wallwisher/wall/MDWebSites

2. www.wallwisher.com/wall/MDWebSites

3. W E L C O M E Critical Thinking Clare Devine Discovery Education Professional Development Specialist

4. Goals Teachers will be able to list criteria for assessing web pages and discuss critical thinking strategies.

5. What’s a critical thinker? Critical Thinkers ask pertinent questions. Separate fact/fiction/opinion/inference. Analyze Synthesize content form a range of print, digital and primary sources. Strategies Inquiry-based teaching strategies Integrate thinking into the lesson Hands on, minds on learning Utilize the library

6. Questions to ask when assessing sources: • Who is the author? • An individual or an institution? • What are the author’s credentials? • Is the author affiliated with an organization? • Is this a scholarly resource, or a more informal one? • What is the URL address? Note the extension: .gov, .org, .edu, .com • How up to date is this source? • Does the title of the page tell you what it is about? • Did you get different information from the encyclopedia?

7. Questions to ask when assessing sources: • What do you know about the author’s level of expertise? • Where does the information come from? • Was it written by the author? • Does the information answer my questions? • Is it well organized? • Is the author’s email address or mailing address available? • Does the information seem to be biased? • Does the information conflict with information from other resources?

8. What was William Shakespeare’s date of birth? Find three websites that provide an answer Fill in the boxes on the worksheet for each of them Comment on any notable features of the sites or answers you discover

9. What was William Shakespeare’s date of birth? • Some sources say 23 April 1564: • The Shakespeare Country website, • Infoplease’s ‘Today’s birthday’ feature

10. Shakespeare Country website

11. What was William Shakespeare’s date of birth? • In fact, we don’t really know the precise date. • He was baptised on 26 April 1564 • At the time, babies were usually baptised within a few days of birth • 23 April is Shakespeare’s death date, and has also become the traditional date to commemorate his birth

12. What was William Shakespeare’s date of birth? • However, some scholars give reasons to doubt this • Shakespeare Online’s biography section suggests that if Shakespeare had been born on 23 April, the most probable date for his baptism would be 25 April, as this was a feast day

13. Shakespeare Online biography page

14. Key Notes The straightforward answer to a question is not always the most precise As information is transmitted, important qualifications are sometimes lost

15. Why might we find conflicting answers to a question? • There may be real uncertainty about the answer • Authorities may disagree • There may be multiple ways of interpreting a question • Some sources may be more up to date than others • Answers may vary in precision • Some sources may simply be wrong

16. Remember the three Ws • WHO wrote this site? • Is the author a trustworthy source? • WHEN was it written? • Is it up to date? • WHY was it written? • Does the author have an axe to grind?

17. Critical Thinking Thinking in Depth – Explain/Explore

18. Who Were They? This mysterious group adhered to certain rules: • Obedience and silence • Abstinence from food • Simplicity in dress and possessions • Frequent self-examination and reflection • Believed in immortality • Transmigration of souls

19. Explain why there was a Greek Colony in Italy on the Aegean Sea. Describe the Pythagorean Theorem for a right triangle. Pythagoreans Why does Pythagorean get credit for the theorem, even though the Babylonians used it years before? What is the biggest misconception of the Pythagorean Theorem?

20. Pythagoreans Pythagoras founded a movement with religious, political, and philosophical aims, known as Pythagoreanism. The philosophy of Pythagoras is known only through the work of his disciples.

21. Explain why there was a Greek Colony in Italy on the Aegean Sea. Describe the Pythagorean Theorem for a right triangle. Pythagoreans Why does Pythagorean get credit for the theorem, even though the Babylonians used it years before? What is the biggest misconception of the Pythagorean Theorem?

22. Pythagoreans • Extensively studied odd, even, prime and square numbers • Cultivated the concept of number • Principal of proportion, order and harmony in the universe • Established scientific foundation for math • Discovered hypotenuse theorem (Pythagorean Theorem) which states that the square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares on the other two sides • Established the concept that the sum of all the angles in any triangle is equal to 2 right angles or 180 degrees • Pythagorean numbers are numbers so related, for instance, 5, 4, and 3 (52 = 42 + 32).

23. What Do You THINK? Why throughout history did intelligent groups find it necessary to create secret societies like the Masons, Pythagorean Brotherhood and others?

24. E Pythagorean Theorem Skill Builder Introduction to right triangles legs & hypotenuse Understanding the Pythagorean Theorem – Math Explanation Click to Play

25. E Explore Activities EXPLORATIONS http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=2E96E6B7-FBF6-45B7-BC94-1B8AE64AAD3F&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=DSC Pythagoreans - were the first to consider the earth as a globe revolving with the other planets, including the sun, around a central fire

26. E SCIENCE SLEUTHS A Vacation to Planet X, Mission to Mars

27. E INDUCTIVE • Students make generalizations = discovery teaching • Knowledge built from learners experiences/ interactions • Expose to concrete instance of a concept • Patterns, raise questions, make generalizations = kids do • Discovery Teaching • Inquiry teaching • Constructivist – begin with concrete instances of concepts • Phenomena are explored before names = learning cycle • Inquiry based = students continually develop and test hypothesis • Specific examples – practice, general rule • Student centered

28. E Strategies to Deepen Student Thinking • Wait Time – at least 5 seconds after a questions and after a response • Pick students randomly – avoid only those with raised hands • Probes & follow-ups – Why? Can you explain? Do you agree? How do you know? Give an example. • Cue responses to open – ended questions – There is not a single correct answer to this question. I want you to consider alternatives • Ask Students to ‘unpack their thinking” – Describe how you arrived at your answer • Periodically ask for summaries – Could you please summarize the key points (text, speaker, film, our discussion) thus far? • Survey the class – How many people agree with __ (this idea, the author’s point of view, that conclusion)? • Pose metcognitive/reflective questions – How do you know what you know? How did you come to understand this? How might you show that you understand? • Encourage student questioning – Provide opportunities for students to generate their own questions. • Use think-pair-share – allow individual thinking time and discussion with a partner, and then open up for class discussion. • Conduct a debate -

29. If it’s worth understanding, it’s worth rethinking. If it’s worth doing, it’s worth reflecting upon.

30. How will I encourage the learners to rethink previous learning?

31. English Paragraphs & Forms Jefferson’s first draft of the Declaration of Independence

32. Bloom’s Taxonomy of Cognitive Thinking SkillsKnowledge/ComprehensionApplicationAnalysisSynthesisEvaluation

33. 6 Facets of Understanding 6 Facets of Understanding Explain – demonstrate, describe, design, predict, show, synthesize, Interpret - document, illustrate, metaphors, analogies, critique Apply – build, create, perform, test, solve, design, adapt, use Perspective - analyze, argue, compare, criticize, infer Empathy – assume role of, imagine, relate, be open to Self-Knowledge – realize, recognize, reflect, self-assess

34. Strategies to encourage critical thinking: Playing Devil’s advocate Presenting new information Conducting debates Establishing peer response groups Requiring regular self – assessment Examine ideas from a different point of view Explore underlying assumptions Receiving feedback Revising

35. Your Turn Discuss with a partner two strategies for encouraging students to think deeper and more critically. By Alexander Calder

36. Did We Achieve Our Goal? Teachers will be able to list criteria for assessing web pages and discuss critical thinking strategies.

37. Thank YOU!