Ideas to Action (i2a)
Using Critical Thinking to Foster
Student Learning and Community Engagement
REACH Presentation
January 6, 2009
1
Today’s Goals
• Explore the core concepts behind Ideas to
Action and critical thinking
• Learn more about the Paul-Elder model of
critical thinking
• Consider how these concepts apply to your
work with students and with each other in
REACH settings (…and in your life!)
2
i2a Staff
Dr. Patty Payette
Executive Director
Associate Director, Delphi Center
Dr. Cathy Bays
i2a Specialist for Assessment
Hannah Anthony
Program Coordinator
Dr. Eileen McFall
i2a Specialist for Culminating Experiences
Dr. Edna Ross
i2a Specialist for Critical Thinking
3
Ideas to Action: the basics
 Ideas to Action (i2a): Using Critical Thinking to Foster Student
Learning and Community Engagement is our Quality
Enhancement Plan (QEP).
 Part of our accreditation report to SACS-COC to demonstrate our
ongoing commitment to student learning
 Our 10-year initiative we created to renew our focus on critical
thinking and community engagement and the undergraduate
experience.
4
Call to action at UofL
“Our extensive consultation with all University constituencies
yielded a surprisingly strong and clear call for education
focused on the skills and knowledge needed to deal with
real-world issues and problems, an education in which
students can see the importance of the parts (the
courses) to the whole (their education as citizens and
workers).” [QEP Report, 2007]
skills and
knowledge
real-world issues
& problems
the parts to the
whole
http://louisville.edu/ideastoaction/files/finalreport.pdf
5
i2a: connecting classroom, campus
and community
Sharpen our
existing focus
on building
critical
thinking skills
in the general
education
program…
…..continuing
through
undergraduate
major courses
with an emphasis
on applying and
refining those
skills…
…resulting in a
culminating
experience, such
as a senior thesis,
research, service
learning project,
internship, or
capstone project
that fosters
engagement
6
i2a Components:
Culminating Experiences
• Practical application of knowledge and critical
thinking skills to address problem solving in “real
world” contexts
• Course or credit bearing experiences
• Examples:






Capstone Courses/Projects
Internships
Senior Theses
Research Projects
Service Learning Projects
Other Independent Study Projects
7
What is Critical Thinking?
Working in groups of 3-5, you will need to discuss and answer these questions:
1) On the first large sheet of paper, discuss and decide together how you will answer
the following: “Critical thinking is ________(fill in the blank with 1-4 words)”
2) On the same sheet below your answer, fill in:
“I see or hear critical thinking when students are_____(fill in the blank by
completing this sentence)”
3) On a second large sheet of paper, discuss and decide together how you will
answer the following: “Critical thinking is not_____(fill in the blank with 1-4
words)”
4) On the same sheet below your answer fill in:
“When students are not thinking critically, I notice_________(fill in the blank)”
8
i2a Definition of Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is
the intellectually disciplined process
that results in
a guide to belief and action.
Understanding
Concepts
Appreciation
Decisions
Synthesize
Application
9
(From: Scriven and Paul, 2003)
A Well-Cultivated Critical Thinker:
 Raises vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly
and precisely
 Gathers and assesses relevant information, using abstract ideas
to interpret it effectively
 Comes to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them
against relevant criteria and standards
 Thinks open mindedly within alternative systems of thought,
recognizing and assessing, as needs be, their assumptions,
implications, and practical consequences
 Communicates effectively with others in figuring out solutions
to complex problems
10
Reflection Questions:
1. How does the description of a well-cultivated
critical thinker compare with the list of answers
to the previous question?
2. What do you see in common with the two?
3. How does this fit with your ideas about what
students need to be able to do in college and in
the world beyond?
11
Critical Thinking Model Adopted for i2a
Richard Paul-Linda Elder model
 Agreed upon by all reviewers (virtually perfect inter-rater reliability)
 Most comprehensive (many ‘models’ merely narratives)
 Discipline neutral terminology
 Provides a common language/terminology for discussing, modeling and
measuring critical thinking that can be readily applied to all disciplines
 Has a wealth of discipline specific resource materials
http://www.criticalthinking.org
12
Paul-Elder Critical Thinking Model
Intellectual Standards
Accuracy
Clarity
Relevance
Logical
Sufficiency
Precision
Depth
Significance
Fairness
Breadth
Which leads to deeper
Intellectual Traits
Humility
Autonomy
Fair-mindedness
Courage
Must be applied
to
Elements of Reasoning
Purpose
Question
Point of view
Information
Perseverance
Empathy
Integrity
Confidence in reasoning
Inferences
Concepts
Implications
Assumptions
to develop
13
8 Elements (Structures) of
Reasoning
Whenever we think,
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
We think for a purpose
Within a point of view
Based on assumptions
Leading to implications and consequences
Using data, facts and experiences
To make inferences and judgments
Based on concepts and theories
To answer a question or solve a problem
14
15
16
Elements of Thought Activity
Together, let’s identify a common
problematic scenario related to critical
thinking in a REACH situation.
Get back together in your groups.
Use the handout to explore students’
Elements of Thought – “Going around the
Wheel”
17
Universal Intellectual Standards
for Thinking
CLARITY
Could you elaborate?
Could you illustrate what you mean?
Could you give me an example?
ACCURACY
How could we check on that?
How could we find out if that is true?
How could we verify or test that?
PRECISION
Could you be more specific?
Could you give me more details?
Could you be more exact?
RELEVANCE
How does that relate to the problem?
How does that bear on the question?
How does that help us with the issue?
DEPTH
What factors make this difficult?
What are some of the complexities of this question?
What are some of the difficulties we need to deal with?
BREADTH
Do we need to look at this from another perspective?
Do we need to consider another point of view?
Do we need to look at this in other ways?
LOGIC
Does all of this make sense together?
Does your first paragraph fit in with your last one?
Does what you say follow from the evidence?
SIGNIFICANCE
Is this the most important problem to consider?
Is this the central idea to focus on?
Which of these facts are most important?
FAIRNESS
Is my thinking justifiable in context?
Am I taking into account the thinking of others?
Is my purpose fair given the situation?
Am I using my concepts in keeping with educated
usage, or am I distorting them to get what I want?
COMPLETENESS
How complete are the facts related to the issue?
How complete is the description?
Is the description of each perspective complete?
18
Universal Intellectual Standards
for Thinking
Clarity: Understandable, the meaning can be grasped
Accuracy: Free from errors or distortions, true
Precision: Exact to the necessary level of detail
Relevance: Relating to the matter at hand
Depth: Containing complexities and interrelationships
Breadth: Involving multiple viewpoints
Logic: The parts make sense together, no contradictions
Significance: Focusing on the important, not trivial
Fairness: Justifiable, not self-serving (or egocentric)
Richard Paul Keynote, 28th International Conference on Critical Thinking
19
Think, Pair Share
• How could you use these “Standards”
questions in your work with students in a
REACH-related setting?
• Which question will you start to use and
when?
20
The Essential Intellectual Traits
• Intellectual Humility
• Intellectual Integrity
• Intellectual Courage
• Intellectual Perseverance
• Intellectual Empathy
• Confidence in Reason
• Intellectual Autonomy • Fairmindedness
21
Why do we need to describe the
Intellectual Traits?
• These “Traits” are a way to describe the kinds of
habits of mind—the thinking qualities and
abilities—that we want to cultivate in our
students.
• Think back to the qualities we described in the
ideal graduate.
22
Faculty Perspective
“I think that for decades I have given my students
many opportunities to engage in critical thinking,
and I have modeled critical thinking in class
discussions. But I don’t think I can claim ever to
have taught critical thinking in a systematic way.
The model gives me a way to share a critical
thinking vocabulary with students and to chart
their progress. I know and can tell my students
exactly what I am looking for.”
Spring 2008 Pilot Program Participant, Department of English
23
Think, Pair, Share
• Focus on:
Confidence in
Reason
-Review this Trait
-Discuss in your own
words
-How can you talk about
this Trait with
students?
• Focus on:
Intellectual
Perseverance
-Review this Trait
-Discuss in your own
words
-How can you talk about
this Trait with students?
24
i2a Engagement Campus-Wide
• i2a informational sessions and workshops
• Consultations/projects with faculty or
departments (e.g. Speed co-op project)
• Collaborations with academic & student
affairs staff (e.g. Collaborative Learning Community)
• Ongoing campus collaborations
(e.g. Signature Partnership Initiative)
25
Next Steps for ‘U’
• Culminating Experiences Research and
Development Project (Spring 09)
• i2a Institute on Critical Thinking (May 09)
• i2a Day (Spring 09)
• Faculty Learning Community
http://louisville.edu/ideastoaction/flc
• Collaborative Learning Community
• i2a Supporting Undergraduate iNnovation
(SUN) grants http://louisville.edu/ideastoaction/grants
26
Feedback
1. What was helpful about this session?
2. What questions were raised from this
session?
3. What do you think are the next steps for
you and/or the unit?
27
For more information
Please visit:
http://louisville.edu/ideastoaction
28