Critical Thinking
Pam Ciganick
What must we rethink?
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“The illiterate of the 21st Century will
not be those who cannot read or
write, but those who cannot learn,
unlearn, and relearn.”
– Alvin Toffler
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http://youtube.com/watch?v=NLlGopy
XT_g
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Henry Smith married 150 women in
the course of 10 years. He was never
arrested for bigamy although each
marriage was witnessed and recorded
with the proper authorities. Why?
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“Traditional thinking is all about “what
is.” Future thinking will also need to
be about what can be.”
-Edward de Bono
Critical Thinking Defined
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“Critical thinking is a technique for
evaluating information and ideas, for
deciding what to accept and believe.”
Dan Kurland
Set of Values
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*Thinking for yourself, as compared to accepting
unquestioningly what others want you to believe.
*Welcoming the opportunity to explore new ideas, points of
view and possibilities.
*Using reason to investigate questions, evaluate ideas,
advocate positions, and resolve conflicts.
*Including the voices and perspectives of diverse parties in
the discussion of issues.
*Weighing ideas based on their merits, not who advocates
them.
*Achieving the best possible resolution of questions, as
compared to winning arguments for the sake of winning them.
– East Tennessee State University
(www.etsu.edu/criticalthinking/what_is_ct.asp
Set of Skills
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*Inquiry Skills: the ability to frame
questions and gather information.
*Understanding and Evaluation Skills: the
ability to understand others’ ideas and
evaluate arguments offered in support of
them.
*Advocacy Skills: the ability to formulate
positions and support them in a manner
that promotes reasoned discussion.
– East Tennessee State University
(www.etsu.edu/criticalthinking/what_is_ct.asp
Critical Thinking vs.
Critical Reading
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Critical reading is a technique for
discovering information and ideas
within a text.
Critical thinking is a technique for
evaluating information and ideas, for
deciding what to accept and believe.
http://www.criticalreading.com/
Why is teaching critical
thinking important?
What skills are most important for job success when hiring a
High School graduate?
Work Ethic
80%
Collaboration
75%
Good Communication
70%
Social Responsibility
63%
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
58%
Are They Really Ready To Work? 2006
21st Century Skills
Of the High School students that you recently hired,
what were their deficiencies?
Written Communication
81%
Leadership
Work Ethic
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
73%
70%
70%
Self-Direction
58%
Are They Really Ready To Work? 2006
21st Century Skills
What applied skills and basic knowledge are most
important for those you will hire with a four-year
college diploma?
Oral Communication
95.4%
Collaboration
Professional/Work Ethic
Written Communication
Critical Thinking/Problem Solving
94.4%
93.8%
93.1%
93.1%
Are They Really Ready To Work? 2006
21st Century Skills
What skills and content areas will be growing in
importance in the next five years?
Critical Thinking
78%
Information Technology
Health & Wellness
Collaboration
Innovation
77%
76%
74%
74%
Personal Financial Responsibility
72%
Are They Really Ready To Work? 2006
Caution!

http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php
?video_id=67350&title=When_You_Ar
e_Plugged_In___
Characteristics of a
Critical Thinker
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Do you have the COURAGE and PASSION to take
initiative and confront problems and meet
challenges?
Are you AWARE of your own biases and
preconceptions?
Do you have INDEPENDENT opinions and are
not afraid to disagree?
Are you HONEST with yourself (or others)
when you are wrong?
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Are you able to get to the HEART OF AN
ISSUE or problem,without being distracted
by details?
Do you love the TRUTH and are CURIOUS
about a wide range of issues?
Do you listen OPEN-MINDEDLY to
opposing points of view?
Do you WELCOME CRITICISM?
– Adapted from (p.21) : http://highered.mcgrawhill.com/sites/0767417399/
Free Thinking Tools
http://www.mycoted.com/Category:Creativity_Techniques
Socratic Questioning
Activity: Universe of
Obligation
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“To put the world right in order, we
must first put the nation in order; to
put the nation in order, we must first
put the family in order; to put the
family in order, we must first cultivate
our personal life; we must first set our
hearts right. “
– Confucius
What? So What? Now
What?
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“From every important idea, some
action should follow” ~ Paolo Freire
What?
Students
summarize the
most important
ideas from the
lecture or assigned
reading.
So What?
Then students are
asked to determine
what is important
about the ideas they
just listed. Why do
they matter? What
difference do they
make?
Now What?
Finally, students
brainstorm actions
… what can they
do about the
problem or issue?
What?
Why does the world continue to
pledge, “Never Again?”
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc
hqJ7bhCBA
http://www.ushmm.org/genocide/take_action/genocide
So What?
The Believing Game
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“Everyone agrees in theory that we can't judge a
new idea or point of view unless we enter into it
and try it out, but the practice itself is rare." -Peter
Elbow
The Doubting Game
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“Knowing and questioning, of course, require one
another. We understand nothing except in so far as
we understand the questions behind it." -I. A.
Richards
Now What?
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“What is your universe of obligation?”
http://www.facinghistory.org/video/tea
ching-universe-obligation
Visit
http://www.ushmm.org/genocide/take
_action/genocide and create an action
plan on how YOU can stop genocide.
Evaluating Internet
Sources
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Let the reader beware!
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingL
ib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html
Free e-learning tools
http://zaidlearn.blogspot.com/2008/04/free-learning-tool-forevery-learning.html
Some closing thoughts…
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“I do not paint the things I see, I paint
what I think.”
– Pablo Picasso