2) who was involved (roles and titles rather than personal identities may be given here)and

(3) what it was about the incident that was important.

Group Brainstorming is another technique that effectively encourages critical thinkingskills. An example of a task where brainstorming could be used would be to create asmany musical instruments as you can in the allotted time with any materials that youpossess. You should strive for a variety of musical instruments. Your goal is bothquantitative (numerous instruments) and qualitative (variety of instruments).

The above strategies relate to the how of developing critical thinking skills. There arePsychological Strategies that are equally as important as the methods. For instance,critical thinking must be strongly affirmed by the facilitator, and students must beencouraged to identify and challenge assumptions and to explore alternative ways ofthinking and acting. Diversity and divergence should be accepted. Risk-taking andspontaneity must be valued. Openness, critical analysis, diversity of opinion andchallenges to existing ways of thinking should be encouraged.

It is important when developing critical thinking that we assure people, in our actionsand in our words, that they are respected and valued. Challenging questions should notthreaten the integrity of individuals. Facilitators need to examine their activitiescritically and need to be ready to learn from their mistakes.

The necessity of listening sensitively to learners is a very important skill for facilitators. Recognizing others’ perspectives and coming to understand things from their point ofview is the essence of attentive listening. When developing critical thinkers, it isimportant that we attend both to their verbal and nonverbal behaviours. This attention isnecessary to make informed judgments about when to do something about a situationand when to allow the conflict or discomfort to continue.

Motivating students to think critically is essential. Techniques for identifying the risksinvolved in critical thinking and assisting the students to realize the most effective waysof developing their ideas will vary according to the context. Basically, developing adultcritical thinkers’ motivation, communication and support is necessary for success.


Methods of Evaluating Thinking Skills

Evaluation, the teacher’s essential, final step, tells the teacher how the student hasprogressed and how effective the learning process has been. To make accuratejudgments, teachers need to have a high degree of confidence in the data they collect. To collect reliable data, the teacher needs to determine the benchmarks or standards ofperformance against those on which the student will be judged.

There are two types of standards that need to be considered. Absolute standards aremuch like criterion-referenced tests (based on expert knowledge), while relativestandards are much like norm-referenced tests ( comparing the student against thegroup). Some of the critical elements of evaluation follow: 1. faculty must be very clear about what they wish to evaluate;

2. there must be a transparent purpose for the evaluation;

3. relevant criteria or standards based on purpose must be established;

4. sufficient information must be present to evaluate the process;

5. the criteria must be applied accurately;

6. additionally, the evaluation must capture the increase in knowledge and thinkingskills the students gain as they move from one semester to the next.

The variety of evaluation techniques that faculty can use includes: written tests such asrecall items, true-false items, matching items, and multiple-choice items. Besideswritten examinations, evaluation can be completed with essays, project work, researchpapers, reports on reading, anecdotal records, questionnaires, debates, and self and peerevaluation, using rating scales. Multiple choice questions as evaluation are not favouredby many critical thinkers; but, if constructed skilfully, this type of testing can reflect thedevelopment of the critical thinking skills of the students and an evaluation can beobtained. A more effective type of evaluation would result if a variety of testingtechniques were used in the evaluation process.

To think critically and to demonstrate in our actions the insights we gain by so doing, isone of the most powerful activities of our lives. The rewards produced are the reasonwe persist in thinking critically. Critical thinkers are engaged in a continual process ofcreating and re-creating their personal, political and work life. We do not think that wehave all the answers. We do have confidence that the beliefs and the actions we take, asa result of our beliefs, are the result of a process of careful analysis and testing againstreality.


Faculty Resources

Faculty may wish to consult additional resources if they require additional informationabout how to teach or evaluate Thinking Skills.

General Arts and Science Department of LAS

The General Arts and Science programs, a division of Liberal Arts and Sciences, offercourses in problem solving and critical thinking. Faculty who teach these course areexcellent resources for exercises, lessons or ways to include Thinking Skills into thecurriculum. The General Arts and Sciences offices are located in K201 at the Northcampus.

The Library

Humber College’s libraries contain a selection of books on Thinking Skills. The librarystaff can also help instructors link with appropriate internet sites that are a source ofadditional materials.

The North Campus library is located in NX block and the Lakeshore library is located inroom B107.

The Writing Centre

As well as helping students with writing skills, the Writing Centres have up-to-datematerial on researching methods and documentation styles.

The North Campus Writing centre is located in room D225E (in the Open LearningCentre) and the Lakeshore Campus Writing Centre is located in room B203.


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Norris, S.P. (1992). The generalizability of critical thinking. N.Y: Teachers CollegePress.

Paul, R.W. (1988) Two conflicting theories of knowledge, learning, and literacy: Thedidactic and the critical. Rohnert Park, CA: Centre for Critical Thinkingand Moral Critique.

Paul, R.W. (1989). Critical thinking in North America: A new theory of knowledge,learning and literacy. Argumentation, 3, 197-235.

Paul, R.W. (1993). What every person needs to survive in a rapidly changing world.Rohnert Park, California: Foundation for Critical Thinking.

Paul, R.W. (1993). Critical thinking: How to prepare students for a rapidly changingworld. Rohnert Park,California: Foundation for Critical Thinking.

Paul, R.W., & Elder, L. (2000). Critical thinking: Teaching students the logic of writing.Journal of Developmental Education, 23 (3), 36-37.

Sagan, C. (1987). The fine art of baloney. Parade, Feb.1, 12-13.

Schon, D.A. (1983). The reflective practitioner. New York: Basic Books.

Siegel, H. (1980). Critical thinking as an educational ideal. The Educational Forum, 45(1), 7 November, 23.

Siegel, H. (1988). Educating reason: Rationality, critical thinking, and education. London: Routledge.

Smith, F. (1990). To think. New York: Teachers College Press.

Stallard, J. J. (1992). A strategy for teaching critical-thinking skills in businesscommunication. Bulletin of the Association for Business Communication,55 (3), 20-22.


Appendix A

A Summary of Humber College’s Generic/Employability Skills: Thinking Skills

The Thinking Skills as outlined in Humber’s Generic/Employability Skills Task ForceReport are listed in four subsets. To facilitate the identification of Thinking Skills forprogram application, a summary of the skills and associated learning outcomes andinstructional objectives is listed on the next page. A detailed explanation of the skillswith examples and sample evaluation techniques is presented in the manual.


A Summary of Humber College’s Generic /Employability Thinking Skills

4.1 CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS

Learning Outcome

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to apply critical thinking skillsto make decisions, plan strategies, and question established ideas.



4.1.1 Identify premises, conclusions and reasons to justify thinking4.1.2 Assess the validity and soundness of arguments4.1.3 Draw conclusions about how information can be used4.1.4 Evaluate the process used in assessing hypotheses and creating models.

4.2 PROBLEM-SOLVING/DECISION-MAKING

Learning Outcome

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to apply his/her knowledge todemonstrate an ability to solve problems and make decisions in his/her subject area.



4.2.1 Identify and define problems within the context of the course of study4.2.2 Gather data related to the problem4.2.3 Generate a set of appropriate alternative solutions4.2.4 Select and implement the best alternative.


4.3 CREATIVE THINKING

Learning Outcome

Upon completion of this course, the student will demonstrate the ability to thinkcreatively and/or produce products.


The student will be able to 4.3.1 Create new ideas, concepts, products and systems by using idea-generating

strategies4.3.2 Create innovative strategies and/or products to anticipate or meet emerging

needs by using a variety of thinking skills4.3.3 Play with ideas and have the confidence to look at information, ideas beliefs,

problems, and existing systems in new ways.

4.4 RESEARCH

Learning Outcome

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to collect and analyze data tounderstand the research process.



4.4.1 Identify the nature of the information required to answer a question4.4.2 Use various sources of information to gather data4.4.3 Organize the information appropriately4.4.4 Analyze the information and select relevant, important, useful data.


Appendix B

The following are examples of “Best Practices” for Thinking Skills that have beensubmitted by faculty from various programs. These should be helpful in illustrating howThinking Skills can be taught, reinforced or evaluated.


Example #B: 1

Thank you to Deborah Dunbar from the School of Social and Community Services forsubmitting the following example.

This assignment involves research and critical thinking.

NEWSPAPER ASSIGNMENT

OBJECTIVE: For the student to demonstrate an understanding of the complex issuesrelated to children’s rights, our changing attitudes in society, and relevant legislation.

EXPECTATIONS:

Collect at least 5 different newspaper articles that relate to the information that you arelearning in this course. Each article should deal with specific news items, not globalissues. Appropriate news items may contain issues related to:

- the changing attitudes in society- the rights of children and youth- topics related to the legislation that you are learning about.

Choose one of these articles and address the following:

• Summarize the news item, including all relevant information (i.e. who, what,where, why, when and how). Be sure to reflect both sides of the story ifapplicable. (3%)

• What parts of the news item pertain to the rights of the child? (5%)

• How do the changing attitudes in society play a role in the news item? What arethe positive and negative viewpoints? (5%)

• What legislation does or could relate to this article? How so? (5%)

• What would you propose as a solution? What are the pros and cons contained insuch a solution? (5%)

** You need to submit all of the articles that you have collected for thisassignment. All articles must be dated and the sources identified. Clearly identifywhich article you are writing about. (2%)


Example #B: 2

Thank you to the faculty in the School of Health Sciences for submitting this case study.

A Case Study

MATERNAL - NEWBORN NURSING

The client is a 16-year old sophomore in high school. She is single and lives with herparents. The client is at 32 weeks gestation with her first pregnancy. She had beenexperiencing lower back pain and slight abdominal cramping for 6 hours prior to comingto the hospital. Her vaginal examination reveals that she is 0-cm dilated and her cervix isthick and high. The fetal monitor shows mild contractions every 5 to 6 minutes, and thefetal heart rate varies between 142 and 150 beats per minute. The client wants to have thebaby now stating, “I’m tired of this and want to get it over with. I’ve heard that lots oftimes premature babies do just fine.” The client’s parents and her 18-year-old boyfriendare at her bedside.

1. What can you deduce about the client’s physical and psychological status?

2. What additional data would further support your deductions?

3. How do the client’s maturational needs differ from those of a woman in her late 20's orearly 30's?

4. What is the significance of the client’s statement about premature babies?

5. If you taught the client about the dangers of premature delivery at this time, howeffective would such information be?

6. What biases, if any, do you hold about adolescent pregnancy? How many biasesinfluence the care rendered to pregnant adolescents?

7. How is the pregnant adolescent similar to the elderly primigravida?

8. What critical thinking skills did you use to answer the questions pertaining to this case?


Example #B: 3

Thank you to Gary Noseworthy, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, for submitting thefollowing two examples of using logic to solve problems.

LOGIC PROBLEM / MINDBENDER

FILE THIS

The G.A.S. department recently went through major renovations and part of the changewas that the 4-drawer filing cabinets were repainted so that each drawer was a differentcolour. Since he is organizationally impaired, Gary decided to use the change to hisadvantage: he refiled his course notes according to the new colour scheme.

1. He refiled his math notes in a drawer somewhere below the blue drawerand above the red one.

2. He did not put his Problem Solving notes in the bottom drawer.

3. One of the drawers is yellow.

4. His Advising notes are not in the red drawer.

5. The green drawer is somewhere above the one containing his Advisingnotes and below the one that now holds his Critical Thinking notes.

Where and in what coloured drawer did Gary file his notes?


Example #B: 4

... and another example from Gary Noseworthy

An AGE OLD PROBLEM

Five teenagers - - each of whom had a different age (13, 14, 15, 16 or 17) were pulled overby the police late one night in violation of the curfew law. Each of them was asked his orher age because the eldest was deemed to be responsible for the others and was going tobe charged .

In a vain attempt to fool the officer, the three passengers who had odd numbers as theirages, lied when making their statements, while the driver and the other passenger madetrue statements. From the clues below, determine who the driver was and who wascharged.

1. Lenny said: “There is a two-year difference betweenMary’s age and my own.”

2. Mary said: “I’m one year older than Naomi.”

3. Naomi said: “I’m younger than Oliver.”

4. Oliver said: “There’s a two-year difference betweenPetunia’s age and my own.”

5. Petunia said: “There’s a one-year difference betweenLenny’s and Naomi’s age.”

6. The driver was legally old enough to drive in Ontario.


Example #B: 5

Thank you to Stella Eyles, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, for submitting theseexamples of Brainstorming and Clustering or Mapping.

Techniques for Brainstorming

The following steps will help students to brainstorm effectively for the main points andsupporting points of a topic. This technique can be taught as a whole class exercise or agroup exercise before the students begin brainstorming on their own.

Choose a topic, for instance “unemployment”.

Have the class offer all thoughts that come to mind about unemployment that answer thefollowing questions:

Who?What?When?Where?Why?How much?How many?

The students must then select the relevant points from their list as some of the generatedpoints will work with the assigned topic and some will not. For example, one relevant point from the students’ list might be “poverty”. Now thestudents must go through the list of seven questions again to brainstorm for the support point on “poverty”. The students will go through this process of selecting and discardingpoints until they have enough main points and supporting points for the assigned topic.


Example #B: 6

Techniques for Clustering or Mapping

Thanks again to Stella Eyles.

This is an effective technique for visual learners. Also, see an example of mind-mappingin the Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) manual, Appendix C.

Select a topic ( for example “unemployment”).

Steps for Students to Follow:

1. Write the word “unemployment” in the centre of the page, and then draw a bubble(circle) around the word.

2. Then write down all the ideas (around the bubble) that have to do with unemployment.

3. Draw a bubble around the words that are relevant to the topic.

4. Now draw an arrow between the relevant points to the centre word (“unemployment”).

5. Cluster the ideas in the outer circles that fit together. For example, cluster all of theideas that have to do with the causes of unemployment, or effects of unemployment, etc.

If the bubbles don’t provide enough ideas, the students can combine this technique withthe brainstorming set of questions.

Encourage the students to think of all ideas that come to mind - even silly ones. These canbe discarded later, but they provide an element of fun to the exercise, and they may lead toa creative set of supporting points.


Example #B: 7

With thanks to Allan Guttman from the School of Creative and Performing Arts

Allan uses “branching” as described in examples # 6 as clustering or mapping. However,Alan also uses the “Rant” as described below to elicit creative ideas.

The “Rant”

The student must speak aggressively and non-stop for several minutes about whateversubject (preferably one they care about) comes to mind. They keep the pace going and theemotions high. The idea is to bypass the internal censor and thus find unforseenassociations and unexpected directions for developing the original subject.


Example # B: 8

With thanks to Diana Belshaw, School of Applied and Creative Arts for submitting thisexample of how to teach and reinforce Thinking Skills over several semesters.

Theatre Performance

1. We require our students to do a lot of journal writing from the very first moment.We ask the acting students to do a weekly reflective journal in which they areexpected to consider the links between their classes and how one feeds anothere.g.”How does your voice effect, reflect or contradict your work in acting class,etc?”

2. Our first year students were given a reading list from which they were asked toselect a number of books. Their written responses were again expected to examinethe application of theory from the books to their training. What do they do thatreflects or contradicts what’s in the book?

3. In the third year, Professional Orientation class, students are expected to do a lot offiguring out! We do an exercise, for example, in which they are asked to assesstheir skills and talents - why would a theatre hire them? What are their strengths? We don’t let them go into weaknesses (which they will all do at the drop of a hat).Then they will do a presentation of their audition piece (could be an interviewtechnique) and the rest of the class is expected to comment on the strengths evidentin the work. What skills are they showing that an employer would want? Can theystrengthen the presentation of those skills?

4. Another quick exercise I do in acting class is to assign the same piece of text toeveryone - they then interpret and present the scene. The point is that each personwill bring something individual to it and can interpret it completely differently buteach person MUST research, interpret and so on. Again, this is a demonstration ofthe fact that there is no one way to do things - no right or wrong - and the need forthe application of critical interpretive thinking.


Example # B: 9

Thanks to George Byrnes, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, for submitting thisexercise.

Critical Thinking Exercise

"All I know is what I read in the newspapers."--Will Rogers

The following article is apt to displease most Canadians. Before you compose a response toit, I want you to analyze what is being said from a logical point of view. I've included a fewreferences from Internet resources that will help you to examine the logic of the argumentsput forward by Pat Buchanan and Maude Barlow.

In your response, I would like you to focus on the information value of this article. Let'sassume this is the one piece of information that people receive about this topic (which is oftenthe case with newspaper articles). How informative, then, is the article? And by extension,since most people form their opinions about the world from newspapers and TV reports,should we be more wary of the media?

Arguments and Fallacies

In order to understand what a fallacy is, one must understand what anargument is. Very briefly, an argument consists of one or more premises andone conclusion. A premise is a statement (a sentence that is either true orfalse) that is offered in support of the claim being made -- the conclusion(which is also a sentence that is either true or false).

...A fallacy is, very generally, an error in reasoning. This differs from a factualerror, which is simply being wrong about the facts. To be more specific, afallacy is an "argument" in which the premises given for the conclusion do notprovide the needed degree of support.

From http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/

There are many fallacies. One set of fallacies focuses on the people or authoritiesassociated with an issue rather than on the reasons to believe or disbelief a conclusion.While on some occasions it is useful to cite authorities, it is almost never appropriate todiscuss the person who is the authority instead of the argument.


Attacking the Person: (1) the person's character is attacked (2) the person's circumstances are noted (3) the person does not practise what is preached

Appeal to Authority: (1) the authority is not an expert in the field (2) experts in the field disagree (3) the authority was joking, drunk, or in some other way not being serious

Anonymous Authority: the authority in question is not named

From http://www.datanation.com/fallacies/index.htm

Red Herring: a fallacy in which an irrelevant topic is presented in order todivert attention from the original issue. The basic idea is to "win" an argument by leadingattention away from the argument and to another topic.

From htp://www.nizkor.org/features/falacies/

The Article

NEWYORK (CP) - Outspoken U.S. TV host Pat Buchanan is calling Canadaa "Soviet Canuckistan" for its criticism of a U.S. law demanding photos andfingerprints fromCanadian Middle East visitors to the country. "It's the blameAmerica first crowd," Buchanan said today during his two-hour showBuchanan and Press on the cable network MSNBC. "The Canadians . . . havebeen defended by the United States, they pay nothing for defence.

"That place is a complete haven for international terrorists," he told co-hostBill Press. "Even their own retired security guys say it's a complete haven. We. . . need lectures from some people, not from Soviet Canuckistan."

An MSNBS spokesperson said the network had not received any complaints.

But Maude Barlow, of the group Council for Canadians, said from Ottawa:"It's a disgusting and disgraceful statement based in ignorance."

"The Sept. 11 terrorists came from within the U.S. There's no evidence tosupport the statement that Canada is a haven. We don't have snipers runningaround with guns ... that's not our culture."


Example #B: 10

With thanks to Schelley Hiebert-Thorne from the School of Social and CommunityServices. This pretest allows students to evaluate how well they have learned materialfrom their Thinking Skills course work after they have had class lessons on the materialand after they have completed course readings.

Research Practice TestOpen Book

1. What is the source of our understanding in human inquiry?

2. List all the errors in personal human inquiry.

3. What are the foundations of scientific inquiry? What practices do they involve?

4. The traditional image of science includes:

5. What does the deductive (quantitative) method of inquiry do?


6. What does the inductive (qualitative) method of inquiry do?

7. What are the 4 basic components of research studies (that direct the flow andpresentation of the written report and (briefly) identify what each component is setout to do?

From your readings and class lectures, please be prepared to answer the following:

< What do scientists do to guard against over generalizations in their work?

< Why can we build theories in social sciences?

< What is objective and subjective theory?

< How can we describe data?

< What do central measures of tendency include?

< What is the mode, medium, and mean of measure?

< When is the frequency of distribution of data positively or negatively skewed? When is it normal?

< Can you identify the definition of Standard Deviation?

< What is a ratio, nominal, ordinal, and interval scale?


Terms:

Science - A process involving an alternative of deduction and induction.

Paradigm - A fundamental model or scheme that organizes our view of something.

Fact - Something that has been observed.

Theory - A systematic explanation for a set of facts.

Variable - A logical set of attributes.

Attribute - A characteristic, such as ‘female’ or ‘middle or high income.’

Operationalization - Steps, procedures or operations that one goes through in actuallymeasuring and identifying variables.


Appendix C

Thinking skills are often taught and evaluated in the same lessons and assignments asother skills. This appendix contains examples of assignments that ask for the students toshow their knowledge and/or expertise in several areas including Thinking Skills. Someof these assignments would be suitable for end-of-course evaluations or for capstonecourse evaluation of Generic Skills.


Example #C: 1

Thanks to the School of Social and Community Services for submitting this assignment. By completing this assignment, students will demonstrate presentation skills, teamwork,time management, and the thinking skill of creativity.

Family InterventionStep

(Systematic Training for Effective Parenting)

PresentationsEach student is expected to participate in a group presentation on an assigned topic fromThe Parents’ Handbook.

Date of presentations:

Procedures and expectations:

1. Groups will be assigned in class on (add date).

2. There will be 6 groups with 4 to 6 people in each group.

3. Each group will be assigned one topic from the group.

4. Presentation will begin on (add date) and will go in order of the topics on the topicsheet.

5. Each group will have 15 minutes to present the relevant material from the topic to theclass who will be representing parents.

6. From their topic, each group is to choose the important points to “teach” the parentparticipants using what you know about running successful parenting groups and howadults learn best. You have creative freedom to do this any way that you wish.

7. You are to monitor your own time. If you are not winding up I will give you a twominute warning after which time I will cut you off. It is the group’s responsibility to makesure that EVERYONE in your group has an equal share of the presentation.


8. Each student will have an opportunity to ask one question (from apparent’s perspective)directed to one student who is presenting. Therefore, each presenter will have onequestion from a “Parent Participant” to respond to during their presentation. The purposeof this is for you to practice your skills in dealing with “parents” and their struggles.

9. Just prior to presenting, each group is to submit to the instructor a multiple choicequestion based on the material they will cover in their presentation. The instructor willuse these questions on the final test!

Evaluation: Your presentation is worth 10% of your final grade.

You will be evaluated on the following:

- your involvement in the class time devoted to planning- your understanding of the material- your organization and time management during your presentation- your individual delivery of the material and response to questions posed to you- your creativity in presenting (VERY IMPORTANT)- your participation and question as apparent participant- the submission of a fair, thoughtful test question.


Example #C: 2

Thanks to Mike Planche, the Business School, for submitting the following assignmentthat requires the students to use math, reading, writing and computer skills. It alsorequires the students to work in teams and to problem solve and think critically about thecontent of the report.

Bank Systems Case # 1 – Group Case

Mr. and Mrs. Mah have come in to see you about their financial situation. Duringyour first interview uncovered the following details about the client:

Ling-Chi, 33, and her husband Peter, 30, are always dreading unexpected bills. Just whenthey find they have accumulated some savings, a car or house repair bill or other expensesfor their two preschool children crop up and erode their small savings. Despite theircombined annual income, the Mah's do not have much financial breathing room. Theyrely heavily on credit card debt even though they are not extravagant. They currently have$200 in their savings account and are $950 overdrawn I n their chequing account.

The Mah's live in Kitchener, Ontario and enjoy a decent quality of lifestyle. Peter worksas an accountant for a furniture manufacturer in Toronto, earning $51,000 per year fromwhich, 28% is deducted for income tax, CPP and EI. Ling-Chi stays at home with theirtwo girls during the day. An excellent cook, Ling-Chi earns an income of $750 a weekcooking for a catering company. She does not consider working as a chef to beworthwhile given her taxes, CPP and EI are 23% of income, and babysitting expenses takeanother $120 per week. Ling-Chi takes 4 weeks per year as holidays.

Their detached home with a garage and a large backyard (currently $215,000), cost them$200,000 3 years ago and the mortgage is now up for renewal. The original mortgage of$124,735 had a 15-year amortization with a 3-year term at 9.0 %. They make monthlypayments that include property taxes of $2,800 per year. They will renew their mortgagewith the same bank at 7.00% for 5 years, but keep the remaining amortization. It is in anice neighborhood with many of the small-town amenities that are important to Peter andLing-Chi.

The long commute for Peter makes a decent, reliable car more of the necessity than aluxury. Car expenses have been fairly high for the Mah’s costing $530 per monthincluding gas, parking and maintenance but not insurance, which adds another $1400 peryear. The Mah's have relied heavily on credit cards for many of these expenditures. Creditcard debt now totals $15,000 and payments are 5% of the balance each month (assumepayment is always 5% of $15,000). Their car is a 1999 Toyota which is still held assecurity for a debt consolidation loan they took out 3 ½ years ago for $18,000 over 5 yearsat 11.75%.


Their Kitchener house was another source of unexpected expense. When they moved in,they were plagued by constant blown fuses. Several minor repairs followed by a major,overall re-wiring of their house last year that set them back $3,500. This cleaned out theirsavings.

Other than the children's needs, they economize on just about everything. Peter oftencomplains about his wardrobe and shops only when the sales are on. He has a generouscompany-sponsored health insurance benefit plan that has served them well in savingmoney for normal childhood afflictions. His employer also provide a life insurancebenefit covering Peter for three times his annual salary and includes disability insurancethat provides him 70% income coverage as long as he is off work.

Peter buys a $3,000. Savings Bond through equal monthly payroll deductions each yearstarting in November (ignore the interest), but immediately cashes them in to pay forChristmas expenses in late October each year. "We need every dollar," he says, defendinghis inability to put aside much money for an RRSP. Peter had $32,000 in his RRSP at theend of last year but had to withdraw $2,500 during the year to meet bill payments.

Over the next 3 – 5 years, they hope that Ling-Chi will be able to work full-time, andPeter will receive an annual salary increase of $3,500 starting in May 1, 2003

Heating costs them about $116 per month and they spent $8,000 on food, $2,225 onclothing and another $1,650 on personal care. They spend about $60 a month on moviesand other entertainment and their various phones and cells cost them $250/month. Cableeats up another $1,200 per year with hydro expected to increase by 12% from this yearstotal of$1,404.

In addition to their older car ($7,000), they have a small boat worth about $2,500 that wasgiven to them by a friend who was moving. They have managed to accumulate $2,300 insavings toward their children’s education that they have set aside in an RESP. Petercontributes $125 every two weeks into an RRSP. Apart from this, they have no otherassets but estimate their furnishings to be worth $10,000.

REQUIRED:Prepare an evaluation report covering each of the seven areas of Financial ConceptManagement answering the questions below. The report must be 3-4 pages max. apartfrom your cover page which, must include your team name and a listing of each groupmember. You must use a 12 font, double-spaced with a 1 inch top, bottom and sidemargin.

1) Briefly, describe the Mah’s financial situation under each of the FinancialConcept Management areas.

2) List several questions that you would like to ask the Mah’s under eachFinancial Concept Management area during your next meeting. (Remember,many of them must be open-ended.)

39

3) List the 3-4 main areas of concern your group believes the Mah’s have andprioritize them.

Reports must be submitted to your instructor via email with an attachment in Wordby the start of class.

40

Example #C: 3Thanks again to Mike Planche, the Business School, for sharing this assignment whichrequires students to work in teams, present their material in interviews, create solutionsand write a proposal. All of this must be done in a specific time frame using creativethinking, problem solving and critical thinking to retrieve the information and to distill itin the interview and the written proposal.

Putting it all TogetherUp to now, you have learned various techniques for dealing with customers, identifying

their needs, categorizing them under specific financial management concepts and closing

the sale. The final portion of your mark will be based on three client scenarios and a class

presentation. In each of these scenarios, you will be interviewing a client to determine

their needs and providing a financial recommendation to your client. At the end of

scenario three, your group will present the case and solutions to the class. The scenarios

will proceed as follows;

Scenario 1

(Feb 25th) - Each team will select an initial interviewer. That interviewer will have 20

minutes to perform the initial interview based on a process and questions we have studied

in class. The goal of the interview is to focus on getting the information relevant to the

client ‘s main reason for coming into your bank. Each group will then prepare a written

proposal recommending the appropriate product to the client (teacher) at the beginning of

class on March 11th.

The interview in Scenario 1 will be done in front of the whole class to facilitate

learning.

Scenario 2

(Mar 11th) - Each team will select a different interviewer from scenario 1. That

interviewer will have 20 minutes to perform the interview based on the refined process

from scenario 1. The goal of the interview is to focus on getting the information relevant

41

to the client‘s main reason for coming into your bank, and to start gathering additional

information about other possible needs.

Each group will then prepare a written proposal recommending the appropriate product to

the client at the beginning of class on March 18th.

(Mar 18th) - The third team member will have 20 minutes to meet with the client, review

the recommended proposal and close the sale.

Scenario 3

(Apr 08th) - Each team will select a new team member to conduct a different client

interview. This person will have up to 25 minutes to perform the interview based on the

refined process from scenario 2. The goal of the interview is to obtain a complete client

profile and fully apply the Financial Concept Management model. Each group will then

prepare a 15-minute case analysis of the client with a recommended solution set for

presentation and review by the class on April 15th.

(Apr 15th) - Each team will select a different team member who will have 15 minutes to

present an analysis of your case and the recommended solution set to the class, and be

prepared to answer questions. The information gained in this presentation may or may not

be used during your client presentation the following week.

(Apr 22nd) - The final member of each group will meet with the client to review their

written client proposal and close the sale.

Marking: Marks will be accorded for all aspects of the process and will begenerically based on the following:· Creating the climate for the interaction· Professionalism · Questioning, Listening and Communication skills· Financial Concept Management· Ability to Close the sale· Referral Generation

Every group will have the option to videotape for the group to review. Each group mustarrange for their own equipment to be present in class.

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