Promoting Critical Thinking in Higher Education Gregory Light, PhD

1. Palestinian Polytechnic University Hebron March 17th, 2014 Promoting Critical Thinking in Higher Education Gregory Light, PhD

2. "The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' ('I found it!') but rather 'hmm....that's funny.'" Issac Asimov (Author/Professor of Biochemistry) A Critical Thinking Journey

3. "The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' ('I found it!') but rather 'hmm....that's funny.'" Issac Asimov (Author/Professor of Biochemistry) Edward Teller (Physicist) “Confusion is not a bad thing, it is the first step toward understanding.” A Critical Thinking Journey

4. "The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' ('I found it!') but rather 'hmm....that's funny.'" Issac Asimov (Author/Professor of Biochemistry) Edward Teller (Physicist) “Confusion is not a bad thing, it is the first step toward understanding.” Ben Okri (Novelist) “Understanding often leads to ignorance, especially when it comes too soon.” A Critical Thinking Journey

5. Overview

6. Why Critical Thinking (1)

7. Internet E=MC2 MySpace Facebook Email Wikipedia Phone Apps Blogs Augmented Reality Magazines Books Television Journals Radio Why Critical Thinking (2) Explosion of Information Twitter

8. Why Critical Thinking (3) The Changing Nature of Education Finding Relevant Information Analyzing, Evaluating & Creating Information Employing Information Remembering Information

9. Why Critical Thinking (4) Employment • Only 4% of employers surveyed believed 2-year college graduates entered the workforce with excellent critical-thinking skills; • only 27% rated 4-year grads as excellent. Northwestern Business Review, 11/2/2011 Are They Really Ready to Work? Employers’ Perspectives on the Basic Knowledge and Applied Skills of New Entrants to the 21st Century U.S. Workforce. 2006. The Conference Board, Partnership for 21st Century Skills, Corporate Voices for Working Families, Society for Human Resource Management.

10. What is Critical Thinking? In groups of 2-3 from The New Yorker/Leo Cullum

11. Critical thinking includes… Chiras, 1992; McEwen, 1994

12. Critical Thinking? Expanded Contemporary Emphasis Classical Emphasis Critical Thinking Assessment Test (CAT) – Tennessee Tech (www.tntech.edu/cat) Evaluate Ideas And Plans Evaluate Ideas And Plans Evaluate One’s Own Understanding Evaluate Arguments and Conclusions Evaluate One’s Own Understanding Reasoning Problem Solving Problem Solving Life-Long Learning Skills Communication Communication Creativity

13. What prevents teachers from teaching critical thinking in the classroom? In groups of 2-3

14. What holds us back?

15. Enemies of Critical Thinking

16. Critical Thinking Myths • Students will “absorb” critical-thinking skill through their readings, lectures, etc. • They’ll learn CT in a ‘CT class’ • It’s too difficult to assess CT skill • Focusing on CT will draw time away from meeting course goals

17. Enhancing Critical Thinking • in the classroom?

18. Restricted lecture vs Engaged Lecture

19. Restricted Lecture Focus: “Content Coverage” Assumption: Learning happens through transfer of information Teaching is a monologue Light, Cox & Calkins (2009)

20. What can go wrong? Univ. of Detroit Law School, 1889

21. Mann, S., & Robinson, A. (2009): Boredom in the lecture theatre: an investigation into the contributors, moderators and outcomes of boredom amongst university students. British Educational Research Journal, 35(2), 243-258.

22. Engaged Lecture Focus: Content Exchange Assumption: Learning happens through actively engaging with others Teaching is a dialogue Light, Cox & Calkins (2009)

23. Impact of minor change in a lecture • 72 engineering students • Instructor interrupted lecture 3x with 2-min breaks to let students clarify notes in pairs • Control: separate group using straight lecture • Tested short- and long-term retention of lecture material Ruhl, K., C. Hughes, and P. Schloss, “Using the Pause Procedure to Enhance Lecture Recall,” Teacher Education and Special Education, Vol. 10, Winter 1987, pp. 14–18. * *

24. 60 undergrads, intro political science Traditional lecture format: instructor presents, defends, challenges contrary positions Lecture-with-debate format: teams conduct research of topics, prepare arguments Impact of substantive change in Political Science Class * * * Omelicheva & Avdeyeva, 2008

25. Engaged lecture: Principles of design “Some Assembly Required” - Chronicle of Higher Education: April 2013 (Light, G. & Micari, M (2013) Making Scientists: Six Principles for Effective College Teaching, Harvard University Press)

26. SIX LEARNING PRINCIPLES To Enhance Critical Thinking 1 Deep learning: • Construct activities that enhance students abilities to analyze, critique, evaluate, create content 2 Problem-focused • Engage students with real world problems that are relevant, challenge misconceptions and promote dialogue 3 Peer led-Collaborative • Create groups common goals, collaboration (over individual competition), inclusion, diverse perspectives

27. SIX LEARNING PRINCIPLES (cont.) 4 Mentoring • Develop activities for peer feed-back, student leadership roles, facilitation skills, team-working 5 Learning community • Promote wider student interactions and collaborations with faculty-graduate students-community of practitioners 6 Research • Provide real research opportunities for students to develop research skills, share your research, bring real research examples into the classroom,

28. Learning Principles: Example in Engineering • 200-level chemical & biological engineering course • Meant to provide an introduction to analysis of chemical process systems. • Traditionally, had focused on the quantitative solution of logic problems. • Learning Outcome: • Students will critique assumptions about factory safety Case study: Peer-led student groups told an incident has occurred at a chemical factory. Need to research and respond to fire marshal who is asking for input about possible chemicals and hazards on site and to speculate what accident could have occurred. • Instructor reviewed responses, found variation in level of thoroughness/depth of understanding and use of sources. • In class: addressed the issues of what constitutes extraordinary conditions in chemical engineering and how safe factories are designed (depth of understanding), and reputable information sources.

29. What are you already doing or could be doing that incorporates some of these learning principles in your classroom? In groups of 2-3

30. Two Active Learning Strategies for Promoting Critical Thinking in the Classroom1. Problematize the Lecture

31. In traditional “restricted” learning environments, (19th, 20th and 21st Centuries) students… • Are given relevant knowledge to solve problems/questions Human anatomy lecture (1888) But, are probably not thinking critically…

32. In engaged learning environments students… students… • Begin with a question/problem • Explore the significance of the problem • Are given the opportunity to answer the question/problem • Are given relevant knowledge to solve problems/questions • Leave with a new question or problem 21st century classroom And are more likely to be thinking critically… Bain, 2004

33. Learning Objective: Evaluate the Columbia explosion using Organizational Theory (Course long or 30 minutes) How does the explosion of Columbia space shuttle show the failure of a high risk, high reward organization (NASA)? The explosion of the Columbia space shuttle in 2003 was a national tragedy and a disaster for NASA. Shuttle flight operations were delayed for nearly two years afterwards. Small group discussion: How did NASA’s history, cultural traits, and long−term organizational practices contribute to the disaster? Review NASA systems and relevant operations theory How transferable is this organization theory to other disasters, such as FEMA’s response to Hurricane Katrina?

34. ActivityTake a course you teach, and create a problematized session you might use in your class/course.Do in group of 2-3. Focus on one person’s class.

35. Learning Objective: (Course long or 30 minutes)

36. Active Learning using Technology 2. Peer Instruction

37. Peer Instruction Mazur (1997)

38. Peer instruction & technology brief lecture (10 min) revisit concept ConcepTest students vote correct answer 35%-80% correct answer > 80% correct answer < 35% peer discussion (2-3 min) ConcepTest students re-vote explain misconception Lasry, N. (2008)

39. Approach: Peer-instruction Example question Different kinds of cells in an animal synthesize different proteins. The reason(s) for why this happens include the fact that different cells have different: assortments of chromosomes coding sequences in their DNA combinations of transcription factors present combinations of DNA regulatory elements for some coding genes more than one of the above four reasons 28% 79% How is the positional identity of each cell established in the early Drosophila embryo? by signaling between cells by segregation of different mRNAs into each cell by access to different levels of transcription factors 29% 76% Knight & Wood, 2005

40. Approach: Peer Instruction • Intro physics: 62 courses from universities, colleges, and high schools (n=6542) • Learning gain measured by force concept inventory traditional peer instruction/ Interactive techniques Normalized learning gain, force concept inventory Hake RR. (1998)

41. Final Activity • Identify 2-3 learning activities you might use in your teaching with reasons why. • Share with small group • Large Group Discussion

42. Keep in mind… • Critical thinking must be an explicit part of the learning experience, and not an add-on. • Students need the opportunity to think at high levels, argue, persuade, and construct knowledge. • Content overload is the enemy of critical thinking. • Alignment of CT goals, learning activities, and assessments is key.

43. Some References • Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Harvard University Press, Cambridge MA. • Hake RR. (1998). Interactive-engagement versus traditional methods: A six-thousand-student survey of mechanics test data for introductory physics. Am J Phys, 66: 64-74. • Knight, J. & Wood, W. (2005) Teaching More by Lecturing Less. CBE Life Sci Educ. Winter 2005 vol. 4 no. 4 298-310 • Lasry, N. (2008). Clickers or flashcards: Is there really a difference? The Physics Teacher, 46, 242-244. • Light, G, & Cox, R, & calkins, S. (2009) Learning & Teaching in Higher Education: the Reflective Professional, Sage, London. • Light, G, & Micari, M. (2013) Making Scientists: Six Principles for Effective College Teaching, Harvard University Press. • Mazur, E. (1997) Peer Instruction: A User’s Manual. Series in Educational Innovation. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

44. Thank You – Question??

45. Teaching Tenets for Critical Thinking • Pare down the material: teach core concepts • Ask students to think at high levels (high-level thinking ≠ over their heads) • Infuse high-level thinking into assignments and align these with assessments • Encourage collaboration & cognitive conflict

46. Questions to promote CT • Underlying principles • Why is ... important? • What is the best ... and why? • Cause and effect • What do you think causes … ? • How does ... affect ... ? • What conclusions can you draw about ... ? • Critique • What are the strengths and weaknesses of ... ? • Do you agree or disagree with the statement ...? Depth of understanding • Explain why ... • Explain how ... • What is the meaning of ... Application • How would you use . . . to ...? • What would happen if ... ? Compare/contrast • What is a new example of ... ? • How does ... tie in with what we learned before? • How are ... and ... similar? • How are ... and ... different? • Compare ... and ... in terms of ... King, 2002

47. Some tools

48. What might have been happening here to make this an engaged learning environment?

50. “A lecture is much more of a dialogue than many of you probably realize.” – George WaldNobel Prize in Medicine "What I cannot create, I do not understand."  — Richard Feynman Nobel Prize winning Physicist