Critical Thinking: Taking Baby Steps Dr. Jennifer Haber, Communications

What you can do to help students engage in critical thinking? Help them understand what critical thinking is and how it affects everything we do (class discussion) Help them understand what critical thinking is and how it affects everything we do (class discussion) Allow students to practice critical thinking while reading (using the library, reading, and thinking: writing assignment or annotated bibliography) Allow students to practice critical thinking while reading (using the library, reading, and thinking: writing assignment or annotated bibliography) Show students how to paraphrase and why it is important (assignment) Show students how to paraphrase and why it is important (assignment)

1. Help students understand what critical thinking is and how it affects everything we do. Talk/discuss the here and now.

Critical thinking is the art of analyzing and assessing thinking in order to improve it. Critical thinking needs to be purposeful.

Most of the world’s problems are caused by, or exacerbated by, problems in human thinking

Consider these problems Humiliation Humiliation Hunger Hunger Poverty Poverty Homelessness Homelessness Global Warming Global Warming Torture Torture Murder Murder Rape Rape

2. Make students practice critical thinking and critical reading. Try a reading exercise.

3. Teach students how to paraphrase. Try an activity.

Any questions? Any sharing?