1. University of Nizwa Critical Thinking John Kerrigan and Tom Grogan University of Wisconsin Oshkosh April 2009

2. Proverbial Wisdom “When one stops thinking, one stops feeling and starts dying.” “Everyone thinks their own thoughts best.”

3. What is Critical Thinking? What it isn’t -- not critical or negative –- can produce a glowing recommendation Critical Thinking = Evaluative Thinking Making reasoned judgment or evaluating

4. What is Critical Thinking? Critical Thinking... Is reasonably and reflectively deciding what to do and what to believe Making reasoned judgments Using criteria to evaluate or make judgment Disciplined pattern of thought – used to determine validity or value

5. Characteristics of Critical Thinkers Valuable Intellectual Traits: (Intellectual Humility, Courage, Empathy, Integrity, Perseverance, Faith in reason, and Fairmindedness) Universal Intellectual Standards 1.Clarity – “Can you provide examples?” 2.Accuracy – “How can I verify the truth?” 3.Precision – “Can you provide more details?” 4.Relevance – “How is this connected?” 5.Depth – “Is the complexity addressed?” 6.Breadth – “Other points of view?” 7.Logic – “Does this make sense?”

6. Why Teach Critical Thinking? We understand Critical Thinking to be purposeful, self-regulatory judgment which results in interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and inference.

7. Critical Thinking in Education Teaching tactics encourages active learning such as Socratic teaching (Six Types of Socratic Questions) 1.Questions for clarification 2.Questions that probe assumptions 3.Questions that probe reasons and evidence 4.Questions about Viewpoints and Perspectives 5.Questions that probe implications and consequences 6.Questions about the question

8. Critical Thinking in Education and Life As students learn to think more critically, they become more proficient at historical, scientific, and mathematical thinking.

9. Perspectives Critical thinking is the art of taking charge of your own mind. “Its value is simple: if we can take charge of our own minds, we can take charge of our lives.” http://www.asa3.org/asa/education/think/critical.htm#critical-thinking

10. Perspectives Critical thinking is not an isolated goal unrelated to other important goals in education. “It is best conceived, as the hub around which all other educational ends cluster.” http://www.asa3.org/asa/education/think/critical.htm#critical-thinking

11. The Ethics of Critical Thinking Is a person who is a good critical thinker also a good moral thinker? Some say yes but they are in the minority. The larger majority of people believe that good critical thinking has nothing to do with any given set of ethical values or social mores.