Developing Minds: Problem Solving, Creativity & Critical Thinking Pat Hubert – ESA2

1. Developing Minds: Problem Solving, Creativity & Critical ThinkingPat Hubert – ESA2

2. Creativity and Problem Solving • When you think of someone who is “creative”, who comes to mind? • When you think of someone who is a “problem solver or critical thinker”, who comes to mind?

3. Big Ideas: Part one • Why do we have to teach this stuff? • What makes problem solve/think critically/be creative so difficult? • How do you cultivate these skills? Part two • What does teaching critical thinking look like? Tools, Strategies • How do teachers teach problem solving skills? Tools, Strategies

4. Resources 2 Good websites to start with: http://www.unk.edu/academics/teachingexcellence.aspx?id=13260 CriticalThinking.org

5. Why do we have to teach this stuff? Part One

6. Memorization vs. Thinking • Industrial Age and the Information Age • Multiplication tables and mass media • Global citizenship • Achievement

11. Dewey on Schools…. As early as 1916, Dewey pointed out that, all which the school can and need do for pupils, so far as their minds are concerned….. is to develop their ability to think ~ (Dewey, 1916 as cited in Fisher,2003)

12. A Vision for the 21st Century…. Schools will nurture skills of creative problem-solving in the face of novel situations, and students will learn to exercise courage in making decisions and assuming responsibility for them. Students will learn to process and manipulate information. They will be trained to think critically and to reflect on what they have learned, as well as to transfer and apply knowledge from one discipline to another and to daily Life. ~ Nagendralingan Ratnavadivel (Malaysian Educational Research Association)

13. Problem Solving & Decision Making “What students should know and be able to do to learn effectively and live productively in an increasingly digital world ...” • Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources. Students: • Identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation. • Plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project. • Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions. • Use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions. ISTE: NETS-S: www.iste.org/nets

15. What makes critical thinking & creativity difficult?

16. Roadblocks • Misperceptions • Self perception “I am not creative/smart” • Definition of creativity/problem solving is obscure • Background knowledge • Poverty • Cultural barriers • Value of education • Cultivation is weak – lots of tools, but seems difficult to use… • It’s HARD! - not a click away!

17. Just go to www.criticalthinking.com and click on “answers”!

18. How do you cultivate creativity/problem solving in students?

19. “One can’t believe impossible things,” declared Alice. “I daresay,” replied the Queen, “you haven’t had much practice. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as ten impossible things before breakfast.” Lewis Carrol, Alice‘s Adventures in Wonderland

20. Creating a Classroom Culture • Practice, practice, practice • preparation • Safety • Respectful, community, clear expectations/guidelines, • Open minded • It takes SHIFT

21. Teacher Behaviors that Enable THINKING • Questioning • Structuring the classroom • Responding to students • Modeling behaviors

22. Google Proof Activity • Go to the wiki space • Read the “Google Proof” article • In groups, answer discussions questions • Look at other group answers and respond

23. Powerful Questions • Invitational/Plural • “What characteristics do you have in common with the main character?” • “What hunches do you have to explain the solution?” • Engage specific cognitive operations at various levels of complexity • Completing, identifying, listing, reciting, naming, selecting • Three story Intellect Model • Address external or internal content that is relevant to the learner • External = found around the learner….playground, classroom, home • Internal = in the learners mind…emotion…metacognition

24. Prompting critical thinking… Questions and questioning • How do you know that it is true..? • What is the main assumption..? • What is the evidence in support of that…? • How credible is the source…? • Are there other possible explanations…. • Are there similarities and differences between X and Y…?

25. Avoid… • Verification questions • Closed questions • Rhetorical questions with the answer included • Defensive questions • Agreement questions

26. Levels of Questions • Gathering/recalling • Count, define, identify, select… • Making sense of data • Compare/contrast, distinguish, sequence, infer, synthesize • Applying/evaluating • Predict, judge, evaluate, hypothesize, if/then

27. The Three Story Intellect There are one-story intellects, two-story intellects and three-story intellects with skylights. All fact collectors, who have no aim beyond their facts are one-story men. Two-story men compare, reason, generalize, using the labors of the fact collectors as well as their own. Three story men idealize, imagine, predict……their best illumination comes from above, through the skylight. ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

28. Gathering/recalling

29. Making Sense of Data

30. Analyzing/Evaluating

31. Developing Thinking Questions • Skinny vs. Fat • Simple yes/no vs. elaborate response • You can “fatten up” skinny - “explain” or “defend” • High Consensus vs. Low Consensus • High = most would agree; low no right or wrong • Review vs. True • Regurgitate learned info vs. open investigation (we may not know the perfect answer) bound by personal experiences

32. Teacher Behaviors that Enable THINKING • Questioning • Structuring the classroom • Responding to students • Modeling behaviors

33. Structuring the classroom • Remember…you create the culture • Arranging for small group and large-group interactions • Manage the resources of time, energy, space and materials to facilitate thinking • Legitimizing thinking as a valid goal for students

34. Teacher Behaviors that Enable THINKING • Questioning • Structuring the classroom • Responding to students • Modeling behaviors

35. SPACE – Responding to Students • Silence • Providing Data • Accepting without Judgment • Clarifying • Empathizing

36. Modeling Behaviors Practice what you preach • Listening • Problem solving • Behavior/Reactions • Value differences • Enthusiasm for thinking

37. We need to move towards a knowledge generating society. The ability to think critically & creatively and to reason logically constitute the template for building a society that will be able to not just adopt or adapt borrowed knowledge but that which will be able to create & market its own knowledge.(Ratnavadivel, 2001)

38. What does teaching critical thinking look like? Part two

39. Introducing Thinking Skills • Students don’t come by this naturally • It is a SKILL that can be developed • They need to be taught explicitly • There are loads of tools that help them learn how to develop these skills • Start with lower level skills (Bloom’s)and scaffold up • Classifying is a good start point • Work up to Evaluation and Analysis

40. Characteristics of Critical Thinkers • CT’ers look at self honestly/aware of prejudices • CT’ers know their attitudes/values influence • CT’ers are fair/respectful • CT’ers are willing to change thinking • CT’ers are not easily manipulated • CT’ers are question askers • CT’ers are independent thinkers • CT’ers look for connections • CT’ers based decisions on evidence

41. What tools/strategies can teachers use to teach problem solving/critical thinking in the 21st Century?

42. Tools to Cue Thinking Skills • Traditional Questioning/Discussion Tools • Think – Pair – Share – graphic organizers • Bookmarks • Thinktrix/Questivities /Problem Solving Wheel • 21st Century Thinking Tools • Blogs • Google apps • Discussion boards – NING • Vod/Pod casts • Digital Storytelling

43. 21st Century Thinking Tools

44. Blogs & Wiki’s

45. Google apps • Google docs • Google earth • Google Lit Trips • Google Maps • Google Sketch up

46. Discussion Boards • Allow for asynchronous collaboration • Free example: Ning • Listservs

47. Vod/Pod casts • Audio or video over the internet • Audicity + Imovie • Write a radio drama and record their show • Interviews • relatives /life histories; friends/school newspaper; fictional characters/storylines; famous historical figures/events • Record pronunciation of new vocab with paraphrase • Interview a local historian re: local site of interest • “Round the World” podcast with perspectives from afar • Write /record short stories/poems;add music/sound effects • Teacher: record instructions/lesson; Review