K. Faisal M.R.K. Krishna Rao M. Shafique A. Bagais

1. Infusing Critical Thinking Skills into Course Content1. Compare and Contrast in a Data Structures Course 2. Finding Reasons and Conclusion in a Basic Computer Science Course K. Faisal M.R.K. Krishna Rao M. Shafique A. Bagais Information and Computer Science Department King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals

2. What is Critical Thinking? • Critical thinking may be defined as the ability to analyze facts, generate and organize ideas, defend opinions, make comparisons, draw inferences, evaluate arguments and solve problems [Chance 1986: Thinking in the classroom: A survey of programs]. • It inculcates a way of reasoning that demands adequate support for one's beliefs and an unwillingness to be persuaded unless support is forthcoming [Tama 1989: Critical thinking has a place in every classroom. Journal of Reading ]. • Thinking about one’s thinking while thinking to make one’s thinking better.

3. Why Critical Thinking? [Paul & Elder 2002: Critical Thinking: Tools for Taking Charge of Your Professional and Personal Life. Prentice Hall] • All education consists of transmitting to student two different things: • (1) the subject matter or discipline content of the course ("what to think"), and • (2) the correct way to understand and evaluate this subject matter ("how to think"). • We do an excellent job of transmitting the content of our respective academic disciplines (1), but we often fail to teach students how to think effectively about the subject matter (2).

4. Why Critical Thinking? [Bransford, Brown, & Cocking 2000: How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. National Academy Press] … experts • are mindful of themselves as learners and thinkers, • develop thinking acumen needed to promote conceptual change, • develop a sense of when what has been learned can be used --the conditions of application, • their organization of information reflects a deep understanding of the subject, and • notice features and meaningful patterns in a problem description and successfully retrieve relevant parts of their knowledge and skills with little effort.

5. Right questions at right time A joke: • A student and his professor are backpacking in Alaska when a grizzly bear starts to chase them. They both start running, but it’s clear that the bear will eventually catch up with them. The student takes off his backpack, gets his running shoes out, and starts putting them on. • His professor says, “You can’t outrun the bear, even in running shoes. No use!” • The student replies, “I don’t need to outrun the bear; I only need to outrun you!”

6. Benefits of Critical Thinking? • Students are able to raise vital questions and problems, as well as formulate and present them clearly • Students can reach well-reasoned conclusions and solutions to problems while testing them against relevant criteria and standards • Students can be open-minded • Students can clearly communicate ideas, positions, and solutions to others • Students can gather and assess information and interpret it effectively • the value of “opinions” of others. • the difference between simple assertion of the truth and a legitimate reasoning supported by evidence.

7. Infusion - Why ? • It is a well-established fact that thinking skills are most effectively taught when taught directly and deliberately [De Bono 1992: Six thinking hats for schools] and • There is no teaching of thinking skills in isolation from content, nor is a knowledge base developed without a dynamic, thinking type of interaction with the content (Van Tassel-Baska, 1994: Comprehensive curriculum for gifted learners]. • Explicit introduction of thinking skills facilitates • reflection on thinking skills • practice directed at building the habit of specific CT • familiarity with appropriate occasions for CT skills

8. Infusion - How ? • Decide on a CT skill to infuse • Find an infusion lesson context in your course • Design your infusion lesson • Thinking maps and graphic organizers • Model responses expected from student • Teach your lesson • Guide students in applying the chosen CT skill • Plan reinforcement

9. Infusion - How ? • Four phases in an infusion lesson • Introduction to content & thinking process/skill • The objective of the content • Thinking skill – what and why (significance) • Thinking actively • The main activity interweaving the explicit thinking and the content • Thinking about thinking • Reflection/Metacognition (distnacing from content) • Applying the thinking • Immediate transfer (near and far) • Reinforcement later

10. Infusion - How ? • Introduction to content & thinking process/skill • The objective of the content • Link with student’s prior knowledge • Establish its relevance and importance • Thinking skill – what and why (significance) • Activate student’s prior experience (real life?) • Demonstrate the benefits of skillful use • Thinking actively • Thinking maps (verbal prompts) • Graphic organizers • The (precise) language of thinking

11. Infusion - How ? • Thinking about thinking (Metacognition) • What kind of thinking? • How did you do it? • Is it effective? • Applying the thinking (Independent) • Immediate transfer (in the same class ..) • Near transfer – in similar context • Far transfer – in different context • Reinforcement later • Later in the academic semester/year/program Significant reduction in teacher prompting

12. Model lesson 1

13. Students will learn A thinking skill called Comparing and Contrasting. What is this thinking skill ? When to use it? How to use it? Students will learn The similarities between stacks and queues The differences between stacks and queues When to use which data structure? Lesson Objectives

14. An imaginary situation • Imagine that you went to Australia last month to spend a semester at the University of Queensland under student exchange programme. • A friend of yours asked you to write a detailed e-mail about your stay and new university. • How do you go about this task? • Where do you start?

15. An imaginary situation… • You may start with similarities between UQ and KFUPM; between Brisbane and Dammam. • You may then write where UQ and KFUPM differ; different life styles in Brisbane and Dammam. • You may do it best, point by point giving both similarities and differences. • In other words, you end up using a critical thinking skill called compare and contrast in expressing your opinion clearly and in a structured manner.

16. What is Compare and Contrast? • The process of looking at similarities and differences in order to reveal important characteristics of two objects, systems, organizations, events, processes, tools, techniques, algorithms, models or theories (we use “subject” to refer to any of these) is called comparing and contrasting. • Comparing and contrasting involves analyzing features that match and features that do not match and drawing out the implications of this analysis.

17. Why Compare and Contrast? • Comparing and contrasting can lead to deeper insights if our attention is focused on a variety of similarities and differences and take time to think about what these similarities and differences show. • Can be applied in • Making decisions • Classifying objects – concrete and abstract • Is bat an animal or a bird? • Evaluating different approaches and solutions • Searching for opportunities to improve • …

18. How to Compare and Contrast? • The following questions help in comparing and contrasting two subjects • How are they similar? • How are they different? • What similarities and differences seem significant? • What categories or patterns do you see in the significant similarities and differences? • What interpretation or conclusion is suggested by the significant similarities and differences?

19. Stacks and Queues Now, let us compare and contrast stacks and queues learned in the last 2 lectures. • How are they similar? • How are they different? • What similarities and differences seem significant? • What categories or patterns do you see in the significant similarities and differences? • What interpretation or conclusion is suggested by the significant similarities and differences?

20. A graphic organizer for open compare and contrast As you answer each of these five questions, fill appropriate boxes in the graphic organizer to consolidate the findings of your analysis.

21. How are they similar? • Both Stacks and Queues are subclasses of Linear Lists. • Both Stacks and Queues are ordered (by position, not by value) collection of data. • Data can only be accessed in one particular order. • The following operations are common. • Initialize • Size • Full • Empty

22. How are they different? • Stacks maintain a Last-In-First-Out order, while queues maintain the First-In-First-Out order of elements. • All access to a stack is restricted to one end of the list, called the top of stack. Insertion and Deletion both take place at the top of the stack. On the other hand, insertion of elements is carried out at the ‘Tail’ of the queue and deletion is carried out at the ‘Head’ of the queue. • Queues are more difficult to implement than stacks, because action happens at both ends.

23. How are they different?... (d1) Typical applications of Stacks • Page-visited history in a Web browser • “Undo” sequence in a text editor • Chain of method calls in the Java Virtual Machine or C++ runtime environment (d2) Typical applications of Queues • Waiting lines • Access to shared resources (e.g., printer) • Multiprogramming, threading, … • Breadth-first search

24. Significant factors • What similarities and differences seem significant? • The differences a and d are very significant. • What categories or patterns do you see in the significant similarities and differences? • In general, stacks are more suitable when we keep track of partially done operations (procedures), where the most recent one is handled before the older operations. • In general, queues are more suitable when we serve the agents (e.g., threads) on first-come-first-basis.

25. Conclusion reached • What interpretation or conclusion is suggested by the significant similarities and differences? • There are applications, where stacks are more suitable than queues and the vice versa. • In particular, stacks are useful when the access should be restricted to last-in-first-out (LIFO) basis, while queues are useful when the access should be restricted to first-in-first-out (FIFO) basis.

26. Thinking about Thinking • What kind of thinking did we do? • What did we do to compare and contrast stacks and queues. • What did you think about first? • Then next, next…? • How was the compare and contrast process different from just identifying and listing similarities and differences? • Is this better? How is it better? • Is the graphic organizer useful? • What way is it useful?

27. Reinforcement exercises • Read “Writing a comparison-contrast essay” in the file compare_contrast-essay.pdf • Compare and Contrast abstract classes and interfaces. • Compare and Contrast public and private fields. • Compare and Contrast doubly linked lists and (singly) linked lists. • Compare and Contrast iteration and recursion.

28. Model lesson 2

29. Students will learn A thinking skill called Finding Reasons and Conclusions. What is this thinking skill ? When to use it? How to use it? Students will learn Various issues relevant in choosing a programming language Major advantages of the programming language Java Lesson Objectives

30. Finding Reasons and Conclusions • Many employer surveys concluded that one of the important skills employers look for in a fresh graduate is the “communication skill” • His ability to clearly state his objectives, observations, objections, arguments (or any other conclusions) and substantiate the claims with good justifications. • In other words, the skill of • making conclusions and giving reasons, and • evaluating the reasons that support other people arguments.

31. Finding Reasons and Conclusions • In this lesson, we introduce the skill called Finding Reasons and Conclusions and use it in justifying ICS department’s choice of programming language Java for the three basic courses, ICS102, 201 and 202. • We start with two questions: • Why is accurately finding a person’s reasons and conclusions important? • What is involved when we skillfully detect reasons and conclusions?

32. Why is accurately finding a person’s reasons and conclusions important? • A basic principle of critical thinking • Many people try to convince us to do or believe something. They give their argument along with the supporting reasons. We should not accept a conclusion unless the reasons for the conclusion justify it for believing it • Unless one can make reasons explicit and state his conclusions, he will be hampered in making important judgments. • Fundamental analytical skill involves • Noting the conclusion or main idea • Looking for the reasons offered in support of the idea

33. Why is accurately finding a person’s reasons and conclusions important? • Difficulties in finding reasons and conclusions • Fiery speeches, use of compelling visual images, and other appeals to our emotions often obscure the substantive reasons • Strong and weak reasons • Stated and unstated reasons • Three common circumstances to accepting ideas without determining reasons • Many people do not think to ask for reasons • Mistake appeal for reason • Considering only the stated reasons and not look for unstated reasons

34. Why is accurately finding a person’s reasons and conclusions important? Difficulties in evaluating whether reasons adequately support a conclusion • Not seeking reasons • Mistake emotions or visual images for reasons • No search for unstated reasons • Consider reasons in favor of a conclusion only and not search for reasons against the conclusion • No thorough search for reasons for and against a conclusion

35. What is involved when we skillfully detect reasons and conclusions? • Breaking an arguments • Articulate both conclusions and reasons as clearly as possible .This can be done by • Stating the reasons • Stating the conclusion using words or symbols that relate the reasons to the conclusion • Consider opposing viewpoints • Important disposition of critical thinking is open-mindedness, i.e., willingness to consider all sides of an issue before making the judgment

36. What is involved when we skillfully detect reasons and conclusions? • Assessing whether reasons adequately support the conclusion • Use the argument evaluation checklist • Detecting fallacies of reasoning • Fallacies --- patterns of faulty reasoning • For example, circular arguments.

37. An example • Suppose that a salesman tries to sell you a car by giving you its features: He says that you should buy the car because it costs less than any other comparable car and shows you some commercials that suggest how large and comfortable the car is. Also, he says that it gives good gas mileage and has a better repair record among all comparable cars.

38. Example cont. • The main questions to ask are : • What is the salesman trying to convince us to believe or do? • To buy the car • What reasons does he provide to support accepting or doing that? • It costs less than other cars. • Large and comfortable car. • It saves money (good gas mileage). • Good repair record.

39. Example cont. • Is there anything that you think the salesman believes is common knowledge that he does not state but uses to support the conclusion? • (perhaps) since the car is large and comfortable it is suitable for big family and putting some stuff if I need. • Organize all this information in the following graph.

40. Buying the car Suitable for big family and putting stuff Consumes less money Costs less than other cars Good repair record Graphic organizer

41. Argument Evaluation • To assess the argument, we apply the following checklist on the reasons provided: • Is there anything you need to find out in order to determine whether the reasons are accurate? • Yes. Check Consumer Reports for repair record. • Given that they are accurate, is additional information needed before you can accept the conclusion? • Yes. Search for the spare parts cost and consult other people having the same car. • Since the answers to these questions are YES, the argument provided by the salesman is not convincing.

42. Choice of Java • ICS department chose Java as the programming language for the three basic courses ICS102, ICS201 and ICS202. • Students should be convinced as why Java was chose among all high level languages to be taught in these courses using this thinking skill. • The following discussion is to support the conclusion of teaching Java in the three basic courses ICS102, ICS201 and ICS202.

43. Why Java ? • Java is an Object-Oriented language, a concept that can be used to represent a real-world problems and deployed in Databases and Software Engineering design process. • It is safe in the sense that it catches beginners’ mistakes and report them (exception handler) and secure in the sense that applets (little programs that run inside a web browser) cannot touch the local disk, otherwise there would be a potential virus threats.

44. Why Java ? • It supports network programming through servlets (server-side program) and applets (client-side program). • It is a portable language i.e. the same Java program can run on different machines without any change. The only requirement for this is that the computer should have a Java virtual machine that will handle the execution of the code.

45. Studying Java It is an Object-Oriented programming language. It supports network programming It is safe and secure. Its compatibility because of JVM. Graphic organizer filled-in

46. Adequacy of the argument • Is there anything we need to find out in order to determine whether the reasons are accurate? • No. They are all well-documented features of Java. • Given that the reasons are accurate, is additional information needed before we can accept the conclusion? • No. These are all well-documented and widely-appreciated advantages in Java and the only consideration is efficiency. It can be an issue in some cases, but can be compensated by using a certain type of compilers. Also, other languages’ features unavailable in Java can be used through Java Native Interface (JNI). • Therefore, the given reasons justify studying Java.

47. Metagocnition Exercise • What type of thinking did you follow in this lesson? • How did you come to a conclusion as to accept or reject an argument? • Was that an effective way to accept or reject an argument? • If not, what can you do to improve it?

48. Reinforcement exercises • Distance learning is a new approach that has been developed in many institutes and universities. Find out reasons for and against e-learning and evaluate them. • Use internet to get information required for applying “find reasons and conclusions” technique in justifying the following claims. • Applets are very useful. • Exception handling is a useful mechanism. • OO is a useful concept in programming.

49. Conclusions • Educational systems throughout the world are undergoing significant changes • New emphasis on • Lifelong learning • Active learning • Skills – communication, problem solving, team work and interpersonal… • Critical thinking can help in the above goals