Developing Critical Thinking in Student Clinicians: The Role of Questions

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Developing Critical Thinking in Student
Clinicians The Role of Questions

• Elizabeth Gavett, MA, CCC-SLP
• Boston University
• Ruth Peaper, M Ed, CCC-SLP
• University of New Hampshire

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SETTING THE STAGE

• Think about critical thinking What is it?
• Examine the role questioning behavior plays in
  critical thinking.
• Analyze supervisor supervisee questions.

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Contentions

• We supervise more effectively and efficiently
  when we are aware of the assumptions behind the
  questions we pose.
• Questions posed by students offer a valuable
  window into their understanding of the clinical
  process and disorder knowledge.
• The quality of thinking is reflected in the
  quality of questions.

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COMPONENTS Understanding Planning
Observation Analyzing Integrating
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What is Critical Thinking?

• A unique kind of purposeful thinking
• In which the thinker systematically and
  habitually
• Imposes criteria and intellectual standards upon
  the thinking
• Taking charge of the construction of thinking
• Guiding the construction of the thinking
  according to the standards

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Critical Thinking (contd)

• Assessing the effectiveness of the thinking
  according to the purpose, the criteria and the
  standards.
• From Paul, R. (1993). Critical Thinking, 3rd
  Edition.
• Santa Rosa, CA Foundation for Critical
  Thinking.

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CORE CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS

• Inference
• Explanation
• Interpretation
• Analysis
• Evaluation
• Self-regulation
• Facione, Facione,
  Giancarlo, 2000

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DISPOSITION TOWARD CRITICAL THINKING

• Inquisitive
• Systematic
• Judicious
• Analytical
• Truth seeking
• Open-minded
• Confident in Reasoning
• Facione, Facione,
  Giancarlo, 2000

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APPLICATION TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

• Clinical thinking IS critical thinking!

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Blooms Taxonomy 6 Levels of Complexity in
Behavior
Evaluation Synthesis
Analysis Application
Comprehension Knowledge
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Blooms Taxonomy (Contd)

• Knowledge Recall of information
• list, describe, identify, name
• Comprehension Understanding information
• discuss, summarize, contrast
• Application Use information
• apply, illustrate, demonstrate

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Blooms Taxonomy (Contd)

• Analysis Application of knowledge to a new
  situation.
• Analyze, separate, order
• Synthesis Bringing together parts.
• integrate, formulate, generalize
• Evaluation Judgments about the value.
• assess, judge, convince

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Blooms Taxonomy (Contd)

• Lower Level (Foundation behaviors)
• Knowledge
• Comprehension
• Application
• Higher Level (Putting it all together)
• Analysis
• Synthesis
• Evaluation

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How can we use Blooms framework for question
asking?

• Become aware of the complexity of our questions
  and modify when necessary.
• Become aware of potential gaps in student
  foundation knowledge.
• Become aware of the complexity level in
  supervisees questions and track over time.

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Eureka Moment

• Designing the Instructional Process to Enhance
  Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum
• Inquiring Minds Really Do Want to Know Using
  Questioning to Teach Critical Thinking. (King,
  A., 1995)
• Article offers a pedagogical process and specific
  methodology (questions) for encouraging critical
  thinking.

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Inquiry Based Instruction vs. Inquiry Based
Learning

• Inquiry based learning structured around
  questions posed.
• If questions posed are primarily factual,
  learning will not progress beyond the factual
  level.
• Learning improved when questions stimulate
  students to use the facts for analysis,
  prediction, synthesis, evaluation and
  inferencing.
• New clinicians need to begin to ask these
  question of themselves How do we facilitate?

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Why Should Supervisors Examine Their Questions?

• Supervisor questions can
• 1. Provide a model for how an expert clinician
  reasons.
• 2. Provide structure for supervisees as they
  begin to make connections between theory and
  practice.
• 3. Challenge students to think beyond a
  specific client toward broader applications.

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Modeling Supervisor Self-Talk

• Supervisors think out loud throughout the day.
• The reason I.
• I wonder if
• Pose the questions for yourself that require
  making connections - go beyond factually based
  questions.
• Questions that will require us to model the kind
  of thinking we want to develop in our students.
• Let students see that the process can be complex
  and sometimes messy even for proficient/expert
  clinicians.

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Sample Question Stems King, 1995

• What do we already know about.?
• Activation of prior knowledge
• How could be used to..?
• Application
• What is the difference between and..?
• Compare/contrast
• What are the pro/cons of..?
• Analysis/inferencing

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Sample Question Stems (cont.)

• How doeseffect?
• Analysis of relationship (cause-effect)
• Explain whyoccurred?
• Analysis of situations
• Why is ..important?
• Analysis of significance
• What is a counterargument to?
• Rebuttal

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Sample Question Stems (cont.)

• What would happen if..?
• Analysis/inferencing
• What is the best..and why?
• Evaluation and provision of evidence
• What is a solution to this problem?
• Synthesis
• What is another way to look at?
• Considering other perspectives
• (King,
  1995)

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Strategies for Using Questions in Your Setting

• Consider asking supervisee to formulate questions
  on
• Lesson Plans
• Session Management Summary
• Soap Notes or other Clinical Documentation
• Journal Entry
• End of Day Question
• Portfolio Reflections

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Bibliography

• Anderson, J. (1988). The supervisory process in
  speech-language pathology and audiology. Boston
  College Hill Press.
• Bloom, B.S. (Ed) (1956). Taxonomy of educational
  objectives The classification of educational
  goals Handbook I, cognitive domain. New York,
  Toronto Longmans, Green.
• Facione, P., Facione, N., Giancarlo, G. (2000).
  The Disposition toward Critical Thinking its
  Character, Measurement, and Relationship to
  Critical Thinking Skill. informal Logic, Vol. 20,
  No.1.
• King, A. (1995). Designing the instructional
  process to enhance critical thinking across the
  curriculum. Teaching of Psychology. Vol. 22,
  No. 1, pp. 1-17.
• Paul, R. (1993). Critical thinking, 3rd edition.
  Santa Rosa, CA Foundation for Critical
  Thinking.

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Thank you!