Designing a critical thinking course – for learning Lynne Jump Senior Lecturer School of Health and Social Care University of Greenwich

Critical thinking course Public health Professional practice Complimentary therapies Social care

Initial design COMMON LOGICAL FALLACIES--1 (from the Latin fallere, meaning “to deceive, to trip, to lead into error, to trick”; in one sense, everything on this list is a potential advertising strategy!) Reasoning by analogy  A is true; B is like A; ? B is true  S. Baptists abandoned Biblical basis of slavery; submission of women like slavery; ? … Ad hominem (attack the person, not the argument)  A has a fault/virtue; ? A has other faults/virtues  Fran went to a second-rate college; ? her contributions are second-rate.

Teaching and learning Social constructivism Discussion within small groups Activity focussed Analysis of written texts

I find it difficult to put myself out there when the nature of the activity is based on personal thinking, I found it difficult to reveal in public what I think and that I don’t always understand It is difficult to ask questions about the activity, I took the cowardly way out and rang the lecturer I appreciate your honest and open response ….I can see exactly where you are coming from, I on the other hand am going to sit on the fence with regards to where I stand… It does feel a bit like an awkward social situation at times, you just want to be nice…

Initial Evaluation My learning is helped when I enter in the results of my activities because this site is a sort of practice point for me as I have to type in activities and express my opinions by myself My learning is helped when I attempt activities that are set by the tutor because it guides and focuses my thinking My learning is helped when I attempt homework it is guiding and informative because it guides you in an attempt to do some work with others and leads you to more reading

Evaluation continued…… My learning is helped when I participate in discussion because corrections can be made to my thinking when other people’s ideas are put through My learning is helped when I read information shared by others because it makes me think how I should present my activities and how to share information My learning is helped when I went to the discussion area and could read other people’s ideas because sometimes when I could not understand something because of language barrier I understood the idea when I read it from others on the course

Evaluation cont’d…… My learning is helped when I am able to work at my own speed because I have no access from home My learning is helped when I used the site because responses were helpful In all areas all information has been useful to a greater or lesser degree

My aim: to re design the course material using an iterative design process Talk to students Talk to programme leaders Read the literature

The literature Critical thinking and e learning Concentrated on the tools that promote enriched communication between people with different views and perspectives Transferability of critical thinking skills Depended upon Prior knowledge and its representation Beliefs and motivation Context of learning

Talking to students: Define critical thinking Being: Broadminded Able to get a wider understanding of the issues Doing: thinking more Criticising Breaking down Thinking outside the box Comparing and contrasting Reasons for: Mustn’t be descriptive See the positive and the negative Evaluate evidence

Elaborating the definitions Criticise and analyse other peoples opinions and views, then interpret in your own thinking In depth thinking, reasoning, views, opinions with an aim to obtain meaningful results – make sense of No attempts at contextual elaboration

What would help you to become critical? Writing essays Presentation skills Research skills Time management IT skills Study skills

Cycle 1: Search for suitable materials Re establish the materials within a thinking course Embed the course within a framework of reflection Test the design so far

Common sense?

Class?

Gender?

Power?

Cycle 2: Talk more to programme leaders, this time about VALUES!! Design activities that situate learning within a commonly agreed value system – based upon future employment/ professional affiliations Use systems of co reflection to support the construction of an individual journal Work towards using social learning tools such as Wiki’s to support concept development