Critical Thinking in Education

Integrating Critical Thinking

Into Learning Activities Across the
Curriculum

Eric Rusten & Susan Schuman – USAID/PAEM & MoE

Critical Thinking Activities
 Critical Thinking in Language Learning
 Critical Thinking in Math – Topology
 Critical Thinking in Science – How do
planes, birds and insects fly?
Perspectives of Critical Thinking
 Critical Thinking Survey:
 Defining Critical Thinking
 Some Attributes of a Critical Thinker:
Curiosity Problem solver Evaluates statements
Asking
& arguments
pertinent
Seeks new Actively
questions Willing to examine beliefs,
solutions shares new
knowledge assumptions & opinions
Admits a lack of
knowledge & Distinguishes Sees critical thinking as a life-long
understanding between facts process of self-assessment

Seeks proof and opinion Open to changing

Reflective
ones mind
Seeks evidence to support
Accepts others beliefs Waits till all facts
assumptions and beliefs
and opinions before making
Seeks clarity and exactness judgments
Actively enjoys
Careful and active observer learning Humility
Critical Thinking Model
Defining Critical Thinking &
Describing Critical Thinkers
 “Critical thinking is the disciplined mental activity of evaluating
arguments [information] or propositions and making judgments
that can guide the development of beliefs and taking action.”
Ennis (1992)

 Critical thinking is both a frame of mind and a set of mental

capabilities.

 “Critical thinkers: distinguish between fact and opinion; ask

questions; make detailed observations; uncover assumptions
and define their terms; and make assertions based on sound
logic and solid evidence. Ellis, D. Becoming a Master Student, 1997
Perspectives on Critical Thinking

 Critical thinking is based on concepts and

principles, not on hard and fast, or step-by-
step, procedures.
 Critical thinking does not assure that one
will reach either the truth or correct
conclusions.
 Circuital thinking is a continuous process
and often doesn’t lead to a final conclusion.
 Critical thinking is hard intellectual work
 Critical thinking is an intellectual skill that
can (must) be learned and improved
 Data >> Wisdom Chain

Data > Information > Knowledge > Wisdom

Perspectives on Learning
All reasoning/thinking/learning:
 starts and progresses with questions and a
need to understand;
 occurs within points of view and frames of
reference;
 proceeds from some goals and objectives,
has an informational base;
 uses data/information that must be
interpreted and this interpretation involves
concepts, values, assumptions, past
knowledge, inferences, biases, etc.
Critical Thinking, Creative Thinking,
Problem Solving, Scientific Thinking,….

 Critical Thinking
 Creative Thinking
 Scientific Thinking & Process
 Problem Solving
 Decision Making
 Map of Thinking Domains
Scientific Thinking Creative Thinking Critical Thinking
•Understanding/theory •Original Product •Critical judgment
•Hypothesis •Create Possibilities •Assessing information
•Experiment(s) •Create Metaphors •Inference-using evidence
•Observations •Testing •Deduction-if…then
•Conclusion(s) •Refining •New or refined perspective

Decision Making Problem Solving

•Well-founded decision •Best solution
•Consider options •Consider options
•Predict consequences •Evaluate consequences
•Select best option
•Choose best solution
Creative Thinking

● ● ●

● ● ●

● ● ●
Problem Solving
 Suspend a 500 franc coin over water in a
glass using a 1000 Franc note.
 What is the problem? (Parse into sub-problems)
 What do you know?
 What resources do you have and what can I do with
them?
 What constraints do you face?
 What are some possible solutions? (brain storming)
 Evaluating possible solutions.
 Selecting best bets.
 Testing best-bet solutions.
 Assessing results.
 Refining solutions.
 Proposing final solution.
Why is Critical Thinking Important?

 To learn is to think.
 To think poorly is to learn poorly.
 To think well is to learn well.
 All content, to be learned, must be
intellectually constructed.
 Memorizing IS NOT learning.
Why Critical Thinking is Important

 Underlies reading, writing, speaking, and listening . . .

the basic elements of communication, learning and
education
 Plays an important role in social change
 Helps us uncover bias and prejudice
 Is a path to freedom form half-truths, prejudice and
deceptions
 Creates the willingness to change one point of view as
we continue to examine and re-examine ideas that may
seem obvious.
 Takes time and the willingness to say three essential
words: I don't know.
 Enables us to distinguish between fact and opinion, ask
good questions, make detailed observations, uncover
assumptions and define their terms, and make
assertions based on sound logic and solid evidence
Why Critical Thinking is Important

“The future now belongs to societies that

organize themselves for learning...
nations that want high incomes and full
employment must develop policies that
emphasize the acquisition of knowledge
and [thinking] skills by everyone, not
just a select few.”

Ray Marshall & Marc Tucker, Thinking For A Living: Education And The
Wealth of Nations, Basic Books. New York. 1992.
Questions & Critical Thinking

 What do you mean by_______________?

 How did you come to that conclusion?
 What was said in the text?
 What is the source of your information?
 What is the source of information in the document?
 What assumption led you to that conclusion?
 Suppose you are wrong. What are the implications?
 Why did you make that inference? Is another one more
consistent with the data?
 Why is this issue significant?
 How do I know that what you are saying is true?
 What is an alternate explanation for this phenomenon?
Enabling Learners to Become
Quality Critical Thinkers
 CATS (Classroom Assessment
Techniques): use of ongoing classroom
assessment and reflection to monitor and
facilitate students' critical thinking.
 Ask students to write a "Minute Paper"
responding to specific questions such as:
 What was the most important thing you learned
in today's class?
 What one question related to this lesson remains
uppermost in your mind?
 How is what you learned today relevant to other
classes or life outside of school?
Enabling Learners to Become
Quality Critical Thinkers
 Cooperative Learning: putting
students in structured group learning
situations (2 or more learners) is an
excellent way to foster critical thinking.
 In cooperative learning environments,
learners engage in active, critical thinking
with continuous support and feedback from
peers and the learning facilitator
Enabling Learners to Become
Quality Critical Thinkers
 Use Questions: Learning to formulate a series of
quality questions is key to critical thinking and
becoming a good critical thinker:
 Reciprocal Peer Questioning: Following a lesson,
present a list of question stems to guide students in
writing responses in small groups. Then, the whole
class discusses some of the questions from some or
all of the small groups.
 Reader's Questions: Require learners to write
questions on assigned reading and turn them in at
the beginning of class. Select a few of the questions
as the impetus for class discussion.
 Blue Sky Questions:
 Extended Learning Questions:
 Learners’ exam questions:
 Blooms taxonomy questions:
Enabling Learners to Become
Quality Critical Thinkers
 Writing Assignments: writing for others
demands that learners think clearly to
communicate clearly.
 can be based on questions
 can be done in small groups or individually
 can use different structures: compare & contrast,
cause & effect, explanation, argument, persuasion,
etc.
 Letter to the editors (teams of learners become
editors at different news papers and readers)
 Lab / experimental reports
Enabling Learners to Become
Quality Critical Thinkers
 Dialogues/Debates: stimulates useful discussions in
the classroom:
 Written dialogues: Small groups of learners analyze written
dialogues (plays, news paper articles, etc.) and identify
different viewpoints in the dialogue, look for biases,
presence or exclusion of important evidence, alternative
interpretations, misstatement of facts, and errors in
reasoning. Each group decides which view is the most
reasonable and must defend this position. After coming to a
conclusion, each group acts out their dialogue and explains
their analysis of it.
 Spontaneous Group Dialogue/Debate: Students in one group
are assigned roles (often what they don’t believe in) to play
in a discussion (such as leader, information giver, opinion
seeker, and disagreer). Observer groups must determine
what roles are being played by whom, identifying biases and
errors in thinking, evaluating reasoning skills, and examining
ethical implications of the content.
Enabling Learners to Become
Quality Critical Thinkers
 Experiments and Collecting Data
(critical thinking in science & math)
 Discovering relationships in math and
science – pie ∏; prime numbers; area
and volume calculations; geometry;
temperature and color; height, arm span
and head size; genetics; flight and air
pressure; etc.
 Statistics and presenting information
Enabling Learners to Become
Quality Critical Thinkers
 Ambiguity: Rather than provide all
the information as fact, produce as
much ambiguity in the classroom as
possible.
 Don't give students clear cut material.
 Give them conflicting information that
they must think their way through.
 Present content as a detective story that
they must solve by answering a set of
questions.
Enabling Learners to Become
Quality Critical Thinkers
IDEALS -- Six Steps to Effective Thinking
 Identify the problem. — “What’s the real question
we’re facing here?”
 Define the context. — “What are the facts and
circumstances that frame this problem?”
 Enumerate choices. — “What are our most plausible
three or four options?”
 Analyze options. — “What is our best course of action,
all things considered?”
 List reasons explicitly. — “Let’s be clear: Why we are
making this particular choice?”
 Self-correct. — “Okay, let’s look at it again. What did
we miss?”
Critical Thinking In The Curriculum
 Earth & Life Sciences
 Physics/Chemistry
 Math
 Geography/History
 How does rainfall influence agriculture,
history, settlements, economics,
education, politics
 French (grammar & literature)
 Second languages
Participant Activities:
 Teams of two
 Prepare a 20 min. micro-learning
activity that integrates elements of
critical thinking
Suggested Planning Template
A thinking activity plan would include:

 Activity title and summary statement

 Discipline/subject(s); Grade level(s)
 Goals, objectives & learning outcomes
 Methods and Materials
 Resource needs (including time)
 Thinking skills emphasized
 Learning strategies
 Critical questions
 Activity/Lesson
 Assessing learners (teacher, peer & self)
 Extending activity beyond the classroom