Critical Thinking in the Classroom FAU Faculty Workshop March 19, 2004

1. Critical Thinking in the ClassroomFAU Faculty WorkshopMarch 19, 2004 Lynn Appleton, Associate Dean Robin Jordan, Professor of Physics Timothy Lenz, Director, Teaching Learning Center Thomas Pusateri, Assessment Director Nancy Romance, Professor of Education Coming Soon: Promoting Active and Interactive Learning in Large Classes FRIDAY, APRIL 16, ROOM PA-101

2. Workshop Topics • Critical Thinking in your classes: Why? How? • Definitions of critical thinking • Applying two theories of critical thinking • Bloom’s Taxonomy of Thinking Skills • Sternberg’s “Successful Intelligence” • The Holistic Critical Thinking Scoring Rubric • Two classroom techniques • ConcepTests (Robin Jordan) • Concept Mapping (Nancy Romance)

3. Workshop homework: Identify a course where critical thinking is an important skillParticipant responses: Postmodernism, Society, Media and Identity Interactive Multimedia; New Media Narrative Metaphor: The language of Disciplines Writing for Management; Consumer Behavior Representations of Women in Medieval Fr. Literature Introduction to Strategic Management  Acute Care Nursing Nursing Situ. in Practice:  Women, Children & Families Basics of Information Literacy & Using Information Plant physiology lectures and laboratory All of my courses

4. Homework: Why is critical thinking in that course important? Participants said students must: • recognize when they need information & where to go for help • interpret complex literature & integrate sources • analyze and critique cultural issues ; analyze business decisions & understand the limits(& biases) of decision-makers • become aware and examinetheir assumptions • develop a skeptical attitude yet respect experimental evidence & accumulated knowledge. Appreciate complexity of systems • identify legal issues to determinewhatrulesapply • link theory to real-life situations • apply theory to understand and develop interventions • understand policy & develop a plan to address issues • provide evidence to evaluate and support recommendations • integrate knowledge from prior courses; collect, analyze, synthesize and act on information

5. Workshop Topics • Critical Thinking in your classes: Why? How? • Definitions of critical thinking • Applying two theories of critical thinking • Bloom’s Taxonomy of Thinking Skills • Sternberg’s “Successful Intelligence” • The Holistic Critical Thinking Scoring Rubric • Two classroom techniques • ConcepTests (Robin Jordan) • Concept Mapping (Nancy Romance)

6. APA Delphi Report (http://www.insightassessment.com/dex.html) Expert Consensus Statement (Facione, 1990) • "We understand critical thinking to be purposeful, self-regulatory judgment which results in interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and inference, as well as explanation of the evidential, conceptual, methodological, criteriological, or contextual considerations upon which that judgment is based. • CT is essential as a tool of inquiry. As such, CT is a liberating force in education and a powerful resource in one's personal and civic life. • While not synonymous with good thinking, CT is a pervasive and self-rectifying human phenomenon. (continued)

7. APA Delphi Report (continued) • The ideal critical thinker is habitually inquisitive, well-informed, trustful of reason, open-minded, flexible, fair-minded in evaluation, honest in facing personal biases, prudent in making judgments, willing to reconsider, clear about issues, orderly in complex matters, diligent in seeking relevant information, reasonable in the selection of criteria, focused in inquiry, and persistent in seeking results which are as precise as the subject and the circumstances of inquiry permit. • Thus, educating good critical thinkers means working toward this ideal. It combines developing CT skills with nurturing those dispositions which consistently yield useful insights and which are the basis of a rational and democratic society."

8. Diane Halpern’s definition of critical thinkingHer Website: http://berger.claremontmckenna.edu/asl/default.aspArticle by Halpern: http://www.pkal.org/template2.cfm?c_id=993 • "Critical thinking is the use of those cognitive skills or strategies that increase the probability of a desirable outcome. • It is used to describe thinking that is purposeful, reasoned and goal directed - the kind of thinking involved in solving problems, formulating inferences, calculating likelihoods, and making decisions when the thinker is using skills that are thoughtful and effective for the particular context and type of thinking task. • Critical thinking also involves evaluating the thinking process - the reasoning that went into the conclusion we've arrived at the kinds of factors considered in making a decision. • Critical thinking is sometimes called directed thinking because it focuses on a desired outcome.” from Halpern, D. F. (1996). Thought and Knowledge: An Introduction to Critical Thinking. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

9. Workshop Topics • Critical Thinking in your classes: Why? How? • Definitions of critical thinking • Applying two theories of critical thinking • Bloom’s Taxonomy of Thinking Skills • Sternberg’s “Successful Intelligence” • The Holistic Critical Thinking Scoring Rubric • Two classroom techniques • ConcepTests (Robin Jordan) • Concept Mapping (Nancy Romance)

10. Benjamin Bloom’s Taxonomy of Thinking Skills Bloom, B. S. (Ed.). (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives, Vol.1: The cognitive domain. New York: McKay. Table adapted fromhttp://www.umuc.edu/prog/ugp/ewp/bloomtax.html Visit:http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.htmlhttp://www.southrock.com/features/whitepapers/MultipleChoiceQuestions.pdfhttp://web.uct.ac.za/projects/cbe/mcqman/mcqappc.html#Contents

11. Robert Sternberg: Successful IntelligenceArticle:http://www.indiana.edu/~futures/r_stbg.htmlBook: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0130293377/002-0587268-9132040?v=glance ANALYZE EVALUATE EXPLAIN COMPARE/CONTRAST JUDGE ANALYZE EVALUATE EXPLAIN COMPARE/CONTRAST JUDGE CREATE INVENT EXPLORE IMAGINE SUPPOSE CREATE INVENT EXPLORE IMAGINE SUPPOSE PUT INTO PRACTICE USE IMPLEMENT APPLY PUT INTO PRACTICE USE IMPLEMENT APPLY Practical Thinking Analytical Thinking Creative Thinking Memory RECALL RECOGNIZE MATCH VERIFY REPEAT RECALL RECOGNIZE MATCH VERIFY REPEAT

12. Homework: What types of assignments do you use to develop critical thinking? Participants responded: • Papers: position, research, compare/contrast, analysis • Case study analysis; In-basket; Develop a plan • Oral presentation • Class discussion • Peer feedback (on oral and written work) • Group assignment • Withholding information (simulating “real world”) • Creating metaphors • “Just-in-time” assignments

13. Workshop Topics • Critical Thinking in your classes: Why? How? • Definitions of critical thinking • Applying two theories of critical thinking • Bloom’s Taxonomy of Thinking Skills • Sternberg’s “Successful Intelligence” • The Holistic Critical Thinking Scoring Rubric • Two classroom techniques • ConcepTests (Robin Jordan) • Concept Mapping (Nancy Romance)

14. Holistic Critical Thinking Scoring Rubric (Facione & Facione)http://www.insightassessment.com/HCTSR.html • 4: Accurately interprets evidence Identifies salient arguments, pro & conThoughtfully analyzes major points of view Draws warranted, judicious conclusions Justifies key results and procedures • 3: Accurately interprets evidence Identifies relevant arguments, pro & con Offers analyses of obvious points of view Draws warranted conclusions Justifies some results or procedures

15. Holistic Critical Thinking Scoring Rubric (Facione & Facione) • 2: Misinterprets evidenceFails to identify relevant counterargumentsIgnores or superficially evaluates alternative views Draws unwarranted or fallacious conclusions Justifies few results or procedures • 1: Offers biased interpretations of evidenceFails to identify or dismissescounterargumentsIgnores or superficially evaluates alternative views Argues using fallacious or irrelevant reasonsDoes not justify results or procedures

16. Workshop Topics • Critical Thinking in your classes: Why? How? • Definitions of critical thinking • Applying two theories of critical thinking • Bloom’s Taxonomy of Thinking Skills • Sternberg’s “Successful Intelligence” • The Holistic Critical Thinking Scoring Rubric • Two classroom techniques • ConcepTests (Robin Jordan – Link to Handout) • Concept Maps (Nancy Romance – Link to Handout)