Promoting Critical Thinking

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Promoting Critical Thinking

• Rick D. RuddAssociate ProfessorAgricultural
  Education and Communication
• University of Florida

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Why Critical Thinking?
Everyone agrees that students learn in college ,
but whether they learn to think is more
controversial (McKeachie cited in Joscelyn, 1988)
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Mental Structures of College Students

• Success Grades
• The prevailing model is remember and repeat
• TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT ME TO KNOW!
• Will this structure build expert thinkers?

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College teaching

• We tend to teach the way we were taught (Dunn
  Dunn)
• Reliance on didactic teaching
• Cover the material
• Much knowledge to share
• Are preparing an educated graduate or an
  instructed graduate?

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The Critical / Creative Thinking Bridge
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Critical thinking is

• Asking thoughtful questions (knowledge)
• Answering questions with good reasoning (skills)
• Believing the results of your own good reasoning
  and acting accordingly (dispositions)

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Critical thinking breakdown

• Not asking questions
• Asking questions, attempt to reason through the
  questions but making mistakes in reasoning
• Asking questions, reason through questions, but
  failing believe and/or act on your reasoning

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Macro-components of critical thinking
Critical Thinking
CT Skills
CT Dispositions
Knowledge
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The power of knowledge

• We must have knowledge in an area to think
  critically about the area.
• Although critical thinking skills are
  transferable, we learn them best within a
  context.
• There is no substitute for information, facts,
  assumptions, and data in critical thinking

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Critical thinking dispositions

• Engagement
• Looking for opportunities to use reasoning
• Anticipating situations that require reasoning
• Confident in reasoning ability
• Innovativeness
• Intellectually curious
• Wants to know the truth
• Cognitive maturity
• Aware that real problems are complex
• Open to other points of view
• Aware of biases and predispositions

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Critical Thinking skills and sub-skills

• Interpretation categorization, decoding,
  clarifying meaning

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Socratic Discussion
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Critical Thinking skills and sub-skills

• Analysis examining ideas, identifying
  arguments, analyzing arguments and assumptions

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Purpose / Question
Information / Facts / Data
Conclusion / Implications / Consequences
Elements of Reasoning
Assumptions
Points of View
Data Interpretation
Concepts / Theories
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Critical Thinking skills and sub-skills

• Evaluation assessing claims, assessing
  arguments

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Universal Intellectual Standards

• Clear If a statement is unclear we cannot
  evaluate its fit with the other standards.
• Accurate Accuracy Would reasonable people
  agree? Is it true?
• Precise Is there enough detail to completely
  understand the statement.
• Relevant Is the information connected to the
  question at hand?

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Universal Intellectual Standards

• Depth Does the statement, fact, etc. address the
  complexity of the issue?
• Breadth Are there other points of view or other
  ways to consider this question? Are you
  considering the key factors?
• Logic Does it make sense? Can you make that
  conclusion based on the information and evidence?

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Critical thinking skills and sub-skills

• Inference querying claims, conjecturing
  alternatives, drawing conclusions

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Article Critiques

• Students are limited to one typed page
• Provide citation
• Brief description of the article
• What are the fundamental and powerful concepts
  gleaned from the article (one or two)?
• How does this information relate to previous
  information / concepts / theories?
• How will the student use this information as a
  professional in the field of study?

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Critical Thinking skills and sub-skills

• Explanation stating results, justifying
  procedures, presenting arguments

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Critical Thinking skills and sub-skills

• Self-regulation self examination, self
  correction

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Designing your course to develop student critical
thinking skills
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Course Design

• What are the fundamental and powerful concepts in
  your course?
• Is your instructional time used to teach these
  concepts?
• Why do we tend to get away from the fundamental
  concepts and teach more stuff?

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Interpretation

• categorization, decoding, clarifying meaning

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Concept Matrix

• Students record the key concepts for each data
  source presented (2-4).
• Students distill the key concepts from the
  information presented (content analysis).
• Students prepare a five page paper designed to
  apply the key concepts learned in a case or
  real-world setting.
• Oral final examination based on student
  interpretation of the course concepts .
• The concept matrix is a great tool for
  comprehensive examinations!

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Socratic Discussion
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Analysis

• examining ideas, identifying arguments, analyzing
  arguments and assumptions

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Purpose / Question
Information / Facts / Data
Conclusion / Implications / Consequences
Elements of Reasoning
Assumptions
Points of View
Data Interpretation
Concepts / Theories
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Assumption into question

• ASSUMPTION Faculty in the College of
  Agricultural Consumer and Environmental Sciences
  earn higher salaries than faculty in similar
  disciplines.
• Do you think this is true / false / other ?
• How important is this assumption to YOU (1-5)
• Why is it important to you?
• Write two - three questions that you can generate
  from this assumption.
• Which questions are realistic to answer?
• Develop and implement a plan to answer the vital
  questions

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Evaluation

• assessing claims, assessing arguments

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Universal Intellectual Standards

• Clear If a statement is unclear we cannot
  evaluate its fit with the other standards.
• Accurate Accuracy Would reasonable people
  agree? Is it true?
• Precise Is there enough detail to completely
  understand the statement.
• Relevant Is the information connected to the
  question at hand?

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Universal Intellectual Standards

• Depth Does the statement, fact, etc. address the
  complexity of the issue?
• Breadth Are there other points of view or other
  ways to consider this question? Are you
  considering the key factors?
• Logic Does it make sense? Can you make that
  conclusion based on the information and evidence?

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Inference

• querying claims, conjecturing alternatives,
  drawing conclusions

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Reaching a decision

• Clarify the decision to be made.
• Identify criteria to be used in making the
  decision.
• Gather the evidence and information I need to
  make a good decision.
• Ask, What does the evidence and information mean
  in light of the criteria?
• Make a decision based on criteria, evidence, and
  information.

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Article Critiques

• Students are limited to one typed page
• Provide citation
• Brief description of the article
• What are the fundamental and powerful concepts
  gleaned from the article (one or two)?
• How does this information relate to previous
  information / concepts / theories?
• How will the student use this information as a
  professional in the field of study?

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Explanation

• stating results, justifying procedures,
  presenting arguments

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Simple argument

• State your position
• Defend your position
• 3-5 points
• Support points with information and evidence
• Support points with valid assumptions
• Re-state your position

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Other techniques for explanation

• Debates
• Oral presentations on a specific topic
• Take the other point of view and defend
• Classroom discussions
• Teaching in the round

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Self-regulation

• self examination, self correction

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Questions for self regulation

• What is my belief?
• Why do I believe this to be true?
• What evidence of information do I have?
• Can I justify my belief with evidence and
  information?
• If yes, continue to hold this belief.
• If no, question my belief and search for more
  information.
• I may need to change what I believe

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Journaling

• Students keep track of their learning
• Ask questions to prompt thinking about course
  content

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Pitfalls

• Teaching for critical thinking takes more time to
  prepare
• Teaching for critical thinking will reduce the
  amount of material covered
• Teaching for critical thinking is not popular
  with students in the beginning
• BUT

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Resources

• http//criticalthinking.ifas.ufl.edu
• http//biotechcriticalthinking.ifas.ufl.edu