Critical Thinking
A pupil from whom nothing is ever demanded which he cannot do, never does all he can.
~ John Stuart Mill
~ John Stuart Mill
What is Critical Thinking?
- What is Critical Thinking? http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/defining-critical-thinking/766
- Children’s Guide Critical Thinking Videos http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/childrens-guide-video-series-k-6/791
35 Dimensions of Critical Thought:
Affective Strategies
- S-1 thinking independently
- S-2 developing insight into egocentricity or sociocentricity
- S-3 exercising fairmindedness
- S-4 exploring thoughts underlying feelings and feelings underlying thoughts
- S-5 developing intellectual humility and suspending judgment
- S-6 developing intellectual courage
- S-7 developing intellectual good faith or integrity
- S-8 developing intellectual perseverance
- S-9 developing confidence in reason
- S-10 refining generalizations and avoiding oversimplifications
- S-11 comparing analogous situations: transferring insights to new contexts
- S-12 developing one’s perspective: creating or exploring beliefs, arguments, or theories
- S-13 clarifying issues, conclusions, or beliefs
- S-14 clarifying and analyzing the meanings of words or phrases
- S-15 developing criteria for evaluation: clarifying values and standards
- S-16 evaluating the credibility of sources of information
- S-17 questioning deeply: raising and pursuing root or significant questions
- S-18 analyzing or evaluating arguments, interpretations, beliefs, or theories
- S-19 generating or assessing solutions
- S-20 analyzing or evaluating actions or policies
- S-21 reading critically: clarifying or critiquing texts
- S-22 listening critically: the art of silent dialogue
- S-23 making interdisciplinary connections
- S-24 practicing Socratic discussion: clarifying and questioning beliefs, theories, or perspectives
- S-25 reasoning dialogically: comparing perspectives, interpretations, or theories
- S-26 reasoning dialectically: evaluating perspectives, interpretations, or theories
- S-27 comparing and contrasting ideals with actual practice
- S-28 thinking precisely about thinking: using critical vocabulary
- S-29 noting significant similarities and differences
- S-30 examining or evaluating assumptions
- S-31 distinguishing relevant from irrelevant facts
- S-32 making plausible inferences, predictions, or interpretations
- S-33 giving reasons and evaluating evidence and alleged facts
- S-34 recognizing contradictions
- S-35 exploring implications and consequences
Professional Organizations and Resources:
- The Critical Thinking Community: Join for Free and gain access to many additional materials.
- Critical Thinking Links for K-3 Teachers: While there are numerous resources on our website applicable to the elementary teacher, the following resources are among the most relevant to incorporating critical thinking concepts into the elementary classroom.
- CRITICAL THINKING LINKS FOR 4th to 6th GRADE EDUCATORS: While there are numerous resources on our website applicable to the elementary teacher, the following resources are among the most relevant to incorporating critical thinking concepts into the elementary classroom.
- Critical Thinking Links for Middle School Teachers (Grades 6-9: While there are numerous resources on our website applicable to the junior high school teacher, the following resources are among the most relevant to incorporating critical thinking concepts into junior high school curricula.
- Critical Thinking Links for High School Teachers: While there are numerous resources on our website applicable to the high school educator, the following are among the most relevant pages and articles on incorporating critical thinking concepts into high school curricula.
Reasoning and Intellectual Standards:
- "Elements and Standards" Online Learning Model: To learn more about the elements of thought and intellectual standards, check out our interactive model. Simply click on the link below and use your mouse to explore each concept.
- Why the Analysis of Thinking Is Important: Everyone thinks; it is our nature to do so. But much of our thinking, left to itself, is biased, distorted, partial, uninformed, or downright prejudiced. Yet the quality of our life and of what we produce, make, or build depends precisely on the quality of our thought. Shoddy thinking is costly, both in money and in quality of life. If you want to think well, you must understand at least the rudiments of thought, the most basic structures out of which all thinking is made. You must learn how to take thinking apart.
Resources for Teachers:
- Critical Thinking Resources for K-3 Teachers http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/elementary-educators-k-3/802/ Download the Handbook http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/k-3-instruction-strategies/1143
- Critical Thinking Resources for 4-6 Teachers http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/elementary-educators-4-6/809 Download the Handbook http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/4-6th-grade-strategies/1144
- Critical Thinking Resources for 6-9 Teachers http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/junior-high-school-teachers-6-9/808 Download the Handbook http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/6-9th-grade-strategies/1145
- ED Ed Lessons Worth Sharing: Thinking and Learning http://ed.ted.com/lessons?category=critical-thinking
- Strategy List: 35 Dimensions of Critical Thought: http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/strategy-list-35-dimensions-of-critical-thought/466
- Sharping Student’s Critical Thinking Skills: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/sharpening-students-critical-thinking-skills
- Bloom’s Taxonomy: Critical Thinking Skills for Kids: http://www.exquisite-minds.com/idea-of-the-week/blooms-taxonomy-critical-thinking-skills/ (*Also see the Taxonomy with verbs and questions stems below).
- Developing Critical Thinking Skills In Children: http://www.brighthorizons.com/family-resources/e-family-news/2014-developing-critical-thinking-skills-in-children/
- Wiki How: How to Teach Critical Thinking: http://www.wikihow.com/Teach-Critical-Thinking
K-12 Instructional Strategies and Samples:
- Tactical and Structural Recommendations :
- Teaching Tactics that Encourage Active Learning : Use the following tactics during class to ensure that students are actively engaged in thinking about the content. Students should be called on randomly (using the deck of cards method for instance) so that everyone participates. When students do not know when they will be called on they are much more likely to remain alert and engaged in the learning process.
- Using Intellectual Standards to Assess Student Reasoning : To assess student reasoning requires that we focus our attention as teachers on two inter-related dimensions of reasoning. The first dimension consists of the elements of reasoning; the second dimension consists of the universal intellectual standards by which we measure student ability to use, in a skillful way, each of those elements of reasoning.
- The Art of Redesigning Instruction: Both teaching and learning today are desperately in need of restructuring. However, grasping the how and why of it requires rare insight into what is wrong with instruction: what is wrong with the way teachers typically go about teaching and what is wrong with the way students typically go about learning. The essential insight requires understanding of the dual roles that teaching and learning can play in the lives of our students and how those roles correlate with very different, sometimes opposing, realities.
- Children's Guide Video Series (K-6): This instructional video was created from the Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking for Children by the Foundation for Critical Thinking. There are 5 Parts to this video (including the introduction) that teaches the concepts of fair-minded critical thinking to children. Although intended for K-6 audiences, even adults can learn from and enjoy this video.
- Part 1 Introduction: This instructional video was created from the Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking for Children by the Foundation for Critical Thinking. There are 5 Parts to this video (including the introduction) that teaches the concepts of fair-minded critical thinking to children. Although intended for K-6 audiences, even adults can learn from and enjoy this video.
- Part 2 Three Kinds of thinkers: this chapter introduces the concept of fair-mindedness in how a person thinks. The concepts of intellectual apathy and egocentricity are explained simply and clearly for younger audiences through three examples.
- Part 3 What is Critical Thinking? (standards): Critical Thinking is simply defined with an introduction into the standards by which we may judge our thinking. The concepts of being clear, accurate, relevant, fair and logical are presented and explained.
- Part 4 The Parts of Thinking: The parts (basic elements) of thought are presented and explained. Example questions that clarify the parts are presented to the student. Content covered and defined includes: Purpose, Question, Information, Concept, Assumption, Inference, Point of View, Implications and Conclusions
- Part 5 Intellectual Virtues: The definition of "Intellectual Virtues" (or traits) is presented along brief definitions of 6 intellectual virtues. Intellectual: integrity, independence, perseverance, empathy, humility and courage
Making Critical Thinking Intuitive : The meaning of “intuitive” we are using in this chapter makes no reference to a mysterious power of the mind, but rather to the phenomenon of “quick and ready insight” (Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary). This sense of the word is connected to the everyday fact that we can learn concepts at various levels of depth. When, for example, we memorize an abstract definition of a word and do not learn how to apply it effectively in a wide variety of situations, we end up without an intuitive foundation for our understanding. We lack the insight, in other words, into how, when, and why it applies. Children may know that the word ‘democracy’ means “a government in which the people rule”, but may not be able to tell whether they are behaving “democratically” on the playground. They may know what the word ‘cruel’ means, but they may not recognize that they are being cruel in mocking a handicapped student.
Introduction to Remodelling: Components of Remodels and Their Functions: The basic idea behind lesson plan remodeling as a strategy for staff development in critical thinking is simple. Every practicing teacher works daily with lesson plans of one kind or another. To remodel lesson plans is to critique one or more lesson plans and formulate one or more new lesson plans based on that critical process.
Remolded Lesson Plans based that address the 35 strategies listed above:
- K-3: Remodeled Lesson Plans
- 4-6: Remodeled Lesson Plans
- 6-9: Remodeled Lesson Plans
- High School: Remodeled Lesson Plans
Socratic Teaching : The oldest, and still the most powerful, teaching tactic for fostering critical thinking is Socratic teaching. In Socratic teaching we focus on giving students questions, not answers. We model an inquiring, probing mind by continually probing into the subject with questions. Fortunately, the abilities we gain by focusing on the elements of reasoning in a disciplined and self-assessing way, and the logical relationships that result from such disciplined thought, prepare us for Socratic questioning.
John Stuart Mill: On Instruction, Intellectual Development, and Disciplined Learning
Additional Lesson Plans and strategies:
- Talking Politics: Valuing Different Perspectives: Students learn how to share and listen to opposing beliefs with empathy. Video 6-12.
- Thinkering Studio: Supporting Self-Directed Learning: Watch students take charge of their project-based learning, by creating their own learning goals and identifying resources beyond their teacher. Video
- Third grade debate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MwcWPwpAlI and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRPhxIwwAwo
- Ask 3 Then Me: https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/ask-3-then-me
- Engagement: Roll the Dice for Participation https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/increase-student-participation-getty
- Talk Movies: Developing Communication Skills https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/developing-communication-skills
- Organize Your Thinking to Critically Analyze Text: https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/help-students-analyze-text
- Keep it or Junk it: A Student Run Lesson Plan: https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/student-run-lesson
- Cooperative learning: Think, Pair, Share: http://www.udel.edu/dssep/teaching_strategies/pairshares_coop.htm
- Cooperative Learning: Jigsaw: http://www.udel.edu/dssep/teaching_strategies/jigsaw_coop.htm
- Cooperative Learning: Teams – Games – Tournaments: http://www.udel.edu/dssep/teaching_strategies/tgt_coop.htm
- Video Workshop 6: Engaging Students in Active Learning: http://www.learner.org/resources/series176.html
- Placing Artifacts in Time: Chronological Thinking http://www.learner.org/courses/amerhistory/interactives/#intv_5_launch
- Thinking Critically About Practice: https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/problem-of-practice
- Organize Your Thinking to Critically Analyze Text: https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/help-students-analyze-text
- Study: There are Instructions to Teaching Critical Thinking: Big Think Video: http://bigthink.com/ideafeed/can-you-be-taught-how-to-think-better
- Connectors for Socratic Seminar Discussion starters for Socratic seminar
- Outer Circle Handout detailing roles and assignments for observation in outer circle
- Socratic Seminar Statements Handout listing connectors to help with Socratic discussions
- Changingminds.org Types of Socratic questions with examples
- Socratic Seminar Assessment Handout for intensified Socratic Seminar assessment
- Socratic Seminar Rubric Socratic Seminar assessment rubric worksheet
Resources for Scaffolding:
- Scaffolding Instruction for English Language Learners: Resource Guides for English Language Arts and Mathematics: Resources From NY https://www.engageny.org/resource/scaffolding-instruction-english-language-learners-resource-guides-english-language-arts-and
- Scaffolding Academic Learning for Second Language Learners Step by Step Guide: http://iteslj.org/Articles/Bradley-Scaffolding/
- 6 Scaffolding Strategies to Use With Your Students: Support every student by breaking learning up into chunks and providing a concrete structure for each: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/scaffolding-lessons-six-strategies-rebecca-alber
- Five Strategies for ELL Instruction including Scaffolding: https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2013/10/25/strategies-for-ell-instruction/
- GO TO Strategies: The GO TO Strategies: Scaffolding Options for Teachers of English Language Learners, K-12 http://www.cal.org/what-we-do/projects/project-excell/the-go-to-strategies
- Sample Grade 2 Unit Plan with Scaffolding for ELL students: http://www.state.nj.us/education/modelcurriculum/ela/ellscaffolding/2u2.pdf
- 8 Strategies for Scaffolding Instruction: (a helpful graphic) - http://www.mshouser.com/teaching-tips/8-strategies-for-scaffolding-instruction
Research on Critical Thinking:
- Spotlight on Critical Thinking: In Course Content Folder:
- Research in Critical Thinking: http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/research-in-critical-thinking/577
TED Talks:
- The Power of Believing That You Can Improve – Carol Dweck: Are we raising kids for “now” instead of “yet”? In her talk, psychologist Carol Dweck talks about the power of yet. How do children cope with difficulty? With a fixed or growth mindset? Her research on growth mindset – the idea that we can grow our brain’s capacity to learn and to solve problems – is powerful. “When educators create growth mindset classrooms steeped in yet,” says Dweck, “equality happens.”
- TED Talk: What adults can learn from kids https://www.ted.com/talks/adora_svitak
- TEDx: Teaching art or teaching to think like an artist? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcFRfJb2ONk