promoting critical thinking by myrtis mixon who am i? where am i from? what do i do there? about my...

Promoting Critical Thinking

By Myrtis Mixon

Who Am I?

Where am I from? What do I do there? About My family Why am I here? Who are you?

What is Critical Thinking?

Critical Thinking is an ABSOLUTE NECESSITY for the 21st century

It makes one able to make decisions, evaluate, analyze, synthesize

Thus… to choose, to be a life-long learner!

What is Critical Thinking?

A distinct field of study

Actively thinking about, engaging, and analyzing the topics you are learning about..

(handout)

Critical Thinking

As teachers, we always help students develop thinking skills, but in this new field, we ask students to focus on thinking itself, on the process of developing metacognitive skills

Critical Thinking

Adding Critical Thinking to your lessons will help motivate your students

The first step in critical thinking is acknowledging/creating/declaring goals

Goal Settingincreases student motivation

What are your goals for this session?

What are my goals?

(index cards)

Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking is being aware of thinking

It’s concentrating on the development of the higher orders of thinking and promoting that in our lessons.

What are the higher orders?

The Higher Orders

Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation

Creating Good Questions

Good questions are a central skill of Critical Thinking

(First use comprehension questions to be sure)

Then, apply the “Higher Orders”Application; Analysis; Synthesis; Evaluation

New?

The cognitive ( thinking) process

and Strategies for improving the

effectiveness of people’s reasoning abilities and critical attitudes

Thinking can be developed

It is improved by becoming aware of the process

A good way to do this: start with a short piece of writing– Abuk

• African folktale

Exploring the Story

Exploring with CT

Students summarize each paragraph in one sentence

Students ask a question that would evoke that sentence

These questions will indicate their comprehension of the material

Tell them to avoid simple/factual questions

Exploring with CT ExercisesChoosing Revising

Arranging Composing

Organizing Creating

Planning Chronology

Scanning Mind-mapping

Prediction Making inferences

Making decisions

Issues to explore

Point of View

Create questions about point of view How would this be different if it was

written:

Through the eyes of Abuk’s father?

Through the eyes of Abuk’s mother?

Issues to explore

Assumptions:

What are the assumptions in this story?

What beliefs are taken for granted here?

Issues to explore

Inferences Making conclusions and inferences from

writing & listening is an important thinking skill, learning to go beyond the literal

What inferences do you make:

about the young man? about Abuk?

about the future happiness of the couple?

Issues to explore

Implications/Consequences– Decisions cause implications and

consequences.

What will come out of this story?

Issues to explore

Concepts:

What are the concepts underlying this story?

Theories Definitions Laws Models

Four Important areas:

Four important areas for Critical Thinking

Working toward goals Problem solving Decision making Analyzing issues

Summary Writing

Summary exercises on reading

Summary- paragraph by paragraph Individual In Pairs Group Summary Three Sentence Summary

Tips for summary writing

1. Read the entire piece before summarizing

2. List the main ideas (without looking back)

3. Review for potentially missed things of importance

4. Write a summary of the main ideas, using your own words.

Tips for summarizing, cont.

A. Write a clear statement of the main ideas as your first sentence

B. Stick to the important information: names, dates, places

C. Avoid examples, description or adjectives - Leave out details

D. Conclude with a sentence that ties all the point together

Tips for summary writing

Your summary should be no more than 1/3 as long as the original

Do not make critical comments. Don’t judge when you summarize

Promoting Critical Thinking

End of session

Myrtis Mixon - Contact

MYRTIS101@mac.com