Critical thinkers and capable practitioners

1. Critical thinkers and capable practitioners Preparing public relations students for the 21st century Dr Michèle Schoenberger-Orgad Department of Management Communication Waikato Management School TeRaupapa

2. The case for critical thinking • Sustainable curriculum • Meeting the needs of the present to prepare students for the needs of the future • Attributes • Critical thinking, evaluative judgement, research methodology • Prepare students for effective participation in work and society for the long term

3. Pedagogy and critical thinking • A shift from the purely descriptive to a deeper response to critical issues • Teachers need to challenge students at a range of different levels to go beyond what is immediately evident • Demands as much from teachers as from students • By using a range of critical activities as part of the curriculum (Moon, 2008) graduates will be better equipped to evaluate, adapt, respond and enact creative and imaginative communication practices in a changing world

4. Theoretical Framework – Discussion-led teaching • Discussion-led teaching for critical inquiry • Develops an openness to rethinking cherished assumptions and subjecting them to questioning, argument and counter argument (Brookfield & Preskill, 1999) • Provides a space for “multiple voices” (Kienzler, 2001) • Critical thinking is essentially a social activity (Moon, 2008) • Comparison and judgement of biases enhance criticality (Hastie & Davies, 2001)

5. Discussion-led teaching/Discussion-based Learning • Learning environment is a blend of “discussion, dialogue and conversation” (Brookfield & Preskill, 1999) • Discussion leaders • Explore topics through discussion of scholarly literature, scrutinise and question the perspective(s) and become conscious of ambiguity • Appropriate preparation required (assessed) • Activities and discussion points for participation

6. Theoretical frameowork: Peer review and feedback • Capacity to make judgements (Boud, 1995) • Link between giving and receiving peer feedback and the development of criticality (Falchikov, 2007; Liu & Carless, 2006; Orsmond, Merry & Reiling, 2000)

7. Peer review process • Self-selected research topic • Guidance through agreed criteria • Assessment drives student learning (Biggs, 2003; Boud, 2007) • Critical evaluation – provides practice in making judgements on the basis of evidence (Moon, 2008)

8. Example of peer review

9. Evaluation • Focus groups • Reflective essays • Discussion requires the contribution of “well-founded ideas rather than loose remarks for the sake of contributing. By the end of the semester, we were even challenging each other, and many of us would take on the role of devil’s advocate and provoke another student – even if we actually agreed with them – simply to see why they held the view they did.”

10. Feedback “Engaging in debate, discussion and conversation about not only the public relations concepts and theories, but the context surrounding the application of these theories, forced me to think about my own reasoning behind my arguments. I really enjoyed being challenged on my opinions and having to back my ideas up. It was almost representative of the quick thinking that I’ll have to do when I’m actually a PR practitioner and find myself in a crisis situation.”

11. Feedback on peer-assessment • Students more aware of how they had produced their own work • Able to clarify obstacles through collaboration with peers • Constructive critical responses to ideas and judgements • In the contemporary workplace, such skills are essential for successful and imaginative co-creation of public relations campaigns and consultative work.

12. Feedback (contd.) “Through completing my literature review, I became very curious about my chosen topic and began reading more articles than required. I began applying the ideas and concepts from the articles to develop a healthy corporate culture in my life. For example, after completing this assignment, I had a discussion with my boss about ways that we could create procedures to further help our employees do their job better. She agreed, and we began to build a corporate culture that was more open and communicative. One procedure that we implemented was having weekly team meetings … which resulted in the employees being better prepared for work. This new procedure brought less stress and anxiety during work for both, my boss and employees. “

13. Recommendations • Model the discussion that you want students to engage in • Encourage expression of opinions, thoughts and questions • Play devil’s advocate – many students do not realise that theories are contestable • Encourage evaluative judgements and application in different contexts

14. Conclusions • Critical thinking skills, together with the vocational skills, enable creative solutions to issues in society and organisations • Critical thinking skills allow the individual to span boundaries and question assumptions • Encouraging constant questioning of assumptions leads to ethical and positive social change • Embedding reasoning and constructive criticality of the individual’s place in the world not only allows them to survive, but prosper.