Critical Thinking: The
Who, What, How, & Why
Department of Psychology
Professional Development Workshops
January 15, 2004
 What is Critical Thinking?
 William Perry’s Theory of Intellectual Development
 Why is critical thinking important?
 How do we teach critical thinking?
 What are examples of critical thinking activities?
What is Critical Thinking?
“The object of education is to prepare the
young to educate themselves throughout
their lives.” Robert M. Hutchins
Critical thinking is the process of analyzing
the arguments of others. It means
examining the logic of such arguments. It
enables people to do more than just
repeat knowledge.
Features of Critical Thinking
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Skepticism
Operational definitions
Questioning of assumptions of arguments
Caution in using correlational evidence
Alternative interpretations
No oversimplification
No overgeneralization
William Perry’s Theory
Perry’s theory explains how college students make sense of what they hear and experience in the
college classroom. (1970, 1981)
There are three major stages of intellectual development that most students progress through:
DUALISTIC STUDENTS
See the world as a place of absolutes . There is a single correct answer.
Knowledge is seen as existing absolutely.
Tend to think in terms of "right" answers
The role of the professor is to provide the correct answers.
MULTIPLISTIC STUDENTS
Recognize that there are multiple perspectives to problems. Cannot evaluate each perspective
adequately.
Typical response might be "We're all entitled to our own opinions,"
RELATIVISTIC STUDENTS
See knowledge as relative to particular frames of reference.
Look for the "big picture,
Think about their own thinking, may have difficulty making a decision..
IMPLICATIONS OF THE PERRY MODEL FOR
CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION
• Dualistic students often respond negatively and
question the credibility of a professor who fails to
respond immediately with a firm answer. They
can be confused when told there are multiple
correct answers and
• The notion of "right answers" carries over to
evaluation of students. Dualistic students want
absolute correct answers. Multiplistic students
wonder why their answers are not correct
More implications
• Working with dualistic students
-challenge students to consider the validity of
alternative perspectives
-provide support, concrete examples and
opportunities to practice more complex thinking.
• Working with multiplistic students
-provide experience that help them distinguish
between good and poor arguments
-encourage students to explore knowledge
together
Bloom’s Taxonomy of Thinking Skills
• Knowledge – facts or bits of information
• Comprehension – understanding what
information means
• Application – finding a practical use for the
knowledge
• Analysis – breaking down the knowledge into
component parts
• Synthesis – connecting knowledge to other
knowledge and devising something new
• Evaluation – judging knowldge
Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy
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Remember
Understand
Apply
Analyze
Evaluate
Create
• Four dimensions of knowledge:
factual, conceptual, procedural, metacognitive
Why is Critical Thinking Important?
• Critical thinking prepares students to
educate themselves for the rest of their
lives.
• Critical thinking skills are necessary for
success in many fields.
• Critical thinkers are less likely to just go
along with the crowd
How to Teach Critical Thinking
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Use analogies
Promote interaction among students
Ask open-ended questions
Allow sufficient time for reflection
Teach students to apply knowledge to
other domains
• Use real-life problems
• Allow for thinking practice
Resources
• Perry, W.G. (1970). Forms of intellectual and ethical
development in the college years: A scheme. New York:
Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
• Perry, W.G. (1981). Cognitive and ethical growth: The
making of meaning. In Arthur Chickering, The Modern
American College, pp.76-116. San Francisco: JosseyBass.
• http://www.cs.buffalo.edu/~rapaport
• http://ericfacility.net/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed385606.
html
• http://ericece.org/pubs/digests/1990/carr90.html
• http://ericae.net/edo/ed385606.htm