Questions Drive Thinking Write down the most important question you have right now The mind is its own place In itself it can make a hell of a heaven or a heaven of a hell John Milton My Students ID: 628174
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Slide1
Judy Cotton
Critical Thinking Workshop: The Conundrum of Critical Thinking Slide2
Questions Drive Thinking
Write down the most important question you have right now.Slide3
The mind is its own place. In itself, it can make a hell of a heaven or a heaven of a hell.
-John MiltonSlide4
My Students …
do only what they are required to do.
tend to put off work on a project until they have a pressing deadline.
are poor listeners.
are poor readers.
are poor writers.
are poor oral communicators.
do not use language with care and precision.Slide5
My Students …
have no intellectual standards.
don’t know how to assess:
their own work
their own thinking
their own emotions
their own lifeSlide6
A Definition:
Critical thinking is the art of analyzing and evaluating thinking with a view to improving it.Slide7
The Spirit of Critical Thinking
_ _
_
Recognizing my weaknesses is a strengthSlide8
The Spirit of Critical Thinking
_ _
_
There is a logic to this
&
I can figure it outSlide9
The Spirit of Critical Thinking
_ _
_
There’s always a better way
&
I can find itSlide10
The Spirit of Critical Thinking
_ _
_Slide11
How
I think makes a differenceSlide12
Why is critical thinking not the dominant mode of thinking in our society?Slide13
Why is it Hard to Explain Critical Thinking?
because it represents a new way to think about …
A Vision
learning
behavior
emotions
our lives
teaching
educatingSlide14
What are the three most popular standards for determining what to believe and what not to believe?Slide15
Most Popular Standards
It’s true because
I
believe it.
It’s true because
we
believe it.
It’s true because I
want
to believe it.Slide16
The quality of my life
is given in the thinking
that is guiding my life.
Get with a partner. Discuss this statement and its variations.
State whether you think the statement is true or false.
What are you basing your thinking on?Slide17
Activity: Egocentric Thinking
Identify someone you know whose ego is fundamentally dominating or submissive.
Describe the behavior they engage in which would support this.
____________________________
When you have finished, stand up and find a partner to share with.Slide18
Think of an example in your life where you think egocentrically.
Answer these questions:
What is the irrational thinking?
What is the related feeling?
What is the related feeling?
What are you driven to do (or away from doing)?
What would be non-egocentric thinking about this situation?
______________________________
Work quietly at your tables until you hear the tone sound.Slide19
Resistance
is the key barrier to the growth of the rational mind.
Resistance
to the development of the mind is a drive against change and growth and, as such, is a product of
irrational
thinking.
egocentric thinkingSlide20
Feelings which accompany egocentric
resistance
include:
Defensiveness
Irritability
Arrogance
Anger
Apathy
Indifference
Alienation
Resentment
DepressionSlide21
Becoming more rational
means
gaining control of the ego
Which is done through developing critical thinking skillsSlide22
What is the single most significant obstacle to bringing critical thinking into the classroom?Slide23
If you want to change a
Behavior
or
Feeling
Change the thinking that is underlying the behavior or feelingSlide24
Educators who think Critically …
Want their “content” to
take root
in the thinking of the students.
To
live
in the minds of the students.
To
transform
the way they think.
To put them into possession of a new
mode of thinking
.
To become a perpetual
generator of new thoughts, understandings, & beliefsSlide25
Educators who think Critically …
To become an
instrument
of
insight
.
And therefore they design instruction with these ends continually in view
So that students
take charge
of their
thinking
& continually upgrade it.Slide26
Didactic Teaching
Coverage that
smothers
thinking, a kind of death instinct in teaching
Students are taught content in a form that renders them unlikely to think it through
The mind retreats into
ROTE MEMORIZATION
.
Abandons any attempt to grasp the logic of the content.Slide27
Content
as a mode of thinking
driven by questions
the content is
regenerated
in the mind of the student
through thinking
the content is understood as moments or
dimensions of a thinking
process
As something that is alive only in minds
Critical TeachingSlide28
Content
(cont.)
The content
cannot be completed
because it “lives” in thinking
The thinking that underlies content continually
generates further
conent
its
purposes
further purposes
its
questions
further questions
its concepts
further conceptsSlide29
What I Can’t Change
I can’t control how people will respond to me
I can’t please everyone
I can’t stop people from whining and complaining
I can’t avoid problems
I can’t stop my children from making silly mistakes that cause them pain
What I Can Change
but I can control how I respond to them
but I can please myself and those I care most about
but I can avoid it myself and focus my action
but I can avoid being dominated by the problems
but I can make sure that I don’t worry about the mistakes they makeSlide30
What is one way you can “connect” your content with student thinking?
Write down your idea.
Stand up when finished, find a partner, and discuss your ideas.
Remember the code of silence at the tables so people still working can concentrate.Slide31
3 Forms of Criticality
Please see green handoutSlide32Slide33Slide34Slide35
Egocentrism
See handouts for the following:
The Logic of Egocentrism
The Logic of Submissive Ego
The Logic of Dominating Ego
The Logic of Non-egocentric MindSlide36
Logic
See Handouts for the following:
Analytic Thinking
Evaluative ReasoningSlide37
For every problem under the sun, there is a solution or there is none. If there be one, seek till you find it. If there is none, then never mind it.
Mother Goose
What does this mean?
What would my behavior be like if I lived in accordance with this?
What would the thinking underlying this behavior be like?
What would my behavior be like if I didn’t live in accordance with this?
What would the thinking underlying this behavior be like?Slide38
Questions of Fact or One System Questions
Did it rain here yesterday?
Is the sun shining?
Is this a chair?
How many eyes does an owl have?
How does the motherboard on a computer operate?
Is this red?
Does this chair recline?
Do we have any milk?
Did you turn the light on?
Is that a cow or a dog?
What is an animal?Slide39
Questions of Preference
Would you rather have short hair or long hair?
Or would you prefer that your head be shaved, either completely or in some segments?
Do you like to go to the opera?
Do you like to watch football on TV?
Do you prefer a flat pillow or a fluffy pillow?
Do you want a ring or a necklace?
Do you want to go outside now?Slide40
Questions Calling for Reasoned Judgment
How can I best design this house so that I minimize costs while meeting the major needs and desires of all my family members?
Since I know that the road that I usually travel to work is having major repairs done, should I take another route or take a chance that the repair work won’t impede my progress?Slide41
Questions Calling for Reasoned Judgment (cont.)
Who
is the best person to hire for this job out of these three candidates, each of whom seem highly capable of performing the job well?
Should I keep my job, which I enjoy, or should I take this offer which may be even more satisfying?
Should I agree to move with my husband, who wants to accept a job offer out of state, or should I try to convince him to stay since I really enjoy my job here?Slide42
DOMAINS OF THINKING
Q1:
What does it take to be a good parent?
Psychological:
How do variables such as stress, personality, & childhood traumas influence parenting ability?
Social
What social structures and social practices support differing parenting abilities?
What are socially accepted parenting practices?
Biological
What is the role of genetics in parenting?
Religion
How do our religious views influence parenting practices?Slide43
DOMAINS OF THINKING (cont.)
Q1:
What does it take to be a good parent?
Economic:
How do economic forces such as income influence parenting?
Educational:
How does the educational achievement of a parent influence his/her parenting ability?
What parenting practices are taught in schools?
Should parenting practices be taught in schools?
What educational tools can be developed to help people parent differently?Slide44
DOMAINS OF THINKING
Q2:
What can be done to reduce the number of people who abuse illegal drugs?
Economic:
What can be done to minimize the influence of money involved in drug sales? (bribes, vested interest)
Political:
What possible solutions to drug abuse are politically unacceptable?
Are there any realistic solutions that the power structure would accept?
Social:
What social structures and practices support drug abuse?
How does gang membership contribute to drug abuse?
Psychological:
How do factors such as stress, individual differences, childhood traumas, genetics, support drug abuse?Slide45
DOMAINS OF THINKING(cont.)
Q2:
What can be done to reduce the number of people who abuse illegal drugs?
Educational:
What can educational institutions do to reduce the incidents of drug abuse?
What role are they now playing in regard to the problem?
Religious:
What can religious institutions do to reduce the incidents of drug abuse?
What role are they now playing in regard to the problem?
Cultural:
What cultural beliefs support the drug abuse problem?Slide46
Designing a Unit for a Course
Review in your mind an introductory chapter to a textbook you use and make:
List of topics included
List of basic concepts covered
Then make a list of central questions one can answer if one understands the information there.
Then see if you can formulate an umbrella question which covers the chapter as a whole
Design a critical thinking approach to teaching the chapter content so that students are reasoning about the umbrella question and sub-questions.Slide47
Designing a Unit for a Course (cont.)
Try to design a sequence of activities which will comprehensively cover the logic of the chapter content and enable you to use this unit as a teaching template for the other chapters, or units, in the course.
Work alone for ____ minutes.
Share in groups of three for ____ minutes.Slide48
Elementary Example
Category 3:
What are the best ways to treat my classmates?
Category 1:
What are some good ways to treat my classmates?
What ways should clearly be avoided?
What rights does each student have in relationship to other students?
What basic responsibilities does each student have to other students?
Are there some times when I should help my classmates?
Are there some times when I should not help them?Slide49
As a critical thinker, I am committed to:
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________Slide50
Q & A