Ideas to Action (i2a)

College of Business Critical Thinking Workshops

Session #1: What is Critical Thinking?

January 15, 2010

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Welcome and Introductions

• Julia Karcher

• Lynn Boyd

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Session Objectives

1. Articulate the relevance of i2a

2. Precisely define critical thinking

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Overview of COB CT Workshops

Workshop Goals:• Increase faculty familiarity and utilization of the Paul-Elder

critical thinking framework.

• Identify and engage faculty in strategies to incorporate critical thinking content and exercises in classes for implementation fall 2010.

• Complete a curriculum map of The Elements of Thought and Universal Intellectual Standards for the business core courses.

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Overview of COB CT Workshops

Workshop Outputs:• Curriculum map

• Common critical thinking sheet for the syllabi with the “wheel”

• 1-2 page template for each course that includes a description of the Fundamental & Powerful Concepts, Central Course Question, the Universal Intellectual Standards, and The Elements of Thought.

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Overview of COB CT Workshops:

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Structure:•5 sessions on Fridays from 10-11:30•Group participants by course to complete activities as a team

Dates and Topics:January 15: What is critical thinkingFebruary 12: Fundamental and Powerful Concepts, Central Course QuestionFebruary 26: Elements of ThoughtMarch 26: Universal Intellectual StandardsApril 16: Designing critical thinking strategies and assignments

i2a Team

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Dr. Patty PayetteExecutive Director, i2a

Associate Director, Delphi Centerfor Teaching & Learning

Dr. Cathy Baysi2a Specialist for Assessment

Dr. Edna Rossi2a Specialist for Critical Thinking

Associate Professor Psychology

Dr. Nisha Guptai2a Specialist for Culminating Experiences

Harry PickensSpecial Assistant to the

Provost for New Initiatives

Thomas W. EvansGraduate Assistant

Ideas to Action: the basics Ideas to Action (i2a): Using Critical Thinking to Foster Student

Learning and Community Engagement is our Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP).

Part of our accreditation report to SACS-COC to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to student learning

Our 10-year initiative we created to renew our focus on critical thinking and community engagement and the undergraduate experience.

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Call to action at UofL

“Our extensive consultation with all University constituencies yielded a surprisingly strong and clear call for education focused on the skills and knowledge needed to deal with real-world issues and problems, an education in which students can see the importance of the parts (the courses) to the whole (their education as citizens

and workers).” [QEP Report, 2007]

http://louisville.edu/ideastoaction/files/finalreport.pdf

skills and knowledge

real-world issues and problems

the parts to the whole

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i2a: connecting classroom, campus and community

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Critical Thinking is:A=TrueB= False

1. skilled thinking which meets epistemological demands irrespective of the vested interests or ideological commitments of the thinker.

2. skilled thinking characterized by empathy into diverse opposing points of view and devotion to truth as against self-interest.

3. skilled thinking that is consistent in the application of intellectual standards, holding oneself to the same rigorous standards of evidence and proof to which one holds one’s antagonists.

4. skilled thinking that demonstrates the commitment to entertain all viewpoints sympathetically and to assess them with the same intellectual standards, without reference to one’s own feelings or vested interests, or the feelings or vested interests of one’s friends, community or nation.

5. the art of thinking about your thinking while you’re thinking so as to make your thinking more clear, precise, accurate, relevant, consistent and fair.

 

Paul, R., Binker, A. Martin, D. & Adamson, K. (1995). Critical Thinking Handbook: High School, Santa Rosa, CA: Foundation for Critical Thinking, Pages 351-156.

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Critical Thinking is:A=TrueB= False

6. the art of constructive skepticism. 7. the art of identifying and removing bias, prejudice and one-sidedness of thought. 8. the art of self-directed, in–depth, rational learning. 9. thinking that rationally certifies what we know and makes clear wherein we are ignorant. 10. the art of thinking for one’s self with clarify, accuracy, insight, commitment and fairness.

Paul, R., Binker, A. Martin, D. & Adamson, K. (1995). Critical Thinking Handbook: High School, Santa Rosa, CA: Foundation for Critical Thinking, Pages 351-156.

Activity

• Critical Thinking Quiz

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Critical Thinking & Faculty

• Paul, 1996• 140 randomly sampled California college faculty• indicate critical thinking is a primary objective

of their instruction– could give a clear explanation of critical

thinking– had difficulty describing how to balance

content coverage with fostering critical thinking– could articulate how to assess critical

thinking

89%

19%

77%

8-9%

Best Faculty Practices in Critical Thinking

• Plan critical thinking activities• Model critical thinking skills• Provide multiple, diverse, unique real-world

exercises

(novel situations)

• Faculty Speak! Video

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(From: Scriven and Paul, 2003)

UnderstandingConceptsAppreciation

DecisionsSynthesize

Application

i2a Definition of Critical Thinking

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Critical Thinking ExerciseWorking in groups of 2, you will need a flip chart and a marker to:

1)At the top of a sheet of paper fill in the blank by completing this sentence :“I see or hear critical thinking when my students are_____”

2) At the bottom of the same sheet of paper fill in the blank by completing this sentence :“When my students are not thinking critically, I notice_________”

A Well-Cultivated Critical Thinker:

Raises vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly and precisely

Gathers and assesses relevant information, using abstract ideas to interpret it effectively

Comes to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them against relevant criteria and standards

Thinks open mindedly within alternative systems of thought, recognizing and assessing, as needs be, their assumptions, implications, and practical consequences

Communicates effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems

19Miniature Guide page 2

CT Exercise

1. How does the description of a well-cultivated critical thinker (Miniature Guide page 2) compare with your descriptions of students who are and are not thinking critically?

2. What do you see in common with the two?

3. How does this fit with your ideas about what students need to be able to do in college and in the world beyond?

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Critical Thinking Framework Adopted for i2a

Richard Paul-Linda Elder Framework

Agreed upon by all reviewers (virtually perfect inter-rater reliability)

Most comprehensive (many ‘models’ merely narratives)

Discipline- neutral terminology

Provides a common language/terminology for discussing, modeling and measuring critical thinking that can be readily applied to all disciplines

Has a wealth of discipline specific resource materials

http://www.criticalthinking.org 21

Paul-Elder Critical Thinking Framework

Intellectual Standards

Elements of Reasoning

Intellectual Traits

Must be appliedto

to develop

AccuracyClarityRelevanceLogicalSufficiency

PrecisionDepthSignificanceFairnessBreadth

Which leads to deeper

PurposeQuestionPoint of viewInformation

InferencesConceptsImplicationsAssumptions

HumilityAutonomyFair-mindednessCourage

PerseveranceEmpathyIntegrityConfidence in reasoning

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Faculty Perspective

“I think that for decades I have given my students many opportunities to engage in critical thinking, and I have modeled critical thinking in class discussions. But I don’t think I can claim ever to have taught critical thinking in a systematic way. The model gives me a way to share a critical thinking vocabulary with students and to chart their progress. I know and can tell my students exactly what I am looking for.”Spring 2008 Pilot Program Participant, Department of English

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CoB Faculty Perspective

“My experience with the FLC has been both affirmative and transformative: it has provided context and clarity to some of the methods I was already using, but also expanded my horizons and deepened my understanding of how students learn.”

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Imad Elhaj, Ph.D., Finance Department, College of Business

Upcoming Events: Mark your calendars

Critical Thinking Workshops by

Dr. Stephen Brookfield Thursday, February 4, 2010

Shumaker Research Building 139

Celebration of Teaching and

Learning, “Engaging Teaching,

Engaging Learning” Keynotes: Dr. Stephen Brookfield

Dr. Robert Gonyea

Friday, February 5, 2010

Shelby Campus

Community Engagement Showcase

co-sponsored by Ideas to ActionMonday, April 12, 2010

Red Barn

i2a Institute on Critical Thinking Keynotes: Dr. Gerald Nosich

Dr. Susan Wolcott

May 24-27, 2010

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What’s Next?

• Complete Worksheet I

• Read:oMiniature Guideo Chapter 3 in the Nosich book

• For more information, visit http://louisville.edu/ideastoaction

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