Critical Thinking Workshop

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Critical Thinking Workshop

• George Mason University
• Center for Teaching Excellence
• February 28,2007

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Agenda

• Introductions
• Background and workshop goals
• What is Critical Thinking?
• What is Critical Thinking in our disciplines?
• Developing assignments to encourage Critical
  Thinking

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Goals for Today

• Articulate what critical thinking means
• Identify elements of critical thinking as it
  appears in our disciplines
• Plan or revise a Critical Thinking assignment and
  appropriate assessment

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What do we see?

• Higher Order Thinking Skills (Bloom)
• Application
• Analysis
• Integration
• Synthesis
• Evaluation
• and?.

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What is Critical Thinking?

• Simple etymological
• Greek-discerning judgment standards
• Expert
• Critical Thinking is purposeful, self regulatory
  judgment which results in interpretation,
  analysis, evaluation, and inference, as well as
  explanation of the evidential, conceptual,
  methodological, criteriological, or contextual
  considerations upon which that judgment is
  based.1
• 1988-90 American Philosophical Association
  Delphi Report

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Aspects of Critical Thinking

• Purposeful productive
• Process of judgment
• Mindful of assumptions
• Informed by multiple inputs
• Self-regulatory
• Contextual awareness
• Evidence based
• Reasoned consideration
• Recursive

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George Mason and Critical Thinking

• George Mason Mission Statement
• Pilot SP 07 Assessment
• Critical Thinking across the Curriculum (CTAC)

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Questions..

• Use your card as a starting point
• What is Critical Thinking in my discipline?

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Scoring Guides Rubrics

• George Mason Critical Thinking Rubric
• Please refer to your handouts for the Gold Rubric
• http//assessment.gmu.edu/StudentLearningCompetenc
  ies/Critical/Standards.html

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Sample Writing Rubric
Rubric for grading a research paper
Available on www.gmu.edu/cte/teaching
Please refer to your handout
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Observations

• What are some things you observe
• about these examples of rubrics?
• Why rubrics or scoring guides?

• Assist with
• focus on goals
• efficient grading
• course and program development
• multiple section congruence
• student understanding of assignment and its
  evaluation

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More Questions----

• Use your cards and notes as starting points
• With a Partner
• How do we know if Critical Thinking occurs?

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Examples of assignments with scoring guides or
rubrics

• Washington State
• Miami University
• A Sample Assignment Format

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In my course (s), activities
Refer to the matrix handout and your notes

• What aspect of CT do I want to address?
• What is a good assignment or activity to focus on
  that aspect?
• What is an appropriate assessment of how well CT
  was demonstrated?

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Aspects of Critical Thinking

• Purposeful productive
• Process of judgment
• Mindful of assumptions
• Informed by multiple inputs
• Self-regulatory
• Contextual awareness
• Evidence based
• Reasoned consideration
• Recursive

There is a GREEN sheet circulatingjoin us to
learn more by being a rater for the CT assessment
this semester!
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Report Back

• Something I might do is

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Evaluation

• If you are willing to share your ideas, please
  put your name, e-mail MS on your card turn it
  in. The card will be returned.
• Please complete the evaluation
• Thanks for coming!!

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Contacts

• Karen Gentemann, Associate Provost,
• Institutional Effectiveness
• gentman_at_gmu.edu, 703-993-8836
• Laurie Fathe, Associate Provost,
• Educational Improvement,
• lfathe_at_gmu.edu , 703-993-8671
• Mary Zamon, Assistant Director,
• Office of Institutional Assessment
• mzamon_at_gmu.edu , 703-993-8618

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Resources

• Using Blooms Taxonomy in Creating Assignments
  http//www.umuc.edu/ugp/ewp/bloomtax.html
• Washington State -Elements of Critical Thinking
• http//wsuctproject.wsu.edu/
• Miami University Critical Thinking Project
• http//www.units.muohio.edu/led/Assessment/critic
  althinking/index.htm
• The Complete American Philosophical Association
  Delphi Research Report http//www.insightassessmen
  t.com/dex.html
• Paul, E., Elder, L., and Bartell, T. ( 1997).
  Study of 38 Public Universities and 28 Private
  Universities To Determine Faculty Emphasis on
  Critical Thinking In Instruction.
• http//criticalthinking.org/research/Abstract-RP
  AUL-38public.cfm
• George Mason University Office of Institutional
  Assessment http//www.assessment.gmu.edu/index.htm
  l
• George Mason University Center for Teaching
  Excellence http//www.gmu.edu/cte/