Critical+Thinking


 * I. **** What is critical thinking? **

**Asking questions** · Asking open-ended questions · Asking “hot” (higher order) questions · Asking the “right” questions (relevancy) · Focusing on “How” and “Why” questions

**Determining Bias** · Identifying bias and agendas · Recognizing propaganda and prejudice · Figuring out own assumptions · Questioning assumptions · Figuring out target audience · Recognizing significance of meanings/use of words in context · Considering context of perceptions · Analyzing influence of situation

**Formulating opinions** · Determining supports to justify opinions · Communicating ideas · Accessing several sources to inform your opinion · Considering ethics · Seeking depth of understanding · Generating ideas

**Perspective-taking** · Accessing multiple perspectives · Finding resources from a variety of media – multimodality & digital landscape · Identifying missing voices · Developing cultural knowledge · Taking opposite position · Seeking to broaden perspective · Opening up to new ideas and opinions · Examining paradigms · Developing empathy and compassion

**Evaluating information** · Analyzing data and observations · Critiquing · Figuring out credibility and validity related to purpose · Determining relevancy · Questioning accuracy · Asking: What’s working? What’s not?

**Making judgments** · Judging value of ideas, not people · Developing arguments/justifications

**Synthesizing**

**Metacognition** · Developing awareness of own thinking process · Reflecting

** Mindset ** · Life-long learning/preparing for real-life (example: voting) · Citizenship for democracy · Valuing the pursuit of self-knowledge · Learning for the sake of learning · Open minded stance · Seeking to think “outside the box” · Stamina to think: Thinking is hard work! · Logical · Creative · Wise

** II. **** Structures to facilitate critical thinking: **

**Supporting CT** · Building comfortable environment for risk-taking · Providing resources from a variety of media – multimodality · Applying to relevant topics and issues · Connecting to what you learn in the ‘outside’ world · Making conceptual connections · Relating to passions and interests – Making it meaningful and engaging · Providing frame of reference/contextual information · Developing foundational steps to get there · Learning how to access information · Explaining “critical” (re. misunderstanding caused by negative connotation) · Scaffolding CT for those who are used to having others think for them · Learning etiquette of appropriate ways to argue, disagree, etc. · Providing extended intervals of time to practice and process within groups · Facilitating growth of CT over time…on-going · Providing effective and frequent feedback · Building background knowledge · Building //thinking// and //content area// vocabulary (example: learning rhetorical devices)

**Routines/strategies that promote CT** · Think/Pair/Share · AB Partners · Socratic seminars · Fishbowl · Debate on an issue · Blogs · Writing genres designed for C.T. (such as persuasive essays) · Reflective journals · Social paintings · Dialogic journals · Think Alouds · Whip arounds · Modeling the thinking process for others · Create a new character for a story or play · Philosophical chairs · Brainstorming · Role-playing & simulations · Comparing and contrasting activities · Experiential activities · Work experience: Learning to think on the job · Bloom’s taxonomy · Multiple intelligences · Costa’s thinking skills