critical thinking

CRITICAL

THINKINGCRITICAL

THINKING

As Teachers, we are asked to be critical and creative because these are vital parts of learning.

However, critical and creative thinking

was rarely taught to us while in training

Do you know that… Albert EinsteinAlbert Einstein was 4 years old before he

could speak and 7 before he could read?

Beethoven’sBeethoven’s music teacher once told him, “As a composer, you are hopeless?”

Winston ChurchillWinston Churchill failed in the 6th grade?

Isaac NewtonIsaac Newton did poorly in grade school?

Thomas Edison’sThomas Edison’s teacher told him that he was too stupid to learn anything?

• Do you recognize these people?• Do you consider them famous for their

critical and creative thinking skills?• They seemed to have problems when

they were in school.• Perhaps their being critical

and creative thinkers got them into trouble.

• It is possible that their teachers imposed so many unnecessary restrictions on their natural behavior that hampered critical thinking.

Some rules of order and conformity in the classroom often stiflestifle the critical thinking of young people.

As teachers,As teachers, we must we must perceive all learners perceive all learners as potentially critical as potentially critical and creative thinkers.and creative thinkers.

What is THINKING SKILL?

Thinking is beyond the level of repeating or memorizingbeyond the level of repeating or memorizing information. Thinking is processing experiences by editing or rearranging them (Matthew Lipman)

Thinking is bringing intellectual faculties into playbringing intellectual faculties into play. It requires one to ponder, reflect or weigh a matter mentally (Webster’s Dictionary)

Thinking is a complex actcomplex act comprising knowledge, attitudes and skills that allow the individual to shape his/her environment more effectively than intuition alone (Orlich)

There are really many views on thinking.There are really many views on thinking.

For you, who are looking for ways to motivate For you, who are looking for ways to motivate students to think…students to think…

Thinking is the act of withholding Thinking is the act of withholding judgment in order to use…judgment in order to use…

new new information, information, concepts or concepts or conclusions.conclusions.

new new information, information, concepts or concepts or conclusions.conclusions.

experiencexperiencee

experiencexperiencee

knowledgeknowledge

Make lesson plans that include thinking skills. Ask thought-provoking questions such as

“How do you know?” “Why…?” Call on students to tell what they understand. Connect each lesson to students’

experiences. Ask students to summarize the lesson

creatively.

What is Critical Thinking? It is the art of taking charge of the power of your

own mind. It is about living and learning what empowers you

and your students In practical ways. It is thinking beyond basic recall of information. It involves asking questions to establish ideas,

create new ideas, solve problems and make decisions.

Assists in the transformation of information into something that can be used to anticipate the future.

It requires choices and responsibility.

Asking question is the heart of critical thinking.

Questioning to develop critical thinking requires students to; Raise issues; Discover ideas and things; Pursue problematic areas; Seek clarity and relevance of ideas; and Find evidence and make conclusions.

An individual who thinks critically…

Is open minded; Studies the whole situation; Looks for varied choices; Uses credible sources; Takes a position and justifies

it; and Is sensitive to the feelings of

others.

What is the difference between critical critical thinkingthinking and ordinary thinkingordinary thinking?

Believing AssumingAssuming

Preferring EvaluatingEvaluating

Associating concepts Formulating principlesFormulating principles

HypothesizingHypothesizing

Offering opinions Offering opinions with reasonsOffering opinions with reasons

Making judgments Making judgment with criteriaMaking judgment with criteria

Supposing

PRACTICAL APPROACH TO CRITICAL THINKING

How can critical thinking be taught?1.1. RecallRecall is the simplest action. You recall facts,

describe objects and events or put them into sequence.

2.2. Noting similaritiesNoting similarities is the action to compare the likeness of situations, ideas, people, etc.

3.3. Noting differencesNoting differences is the action to examine what is different about ideas, events or objects by contrasting them.

4.4. Identifying cause and effectIdentifying cause and effect is the action to analyze the reasons, consequences or make predictions.

How can critical thinking be taught?

5.5. Forming generalizationsForming generalizations is the action of grouping facts or events into patterns.

6.6. SubstantiationSubstantiation is the action that moves from general to specific.

7.7. EvaluationEvaluation is the action that judges things or events. Based on the facts gathered, you determine the value of an idea or concept.

Example Modules:

CLASSIFICATIONCLASSIFICATION

DISCRETEDISCRETE classification:

YELLOWYELLOW

REDREDBLUEBLUE

OVERLAPPINGOVERLAPPING classification:

BIG

REDCIRCLE

HIERARCHY

SMALLSMALL

CIRCLECIRCLE

YELLOWYELLOW

HOW MANY BEADS ARE THERE INSIDE THE BOX?

IDENTIFYING PATTERN/RELATIONSHIPS

COUNT THE SQUARES!

REPRESENTING RELATED CONCEPTS

NETWORK TREE

REPRESENTING RELATED CONCEPTS

CYCLE

REPRESENTING RELATED CONCEPTS

COMPARISON

TIMELINE

REPRESENTING RELATED CONCEPTS

PROBLEM -SOLUTION -EFFECTS

REPRESENTING RELATED CONCEPTS

REPRESENTING RELATED CONCEPTS

SPIDER WEB

REPRESENTING RELATED CONCEPTS

MATRIX OR GRID

Here are some guidelines for teaching critical thinking:

Ask students to explain and clarify terms in their own words.

Ask thought-provoking questions such as Why? How? What makes you think so? How do they compare? Which would be more useful?

Here are some guidelines for teaching critical thinking: Make judgments based on credible sources,

such as, experts, agreement between sources, reputable individuals, etc.

Solve problems to make conclusions. Use variety of teaching strategies to

promote critical thinking skill such as problem solving and decision making.

Encourage group problem solving and decision making. Your students will enjoy learning together.

What are the values of teaching critical thinking?What are the values of teaching critical thinking?

1. the more the students use it, the better critical thinkers they become.

2. The more quality questions they ask, the better critical thinkers they become.

3. When students ask questions, there is interaction of new information with what they already know so new knowledge is created.

4. This newly created knowledge helps them become more effective persons and hopefully assists them in realizing their life goals.