THINK! Taming the Ox: Making Students Use Critical Thinking Tools

YouTube - A Vision of Students Today What’s the Challenge? YouTube - A Vision of Students Today

What are they thinking? Συμβάλλω : (sumballo) “Throw together…” Ponder: To think deeply about something, to meditate (from Latin pondus, a weight, related to pendere, to suspend or hang) Question: Can we help students (and perhaps ourselves) move from throwing together to pondering?

Universal Intellectual Standards (Paul and Elder, 2006) Standards are ___________against which we can evaluate our thinking. Standards may also be ______ for improving our thinking.

Universal Intellectual Standards (Paul and Elder, 2006) Standards are Benchmarks against which we can evaluate our thinking. Standards may also be ______ for improving our thinking.

Universal Intellectual Standards (Paul and Elder, 2006) Standards are Benchmarks against which we can evaluate our thinking. Standards may also be Tools for improving our thinking.

So, let’s consider, on a practical level, how to incorporate these tools into our daily interactions with students (or perhaps our more difficult colleagues? Resident curmudgeons? Ourselves?)

What Do They Say? On your worksheet, list the top 5 or 6 questions, complaints, or frustrating comments that you may hear from students. Then, list your “knee-jerk” response to this question (even if you don’t always give this response!).

Tool #1: Calm Down and Do the Obvious This is the tool to apply when students are at a _________________.

Tool #1: Calm Down and Do the Obvious This is the tool to apply when students are at a complete loss. Question to ask: Have you (done the obvious)? Example: What do I do? Example: I have a research paper due tomorrow and I have no idea how to start…

The opposite of clarity is… Confusion. Tool #2: Clarify The opposite of clarity is… Confusion. Clarification involves two key questions: (This and all the following tools are adapted from the Universal Intellectual Standards, presented in The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking: Concepts and Tools, by Richard Paul and Linda Elder.)

Clarification Questions Could you tell me what you mean by ? (Definitions) Could you give me an example of ? (Providing examples) Statement needing clarification: Don’t put me in that guy’s group. He is weird.

Tool #3: Be Accurate Students need to pay attention to whether or not their statement is accurate. It may be clear, but not true. Example: My professor is never in his office.

Questions to Improve Accuracy Can you verify that statement? What evidence do you have for that? What can we do to test that? **Allow students to modify or qualify their statements!

Tool #4: Be Precise A student may make an accurate and clear statement, but fail to be precise. We can push students to provide details. Example #1: I came, but you weren’t there. Example #2: via email: “I have a mild concussion.”

Questions to improve precision: When? Where? How? How much? How many? Could you give me some details?

My best friend is in that class, so you should give me an override! I studied for 6 hours… there is no way I should get a C on this. Tool #5 Be Relevant

Questions for Relevance How is ___________ related to _____________? How can _____________ help us solve this problem? Let’s look at the rules (the policy, the syllabus, the catalog, the form, etc.) to see what information is relevant.

Tools #6 and #7 Be Logical: does it make sense? Does the conclusion you have made follow logically from the evidence? Example: I expected to pass. After all, I turned everything in! Be Significant: Is this the most important issue to focus on right now? Example: I want to discuss why you gave me a 2.5 instead of a 3 on summary #4.

Tool #8: Be Fair! Fairness: Have I considered anyone else’s point of view? Comment: I’ve paid to be in this class, and I can text or chat if I want to.

Self-evaluation… Some answers which might not help students think critically: Duh… So? And your point is? This isn’t rocket-science, you know. That’s not my responsibility. Weren’t you listening?

Self-Evaluation What’s been my latest complaint or question To colleagues To my supervisor or dean To the Daily Grind To my significant other To Eileen or Emma To my students???

Questions? Comments? Miriam Moore Professor of English/ESL Lord Fairfax Community College mmoore2@lfcc.edu 540-868-7173