Fundamentals of Critical Thinking

1. Fundamentals ofCritical Thinking Narrowing The Gulf Conference March 26, 2009 Gail O. Lancaster

2. Game plan • Consider elements, standards and intellectual traits per Paul and Elder • Examine critical thinkers throughout history • Identify Paul and Elder’s fundamentals in other’s thinking or theories of thinking

3. Paul and Elder • Elements • Standards • Intellectual Traits

4. Paul and Elder

5. Critical Thinkers From History • King Solomon – 950 BC • Socrates – 400 BC • Hugo of St. Victor (12th Century) • Sir Francis Bacon (16th Century)

6. King Solomon • Wisdom • Discernment • Effective Ruler

7. Socrates • Questioning • Probing • Search for meaning • Search for truth

8. Hugo of St. Victor • Didascalion – pedagogical guide of the 12th Century • Meditatio (reflection, contemplation, practice, and rehearsal) • Independent reflection with humility and patience • Personal engagement with problems leading to new thoughts and deeper insight

9. Francis Bacon • Father of the Scientific Method • “We must become as little children in order to enter the kingdom of science”

10. Critical Thinkers and Theorists in Modern Times • Dewey – 1930’s • Ennis – 1980’s

11. Dispositions of thinking Open mindedness Whole heartedness Intellectual Responsibility Native Resources Curiosity Suggestion Orderliness DeweyReflective Thinking

12. Ennis • Critical thinking is “reasonable, reflective thinking focused on deciding what to believe or do.”

13. Ennis - Actions a learner usually must take in order to think critically • Judge the credibility of sources • Identify conclusions, reasons and assumptions • Judge the quality of an argument including the acceptability of its reasons, assumptions, and evidence • Develop and defend a position on an issue

14. Ennis - Actions a learner usually must take in order to think critically • Ask appropriate clarifying questions • Plan experiments and judge experimental designs • Define terms in a way appropriate for the context • Be open-minded • Try to be well-informed • Draw conclusions when warranted, but with caution

15. The essential question… • What do we need to do as educators to encourage critical thinking? • Ask open-ended questions • Don’t use PowerPoint • Find relevance – how they can relate • Get a different perspective – outside the box • Using positive reinforcement when seeing students thinking critically • Probe responses – take a more facilitative role • Educators must first be critical thinkers • Humility, courage – questioning is a good thing • Know where your students are coming from and where they want to go (goals) • Be willing to make mistakes – open mindedness • Stay current – read and write – and model critical thinking • Build confidence in students to ask questions and supply answers • Encourage students to record their thoughts/findings

16. References Dewey, J. (1933). How we think. New York: D. C. Heath. Ennis, R. (1993). Critical thinking assessment. Theory Into Practice, 32(3). Retrieved October 25, 2006, from Academic Search Premier database. Johnson, S. (1998). Skills, Socrates, and the Sophists: Learning from history. British Journal of Educational Studies 46(2). Retrieved March 23, 2009, from JSTOR database. Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2006b). The miniature guide to critical thinking concepts and tools (4th ed.). Dillon Beach, CA: Foundation for Critical Thinking. Pedersen, O. (1997). The first universities: Stadium Generale and the origins of university education in Europe. New York: Cambridge University Press.