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Strategies & Methods for Incorporating Critical Thinking into Your Classroom

Strategies & Methods for Incorporating Critical Thinking into Your Classroom. By Bob Schoenberg. Overview. Some Critical Thinking Skills Criteria for Strategies Demonstration of Strategies. Some Critical Thinking Skills. Critical Thinking Questions Assumptions Frames of Reference

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Strategies & Methods for Incorporating Critical Thinking into Your Classroom

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  1. Strategies & Methods for Incorporating Critical Thinking into Your Classroom By Bob Schoenberg

  2. Overview • Some Critical Thinking Skills • Criteria for Strategies • Demonstration of Strategies

  3. Some Critical Thinking Skills • Critical Thinking Questions • Assumptions • Frames of Reference • Seeking Evidence/Proof (building an argument) • Metacognition – thinking about one’s thinking (can include anycritical thinking skill)

  4. Criteria for Strategies • Simple • Effective • Practical

  5. Critical Thinking Questions Questions that: • Probe for Reason and Evidence • Clarify • Challenge Assumptions • Identify Frames of Reference • Focus on Implications or Consequences • Question questions

  6. Critical Thinking Questions Require one to think critically!

  7. Some Critical Thinking Questions • Questions that Probe for Reason and Evidence Can you give me an example? How do you know that? What makes you think that is true? Do you have any evidence or proof?

  8. Clarifying Questions What do you mean when you say … ? What’s your main point? Could you explain that another way?

  9. Questions Regarding Assumptions Is that an assumption or a fact? What are you assuming? How do you know that to be true?

  10. Questions about Frames of Reference What might someone from a different perspective think? What might someone who disagrees say? How might other groups of people respond? What would influence them?

  11. More Questions Questions about implications What are you implying? If that were to happen, what else might happen? Questions about Questions How can we determine this? Does this question assume anything?

  12. How to do it: Pick 3 topics Have students rank them in order of important No comment or discussion until all rankings are posted Follow up: Post all rankings on the board Ask for comments Use Critical Thinking Questions Allow students to explain their rankings Rank Order Strategy

  13. Examples • Which do you think is more important? English: novel, prose, poetry Science: ohm, watt, volt Music: eighth, quarter or sixteenth note Computer: CPU, hard drive, RAM Math: decimal, fraction, whole number Chemistry: molecule, atom, protein chain

  14. Rank Order (continued) Did you use any particular Frame of Reference in your Rank Order? ?

  15. Either/Or Strategy Use to identify assumptions, frames of reference, provide reasons/evidence. Guidelines: • No “right” or “wrong” answer • Begin with a “neutral” issue • Allow all students to make a choice before any comments are made • Divide room into 2 halves, based on topic

  16. Either/Or Strategy (Continued) Ask students to explain their choices Ask students on both sides of the room Use different locations in the room for each exercise (front/back, right/left) Alternative: Use hand signals

  17. Examples of Either/Or Strategies Chemistry: neutron/proton Physical Therapy: muscle/ligament Anatomy: dendrite/neuron English Composition: verb/pronoun History: feudalism/socialism Music: band/orchestra Critical Thinking: Metacognition/Asking Questions

  18. Follow Up Questions Either/Or Strategy • What evidence do you have to support your position? • How do you know that this is true? • Are you assuming anything?

  19. Either/Or Strategy • Your turn! • In groups of 2-3, create a couple of either/or strategies. • Identify your course • Pick 2 topics • Opportunity to test it …

  20. Either/Or Demo Critical Thinking Which do you prefer: Either /Or Strategy or Rank Order Strategy? Palm facing me – Either/Or Palm facing you – Rank Order

  21. Written Assignment Explain what the term means and/or continue discussing the topic or concept in a group Give 2-3 examples Present their findings (including examples) to the other group Each student writes a brief paragraph that includes 1) an explanation of the term, 2) some examples, and 3) reasons why or why not this is a useful/important term.

  22. Example of Worksheet (to be used as a follow-up to the Either/Or Strategy) 1. Name or topic of term: ________________ • Explain in your own words, what this term/concept means. You may use your book and work together to come up with a "working " definition. But explain it in your own words. 3. Give 2-3 examples. (If each person in your group gives one example, you will have plenty of them).

  23. Additional Strategies • Public Interview – critical thinking questions • Group Work (collaboration) • Written Assignment – follow up

  24. Summary • Some Critical Thinking Skills • Criteria for Strategies • Critical Thinking Questions • Rank Order • Either/Or

  25. Evaluation • Please complete the evaluation survey • Thank you for attending this session. Bob Schoenberg – Training Specialist Email: Criticalthinking@mail.com

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