This podcast delves into the complexities of defining critical thinking, explores different theories and taxonomies, and suggests practical strategies like inverting the classroom and providing practice in ambiguous situations to enhance students' critical thinking skills.
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Quick takeaways
Defining critical thinking is complex due to diverse perspectives among faculty members, posing challenges in implementation across disciplines.
Fostering critical thinking involves categorizing cognitive skills and engaging students in ambiguity and complexity to develop higher-order thinking skills.
Deep dives
Defining Critical Thinking
The episode delves into the complexities of defining critical thinking, highlighting differing perspectives among faculty members about what critical thinking actually entails. Various experts discuss the diverse viewpoints on critical thinking, emphasizing the challenges in operationalizing this concept across different disciplines and personal definitions.
Categories of Cognitive Skills
The podcast explores the importance of categorizing cognitive skills to enhance critical thinking in the classroom. Notable figures like Benjamin Bloom and Diane Halpern are mentioned as key contributors in classifying cognitive skills, providing insights into moving students beyond mere regurgitation of information towards higher-order thinking like synthesis, analysis, and evaluation.
Processes of Self in Culture and Society
The discussion delves into the interconnectedness of critical thinking with personal identity and societal influences. Thinkers like Richard Paul and Linda Elder are highlighted for emphasizing the role of context and culture in shaping critical thinking. The episode underscores the significance of understanding one's place in the world and the emotional, rational, and reflective dimensions of critical thinking.
Strategies for Developing Critical Thinking Skills
Strategies for fostering critical thinking skills are shared, focusing on practical approaches like inverting the classroom and implementing team-based learning. The importance of engaging students in ambiguity and problem-solving scenarios is highlighted as a means to cultivate active critical thinking. Recommendations include flipping the classroom, instigating student-centered learning, and the integration of team-based learning practices to enhance intellectual engagement and development.
Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Specialist
Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Learning
Vancouver Island University
Critical Thinking
Defining critical thinking (and the inherent challenges when we want to improve critical thinking in our students, without actually agreeing, collectively, on what we mean)
Different disciplines define critical thinking differently than each other
Difficulty in the concrete way in how to get students to think critically in the discipline-specific way that I’m trying to develop…
* Developmental
– what gets emphasized?
– a few of the thinkers/researchers who posit this theory
* Learning styles / bio-neurological models of thought
Article from Wired: All you need to know about learning styles…
– what gets emphasized?
– a few of the thinkers/researchers who posit this theory
* Categories of cognitive skills
– what gets emphasized?
– a few of the thinkers/researchers who posit this theory
* Processes of self (in culture and society)
– what gets emphasized?
– a few of the thinkers/researchers who posit this theory
Give the students practice in situations of ambiguity and complexity
[Correction: I said I was listening to the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, but I meant that I was listening to the Inside Higher Ed podcast on competency-based programs]
Each team gets a significant problem to work on
Give the same problem to all the groups in the class
Limited set of choices as right answers
Which is the best answer to this problem
Simultaneous report in the classroom
Clickers or cards in class
Why did you say D?
Next steps
Flip the classroom – all of class period is around problem solving and sticking to your guns
Rabbit holes are a way of thinking… and we don’t give our students enough chances to do that type of thinking in foundational classes.