Critical Thinking about ALC 2015 Dick Clark USC Center for Cognitive Technology ICT ITW 7 June 2011

2 Topics and Exercises 1. Critical thinking strategy for implementing ALC. 2. Survey to rank order ALC goals. 3. Critical thinking about causes of gaps. 4. Solutions for causes. 5. Plan for designing, developing, implementing and assessing solutions to causes in order to close gaps.

3 What is Critical Thinking? Halpern’s 5 Critical Thinking Strategy Questions: 1) Where do we want to go? (goal) 2) Where are we now? (current progress) 3) Why are we not there already? (gap analysis) 4) What will close the gap and get us there? (solution) 5) Are we there yet? (assessment) Halpern, D. (1998) Teaching critical thinking for transfer across domains: Dispositions, skills, structure training and metacognitive monitoring. American Psychologist, 55(4),

4 Critical Thinking “skills and strategies” Perkin’s 7 Critical Thinking Skills BE: 1) Clear (precise, coherent, specific, concrete) 2) Broad (Take risks: Be tolerant, flexible, empathetic, independent) 3) Deep (Look for basic causes, governing factors, analogies) 4) Sound (Be accurate, evidence based, thorough) 5) Curious (Persistent questioning, probing, inquisitive) 6) Strategic (Plan, take an organized approach) 7) Self-Aware (Of bias, effectiveness, gaps in knowledge) Perkins, D. Outsmarting IQ: The emerging science of learnable intelligence. NY: Free Press.

5 Where do we want to go (first)?  Rank order LEARN and Key goals in handout  Summarize and report rankings

6 Survey Results: LEARN You ranked the LEARN goals in the following order of their importance: Lifelong learning across the career span. Engaging the Learner. Adaptive Soldiers & Leaders, Development & delivery Relevant & Rigorous training and education. Networked Technology.

7 Survey Results: CRITICAL GOALS Outcomes of Soldier skills learning model must foster Strategies & experiences to engage & empower learners Career span learning transcending operating and generating force distinctions Learning system infrastructure that rapidly adapts to shifting demands Sustained adaptation in an era of exponential change Outcomes that are rigorous, relevant and measurable. Learning “at the point of need” so accessible when needed Maximize time on task to reinforce key competencies

8 Team Problem Solving Take ONE of the top five problems, discuss in your group and make a report where you describe: 1. Where we are now (and how you know). 2. Where we should be in a year or two (and how you will know you are at that point). 3. What knowledge, motivation and Army policy lacks are causing the gap between 1 and 2 above (and the evidence for your suggestion)? DO NOT discuss solutions

9 Team Problem Solving Take the causes of your team problem and make a report on: 1. What solution(s) will close the gaps on: A. Knowledge causes? B. Motivation causes? C. Army policy causes? Use Perkins 7 critical thinking strategies

10 Implementing your solutions to close gaps We currently use the ADDIE model: 1) Analysis (What K and M for gap?) 2) Design (What methods best for K, M?) 3) Development (K & M TSPs, media and materials ?) 4) Implementation (How should we deliver K,M?) 5) Evaluation (How will we measure K, M success?)

Critical Thinking About ALC 2015 THANK YOU! questions or comments to: