Hum Critical Thinking 23/11/2010

Thinking Everyone thinks; it is our nature to do so. But much of our thinking, left to itself, is biased, distorted, partial, uninformed or down-right prejudiced.

Graduate Attributes Skills we expect our students to have upon graduation Usually generic rather than subject specific

Graduate Attributes 1. Research & inquiry, 2. Communication, 3. Information Literacy, 4. Ethical social & professional understandings, 5. Personal & intellectual autonomy.

Graduate Attributes The capacity for analytical and critical thinking and for creative problem solving; The ability to engage in independent and reflective learning;

Graduate Attributes An appreciation of, and respect for, diversity; A capacity to contribute to, and work within, the international community; An appreciation of, and a responsiveness to, change;

Graduate Attributes A respect for ethical practice and social responsibility;

Graduate Attributes The capacity for enterprise, initiative and creativity;

Graduate Attributes Information Literacy – the skills to locate, evaluate and use relevant information; The skills of effective communication.

Graduate Attributes The capacity for analytical and critical thinking and for creative problem solving; The ability to engage in independent and reflective learning; An appreciation of, and respect for, diversity; A capacity to contribute to, and work within, the international community; An appreciation of, and a responsiveness to, change; A respect for ethical practice and social responsibility; The capacity for enterprise, initiative and creativity; Information Literacy – the skills to locate, evaluate and use relevant information; The skills of effective communication.

Critical Thinking: The Graduate Attribute?  3-tier model (Barnett 1997)  Critical thinking (learning generally to problem solve)  Critical thought (using this skill to interrogate a body of knowledge)  Critique (meta-criticism, critique one discipline from the perspective of another, situate one’s own discipline in wider contexts) (Pithers & Soden 2000, Davies 2006, Jones 2007a,2007b, 2009, Maton 2009 )

Features of Critical Thinking raises vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly and precisely;

Features of Critical Thinking gathers and assesses relevant information, using abstract ideas to interpret it effectively

Features of Critical Thinking comes to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them against relevant criteria and standards;

Features of Critical Thinking thinks open-mindedly within alternative systems of thought, recognizing and assessing, as need be, their assumptions, implications, and practical consequences;

Features of Critical Thinking communicates effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems.

Features of Critical Thinking  Rationality  Self-awareness  Honesty  Open-mindedness  Discipline  Judgment

Rationality We are thinking critically when we:  rely on reason rather than emotion,  require evidence,  ignore no known evidence,  and follow evidence where it leads,  are concerned more with finding the best explanation than being right,  analyzing apparent confusion and asking questions.

Self-awareness We are thinking critically when we  weigh the influences of motives and bias,  and recognize our own assumptions, prejudices, biases, or point of view.

Honesty We are thinking critically when we:  recognize emotional impulses, selfish motives, nefarious purposes, or other modes of self-deception.

Open-Mindedness We are thinking critically when we: evaluate all reasonable inferences consider a variety of possible viewpoints or perspectives, remain open to alternative interpretations

Open-Mindedness accept a new explanation, model, or paradigm because it explains the evidence better, is simpler, or has fewer inconsistencies or covers more data accept new priorities in response to a reevaluation of the evidence or reassessment of our real interests, and do not reject unpopular views out of hand.

Discipline We are thinking critically when we are precise, meticulous, comprehensive, and exhaustive resist manipulation and irrational appeals, avoid snap judgments.

Judgement We are thinking critically when we are recognize the relevance and/or merit of alternative assumptions and perspectives recognize the extent and weight of evidence

Definitions of critical thinking  Awareness of alternative standpoints  Ability to defend own stance through debate and argument  Assessment of extent to which the evidence supports the conclusions drawn and to what extent debate is informed by people's own prejudices and their own social, cultural, historical location  Ability to surface underlying assumptions or arguments  Critiquing the role of own profession/discipline in society  Reflexivity, reflection  To identify relationships among abstract concepts, to discern patterns, themes and trends

Definitions of critical thinking Critical thinkers are by nature skeptical.  They approach texts with the same skepticism and suspicion as they approach spoken remarks.  Critical thinkers are active, not passive. They ask questions and analyze. They consciously apply tactics and strategies to uncover meaning or assure their understanding.  Critical thinkers do not take an egotistical view of the world. They are open to new ideas and perspectives. They are willing to challenge their beliefs and investigate competing evidence.

Definitions of critical thinking By contrast, passive, non-critical thinkers take a simplistic view of the world. They see things in black and white, as either-or, rather than recognizing a variety of possible understanding. They see questions as yes or no with no subtleties. They fail to see linkages and complexities. They fail to recognize related elements. Non-critical thinkers take an egotistical view of the world They take their facts as the only relevant ones. They take their own perspective as the only sensible one. They take their goal as the only valid one.

Definitions of critical thinking  Ability to abstract and stand back from a situation  Constant questioning and interrogation of evidence and conclusions  Ability to take known knowledge and skills and apply these to unknown situations  Ability to make choices and decisions  Ability to problem solve and to communicate solutions effectively  Ability to recognise and fill gaps in knowledge  Ability to reason using experience and evidence from the literature and to be able to marry the two

Definitions of critical thinking  Mastery of threshold concepts  Reading between the modules to make overarching connections - the ability to cement the modular bricks  Independent thinking and analysis and engagement  Interpretative analysis  Cross-disciplinary thinking  Ability to reflect on studies in a comprehensive way  Lateral thinking  Valuing difference and diversity  Tolerating uncertainty and ambiguity

References Barrie S. (2006) Understanding what we mane by the generic attributes if graduates. Higher Education 51, Barrie S. (2007) A conceptual framework for the teaching and learning of generic graduate attributes. Studies in Higher Education 32(4) pp Barnett R. (1997) Higher Education: A Critical Business. Open University Press, Buckingham. Davies W. M. (2006) An ‘infusion approach to critical thinking; Moore on the critical thinking debate. Higher Education Research and Development 25(2) pp Jones A. ( 2007) Multiplicities or manna from heaven? Critical thinking and the disciplinary context, Australian Journal of Education 51 (1), 84–103. Jones A. (2007) Looking over our shoulders: Critical thinking and ontological insecurity in higher education, London Review of Education, 5(3), Jones A. (2009) Generic attribute as espoused theory: the importance of context. Higher Education 58, Maton K. (2009) Cumulative and segmented learning: exploring the role of curriculum structures in knowledge building. British Journal of Sociology of Education 30(1) pp 43–57 Pithers R.T & Soden R (2000) Critical thinking in education: a review. Educational Research (42)3, Pitman T. & Broomhall S. (2000) Australian universities, generic skills and lifelong learning. International Journal of Lifelong Education 28(4),