Jamaica Teachers’ Association 2014 Educational Conference International Best Practices and Innovations in Education Enhancement of Critical Thinking Dr. Kornel A Brown

What does it mean to think?

What does it mean to think critically?

Critical Thinking Exercise Inference Making The Facts: It was dark when a woman was seen leaving the house. With her were several children, one of them in a baby carriage. She proceeded to a phone and dialed. After holding the receiver to her ear for a moment, she hung up and dialed again. After about thirty seconds she was heard to say, "May I speak to John?" She did not say another word for about a minute, then she exclaimed, "But I've got to talk to him! It's an emergency." The child in the baby carriage began to cry, "Daddy! Daddy!!!"

Critical Thinking Exercise Inference Making The Facts: It was dark when a woman was seen leaving the house. With her were several children, one of them in a baby carriage. She proceeded to a phone and dialed. After holding the receiver to her ear for a moment, she hung up and dialed again. After about thirty seconds she was heard to say, "May I speak to John?" She did not say another word for about a minute, then she exclaimed, "But I've got to talk to him! It's an emergency." The child in the baby carriage began to cry, "Daddy! Daddy!!!" Based on the story above, mark the following sentences TRUE, FALSE or DON’T KNOW.

Critical Thinking Exercise Inference Making The Facts: It was dark when a woman was seen leaving the house. With her were several children, one of them in a baby carriage. She proceeded to a phone and dialed. After holding the receiver to her ear for a moment, she hung up and dialed again. After about thirty seconds she was heard to say, "May I speak to John?" She did not say another word for about a minute, then she exclaimed, "But I've got to talk to him! It's an emergency." The child in the baby carriage began to cry, "Daddy! Daddy!!!" 1. The woman left her home to make a phone call.

Critical Thinking Exercise Inference Making The Facts: It was dark when a woman was seen leaving the house. With her were several children, one of them in a baby carriage. She proceeded to a phone and dialed. After holding the receiver to her ear for a moment, she hung up and dialed again. After about thirty seconds she was heard to say, "May I speak to John?" She did not say another word for about a minute, then she exclaimed, "But I've got to talk to him! It's an emergency." The child in the baby carriage began to cry, "Daddy! Daddy!!!" 2.While the story does not say exactly how many of her children the woman had with her, we know one of them was in a baby carriage.

Critical Thinking Exercise Inference Making The Facts: It was dark when a woman was seen leaving the house. With her were several children, one of them in a baby carriage. She proceeded to a phone and dialed. After holding the receiver to her ear for a moment, she hung up and dialed again. After about thirty seconds she was heard to say, "May I speak to John?" She did not say another word for about a minute, then she exclaimed, "But I've got to talk to him! It's an emergency." The child in the baby carriage began to cry, "Daddy! Daddy!!!" 3.The phone in the woman's house was out of order, but the pay phone she used was in working condition.

Critical Thinking Exercise Inference Making The Facts: It was dark when a woman was seen leaving the house. With her were several children, one of them in a baby carriage. She proceeded to a phone and dialed. After holding the receiver to her ear for a moment, she hung up and dialed again. After about thirty seconds she was heard to say, "May I speak to John?" She did not say another word for about a minute, then she exclaimed, "But I've got to talk to him! It's an emergency." The child in the baby carriage began to cry, "Daddy! Daddy!!!" 4.The woman called two different places before getting an answer.

Critical Thinking Exercise Inference Making The Facts: It was dark when a woman was seen leaving the house. With her were several children, one of them in a baby carriage. She proceeded to a phone and dialed. After holding the receiver to her ear for a moment, she hung up and dialed again. After about thirty seconds she was heard to say, "May I speak to John?" She did not say another word for about a minute, then she exclaimed, "But I've got to talk to him! It's an emergency." The child in the baby carriage began to cry, "Daddy! Daddy!!!" 5.The person on the other end of the line refused to allow the woman to speak to John.

Critical Thinking Exercise Inference Making The Facts: It was dark when a woman was seen leaving the house. With her were several children, one of them in a baby carriage. She proceeded to a phone and dialed. After holding the receiver to her ear for a moment, she hung up and dialed again. After about thirty seconds she was heard to say, "May I speak to John?" She did not say another word for about a minute, then she exclaimed, "But I've got to talk to him! It's an emergency." The child in the baby carriage began to cry, "Daddy! Daddy!!!" 6.The woman wanted to get in touch with her husband because an emergency had occurred in the household.

Critical Thinking Exercise Inference Making The Facts: It was dark when a woman was seen leaving the house. With her were several children, one of them in a baby carriage. She proceeded to a phone and dialed. After holding the receiver to her ear for a moment, she hung up and dialed again. After about thirty seconds she was heard to say, "May I speak to John?" She did not say another word for about a minute, then she exclaimed, "But I've got to talk to him! It's an emergency." The child in the baby carriage began to cry, "Daddy! Daddy!!!" 7. The woman was not able to talk to her husband.

Critical Thinking Exercise Inference Making The Facts: It was dark when a woman was seen leaving the house. With her were several children, one of them in a baby carriage. She proceeded to a phone and dialed. After holding the receiver to her ear for a moment, she hung up and dialed again. After about thirty seconds she was heard to say, "May I speak to John?" She did not say another word for about a minute, then she exclaimed, "But I've got to talk to him! It's an emergency." The child in the baby carriage began to cry, "Daddy! Daddy!!!" 8 It was night when the woman and the children left the house.

Critical Thinking Exercise Inference Making The Facts: It was dark when a woman was seen leaving the house. With her were several children, one of them in a baby carriage. She proceeded to a phone and dialed. After holding the receiver to her ear for a moment, she hung up and dialed again. After about thirty seconds she was heard to say, "May I speak to John?" She did not say another word for about a minute, then she exclaimed, "But I've got to talk to him! It's an emergency." The child in the baby carriage began to cry, "Daddy! Daddy!!!" 9.The baby began to cry while the woman was talking on the phone.

Critical Thinking Exercise Inference Making The Facts: It was dark when a woman was seen leaving the house. With her were several children, one of them in a baby carriage. She proceeded to a phone and dialed. After holding the receiver to her ear for a moment, she hung up and dialed again. After about thirty seconds she was heard to say, "May I speak to John?" She did not say another word for about a minute, then she exclaimed, "But I've got to talk to him! It's an emergency." The child in the baby carriage began to cry, "Daddy! Daddy!!!" 10. The baby was crying for her daddy.

Critical Thinking Defined...the ability to analyze facts, generate and organize ideas, defend opinions, make comparisons, draw inferences, evaluate arguments and solve problems (Chance,1986, p. 6); (Mezirow 2000)

Critical Thinking Defined...the ability to analyze facts, generate and organize ideas, defend opinions, make comparisons, draw inferences, evaluate arguments and solve problems (Chance,1986, p. 6);...a conscious and deliberate process which is used to interpret or evaluate information and experiences with a set of reflective attitudes and abilities that guide thoughtful actions (Mertes,1991, p.24); (Mezirow 2000)

Who is a Critical Thinker? An individual who is consciously aware of his/her take-for-granted perspectives and unexamined routine actions, and who takes deliberate steps to alter passively acquired An individual who is consciously aware of his/her take-for-granted perspectives and unexamined routine actions, and who takes deliberate steps to alter passively acquired beliefs and assumptions, thereby making possible a more informed and dependable perspective. (Mezirow 2000)

Prepared By Kornel A Brown A Model for Facilitating Critical Thinking Engage in Critical Reflection Revised Meaning Structure Perspective Transformation Identify Meaning Schemas

Prepared By Kornel A Brown A Model for Facilitating Critical Thinking Identify Meaning Schemas Engage in Critical Reflection Revised Meaning Structure Perspective Transformation - specific beliefs - attitudes - emotional reaction - values

Prepared By Kornel A Brown A Model for Facilitating Critical Thinking Identify Meaning Schemas Engage in Critical Reflection Revised Meaning Structure Perspective Transformation Identify and challenge meaning schemes

Prepared By Kornel A Brown Critical Reflection Objective reframing –critical reflection of the assumptions of others.

Prepared By Kornel A Brown Critical Reflection Objective reframing –critical reflection of the assumptions of others Subjective Reframing –critical self-reflection of ones own assumptions

Prepared By Kornel A Brown A Model for Facilitating Critical Thinking Identify Meaning Schemas Engage in Critical Reflection Revised Meaning Structure Perspective Transformation Taking a conscious decision to revise ones meaning structure.

Perspective Transformation Becoming critically aware of HOW and WHY ones beliefs, assumptions…have come to constrain the way one perceive, understand and act.

A Model for Facilitating Critical Thinking Identify Meaning Schemas Engage in Critical Reflection Revised Meaning Structure Perspective Transformation Acting in accordance with new tentative perspective.

Informational Learning VS Transformational Learning

Thoughts on Learning By: Charles Andy (1989) The man stood in front of the class. “Now learn this,” he said, writing an equation on the board. We wrote in our books. Three months later we wrote it out again in an examination paper. If the second writing was the same as the first, we had learnt it. That was my early concept of learning. Later on, I came to realize that I had learned nothing at school, except that all problems had already been solved and that the answer was around, in some book or the teacher’s head.

Learning that encourages Critical Thinking is:  less Informational  more transformational

Informational VS Transformational Informational learning “adds to WHAT a person knows” –Consistent with the “bank deposit” approach to education Transformational learning changes a person’s “Way of knowing” –Consistent with “Mindful Learning”

Informational Learning Leaves the FORM of a person’s way of knowing as it is and focuses on changing what people know; it is essentially a training model for personal change. Learning Intervention (LI) Before LIAfter LI

Transformational Learning Learning that emphasizes Critical Thinking places our take-for- granted ways of making meaning at risk of change. Learning Intervention (LI) Before LI After LI

The Transformative Learning Progression Model Instrumental Knower Socializing Knower Self-Authoring Knower Follows correct Steps and rules and make sure to do each one in the right way (there being only one right way). Follows guidance from experts regarding best way to plan for and reach goal. Looks externally for support and validation of progress. Determines own independently conceived and desired goal(s) and considers all of the possible ways to accomplish it/them.

****A Final Note**** The goal of encouraging critical thinking learning is to initiate and sustain learning that help learners progress from a basic to a more advanced way of making meaning. When a person’s way of making meaning advances, the person comprehends information in a different way and has enhanced his/her capacities (cognitive, interpersonal, and intrapersonal) to manage the complexities of work and life.

Prepared By Kornel A Brown