critical thinking
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What does it mean to be a critical thinker?
Critical Thinking
AGENDA
• Understand the complexity of thinking critically
• Improve critical thinking skills• Learn to apply critical thinking in
everyday life• Questions? (Stop me and ask throughout)
A THINKING METAPHOR
The performance of a car does not depend on the horsepower of the car, but upon the skill with which the car is driven by the driver. So, if intelligence is the horsepower of the car, then “thinking” is the skill with which that horsepower is used.
Intelligence is a potential. Thinking is an operating skill.
Thinking is the operating skill through which intelligence acts upon experience
- Edward DeBono Thinking Course, p. 2
Characteristics of Strong Critical Thinkers(from Vincent Ruggiero, Beyond Feelings, A Guide to Critical Thinking):
• Critical Thinkers... "Are honest with themselves, acknowledging what they don't know, recognizing their limitations, and being watchful of their own errors."
• Critical Thinkers... "Regard problems and controversial issues as exciting challenges."
• Critical Thinkers... "Strive for understanding, keep curiosity alive, remain patient with complexity and ready to invest time to overcome confusion."
• Critical Thinkers... "Set aside personal preferences and base judgments on evidence, deferring judgment whenever evidence is insufficient. They revise judgments when new evidence reveals error."
• Critical Thinkers... "Are interested in other people's ideas, so are willing to read and listen attentively, even when they tend to disagree with the other person."
• Critical Thinkers... "Recognize that extreme views (whether conservative or liberal) are seldom correct, so they avoid them, practice fair-mindedness, and seek a balanced view."
• Critical Thinkers... "Practice restraint, controlling their feelings rather than being controlled by them, and thinking before acting."
Critical thinking is about understanding, analyzing and evaluating “texts” in order to comprehend,
judge accuracy, & relevancy.
UNDERSTANDINGANALYZINGEVALUATING
What
Do
You
See
???
How Old Is this Woman?
NOSE
EYE
CHIN
EAR
Processing INFORMATION - Ink Blot Picture
DON QUIXOTE
Pablo Picasso's black on white drawing of Don
Quixote
DALMATION
GEORGE WASHINGTON
SNOWMAN
ARCHIPELAGO - ISLANDS
The Dahlak Archipelago is an island group located in the Red Sea near Massawa,
Eritrea.
The Archipelago of Albion
Bloom’s Taxonomy
KNOWLEDGE - Student recalls or recognizes information, ideas, and principles in the approximate form in which
theywere learned.
COMPREHENSION - Student translates, comprehends, or interprets information based on prior learning.
APPLICATION - Student selects, transfers, and uses data and principles to complete a problem or task with a
minimum of direction.
ANALYSIS - Student distinguishes, classifies, and relates the assumptions, hypotheses, evidence, or structure of a
statement or question.
SYNTHESIS - Student originates, integrates, and combines ideas into a product, plan or proposal that is new to him or her.
EVALUATION - Student appraises, assesses, or critiqueson a basis of specific standards and criteria.
Real Life Example – A Drum
• Knowledge – What is it?• Comprehension – Classification• Application – What does it do?• Analysis – How does it work?• Synthesis – What happens when
you…• Evaluation – What was the quality?
INPUT
The actual “text”and purpose for “reading”
&What you bring to the
critical thinking process
The Text• “The Assignment”• “The Reading”• “The Lecture”• “The Movie”• “The Conversation”
Personal Characteristics• Your Learning Style• Your Experience• Your Attitude• Your Filter• Your Schema/Prior Knowledge
UNDERSTANDING
The meaning you gain/makeas you “read” the “text”
Your comprehension - of the “text”
What is “understanding”?
• Knowing what needs to be known and why/what will be done with the information
• Activated Schema
• “Thinking”
• Comprehending – Key Issues/ Main Points
• Summarizing in your own words
Strategies for how to get itActivating Schema
SQ3RSays/Does
SummarizingNote Taking
Graphic Organizing
How you piece together the significance and organization
of the parts of the text
ANALYSIS
What is “analysis”• Identify the Elements, Relationships
and Organization of the “text”
• Know the Parts of the “text”
• Look for the relationships between ideas
• Interpretation
Strategies for how to do it Context Clues
Association with Schema Says/Does
OutliningGraphic Organizing/Mindmapping
PTR2 Interpretation of Intent/Facts
How you judge the qualityand make decisions basedon the evidence, structure,
and logic of the reading
EVALUATION
What it is• Assess merits of the
argument• EFFECTIVENESS• Draw conclusions • Critique the structure, content,
or implications• Generate possible solutions• Look for logical fallacies
Strategies for how to do itOutlining
Graphic OrganizingPTR2
Interpretation of Intent/Facts
EXAMPLES of Ways to Read and Discuss TextFrom: www.criticalreading.com/ways_to_read.htm
Consider the following nursery rhyme... Mary had a little lamb, Its fleece was white as snow,
and everywhere that Mary went The lamb was sure to go.
What A Text Says talks about the topic of the original text, Mary and the lamb. Mary had a lamb that followed her everywhere.
What A Text Does talks about the story. The nursery rhyme describes a pet that followed its mistress everywhere.
What a Text Means talks about meaning within the story, here the idea of innocent devotion. An image of innocent devotion is conveyed by the story of a lamb's close connection to its mistress.
The devotion is emphasized by repetition that emphasizes the constancy of the lamb's actions ("everywhere"…"sure to go.") The notion of innocence is conveyed by the image of a young lamb, "white as snow." By making it seem that this connection between pet and mistress is natural and good, the nursery rhyme asserts innocent devotion as a positive relationship.
Using Critical Thinking Skills in Your Writing
• Approach the assignment with an “open mind”• Be prepared to ask many questions/seek
answers during your prewriting exercises• Tap into your prior learning (your schema)• Relate theory to practice• Attempt to draw your own conclusions and
theories• Make a claim and support it
PTR2roblem
hesis
easons
esults
PTRR
INTRO== BODY
= Conclusion
Summary of Critical Thinking• It’s a process• You can improve it• Embrace the challenge
Input
Understanding
Analysis
Evalutation
Evaluation
Synthesis
Analysis
Application
Comprehension
Knowledge
1. Consider the problem2. Evaluate your options3. Gather more information4. Determine your answer
Fun Websites to Boost your Brain Power
• http://queendom.com/• http://www.braingle.com/• http://www.brainbashers.com/• http://www.khanacademy.org brain teasers