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Why Johnny Can't Compute: Integrating Critical Thinking Into a Computer Literacy Course

Why Johnny Can't Compute: Integrating Critical Thinking Into a Computer Literacy Course. Dr. Diane Chaddock Joe Vitanza Southwestern Michigan College. Session Structure. Big picture Dispelling the myth of the digital native Clarify the essence of computer literacy

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Why Johnny Can't Compute: Integrating Critical Thinking Into a Computer Literacy Course

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  1. Why Johnny Can't Compute: Integrating Critical Thinking Into a Computer Literacy Course Dr. Diane ChaddockJoe VitanzaSouthwestern Michigan College

  2. Session Structure • Big picture • Dispelling the myth of the digital native • Clarify the essence of computer literacy • Clarify the essence of critical thinking • Examine why computer literacy courses are well suited to teaching critical thinking concepts • Start to examine teaching and learning strategies

  3. The Digital Native • Marc Prensky coined the term “digital native” in his work Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants published in 2001. • Steve Kolowich - the myth of the digital native

  4. What Exactly is “Computer Literacy”? • Computer Proficiency vs. Computer Literacy • Computer Proficiency - repetitive tasks - often based on-rote memorization • Computer Literacy - allows students to extend their knowledge by having an ability to adapt new situation and problems – critical thinking.

  5. Background Information at SMC • Computer Literacy initiative – approach and challenges • What we’ve learned • External Assessment – Certiport IC3 exams • Incoming students entering with less computer skills than expected • Exposed weaknesses in critical thinking skills

  6. Background Information at SMC (cont.) • Initial corrections • Current research study • Experimental study to see if infusing critical thinking into the computer literacy course could improve computer literacy and critical thinking outcomes versus a control group

  7. Critical Thinking • How important are critical thinking skills for college students? • How important is teaching critical thinking within your degree/program competencies? • How important is the development of students’ critical thinking within your courses? • How well do your instructional strategies instill critical thinking strategies within your students?

  8. The facts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • 89% of university faculty claimed critical thinking to be a primary objective of their instruction: • Only 19% could define critical thinking • 77% had little, limited or no conception of how to reconcile content coverage with the fostering of critical thinking • Only a very small minority could clearly explain the meanings of basic terms in critical thinking

  9. Defining Critical Thinking • There isn’t any one definition of critical thinking – it encompasses a collection of ideals and the associated strategies for reaching them • What are these ideals, and what are some strategies for reaching them?

  10. Definition of Critical Thinking • “Critical thinking is thinking about thinking while you’re thinking in order to make that thinking better.” ~ Richard Paul

  11. Defining a 21stCentury Education • By Craig D. Jerald for the Center for Public Education argues that the traditional curriculum is not enough • Schools must provide students with a broader set of “21st century skills” to thrive in a rapidly evolving, technology-saturated world.

  12. Some Educational Practices that Discourage Critical Thinking • The student’s role is to be a passive recipient of knowledge. • The student’s role is to memorize and regurgitate information (they do not understand). • The teacher’s role is to “dispense” knowledge.

  13. How do we foster critical thinking in classrooms? • Know your content. • Know what constitutes critical thinking. • Rethink your content as a MODE of thinking . • Design teaching as experiences based in questioning, problem solving, and thinking.

  14. THE most important things… • YOU must decide what is most important in YOUR course. • Teaching for critical thinking will take more time to prepare. • Less time is available to spoon-feed facts to the students. • You must hold students accountable for their learning. • You must overtly teach the critical thinking skills.

  15. Lecture-based Learning • “The lecture format of learning is a venerable and popular approach to content delivery in higher education; however, it frequently does not encourage active learning or critical thinking on the part of students.” (Duron, Limbach, & Waugh, 2006) • The key is to use an “engaged lecture” format.

  16. Active Learning • Active learning can make the course more enjoyable for both teachers and students. • For this to happen, educators must give up the belief that students cannot learn the subject at hand unless the teacher covers it. • Students really do not understand content until they actively do something with it and reflect on the meaning of what they are doing.

  17. The Flipped Classroom • While there is no one model, the core idea is to flip the common instructional approach • Instruction that used to occur in class is now accessed at home, in advance of class. • Class becomes the place to work through problems, advance concepts, and engage in collaborative learning. • Instruction can be rethought to best maximize the scarcest learning resource—time.

  18. "I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.“ ~ Socrates Socratic Questioning − Teaching With Questions! • Socrates' (469 BC - 399 BC) most important contribution to Western thought may be his Socratic Method − which solves a problem by breaking it down into a series of questions, the answers to which gradually lead to the problem solution.

  19. Thinking Begins with a Question, not an Answer. Socratic Questioning − Teaching With Questions! • When you have a problem, you probably ask yourself, "what do I need to know to solve this problem?" • This is critical thinking! Your students MUST LEARN to do the same thing.

  20. Elements of the Experimental Group • A specialsyllabus • A “student understanding”form • Instructors givestudents a thorough orientation to the course, emphasizing how it will be taught, how they will be assessed, and what they should be striving to achieve. • Instructors explain to the students, when orienting them to the class, what will happen on a typical classday (and why)

  21. Elements of the Experimental Group • Explain that class time will be a time in which the students will PRACTICE thinking (within the content) using the fundamental concepts and principles of the field • Systematically question students using a Socratic approach • Design instruction so that students engage in routine practice in internalizing and applying the concepts they are learning • Use engaged lecture • Use tactics that encourage active learning • Model skilled thinking for students

  22. The Foundation for Critical Thinking http://www.criticalthinking.org Questions?

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