+ Critical Thinking Level 1 College English Tutoring Service

+ Today’s discussion topics What is critical thinking? What are the characteristics of a critical thinker? How are your critical thinking skills? Why is it important for educators to teach critical thinking? As a tutor, how can you encourage critical thinking?

+ Today’s discussion topics 1. What is critical thinking? What are the characteristics of a critical thinker? How are your critical thinking skills? Why is it important for educators to teach critical thinking? As a tutor, how can you encourage critical thinking?

+ What is critical thinking?

+ CRITICAL THINKING is… 1) the art of thinking about your thinking while you're thinking so as to make your thinking more clear, precise, accurate, relevant, consistent, and fair 2) the art of constructive skepticism 3) the art of identifying and removing bias, prejudice, and one-sidedness of thought 4) the art of self-directed, in-depth, rational learning 5) thinking that rationally certifies what we know and makes clear wherein we are ignorant SOURCE: Paul, Richard. (1995). "Critical thinking in North America" in Critical thinking: What every person needs to survive in a rapidly changing world, revised third edition.

+ What isn’t critical thinking? CRITICAL THINKING is NOT… 1) thought captive of one's ego, desires, social conditioning, prejudices, or irrational impressions 2) thinking that is egocentric, careless, heedless of assumptions, relevant evidence, implications, or consistency 3) thinking that habitually ignores epistemological demands in favor of its egocentric commitments 4) simply being ‘critical’ (meaning negative) about something

+ Example A Colorful Crime Read this story. Then figure out what color hat the bank robber was wearing. But remember one thing: one of the brothers always tells the truth, and the other always lies — and we don't know which is which. After a bank robbery, two guys ran out of the bank. One was wearing a red baseball cap. The other was wearing a blue baseball cap. The police didn't know which one was the criminal. Luckily, Jake saw the robbery and could tell the police what color hat the robber was wearing. Jake's brother Joe later told their sister, Jenny, what happened. "Jake said the robber was wearing a red hat," he said.

+ Example A Colorful Crime What color is the bank robber’s cap?

+ Example A Colorful Crime ANSWER: The bank robber was wearing a blue hat. Which brother is the liar?

+ Example A Colorful Crime Jake is the liar and Joe is the truth-teller. That means Jake actually did say that the robber was wearing a red hat. But remember, whatever Jake says is false, so the robber's hat was blue.

+ Example A Colorful Crime OR… Joe is the liar and Jake is the truth-teller. That means that Jake really told his friends that the robber was wearing a blue hat. And since Jake always tells the truth, the robber's hat was, indeed blue. The answer is blue — either way. Source: Usborne Brain Puzzles, p.20

+ Being critically minded Critical thinking includes identification of prejudice, bias, propaganda, self-deception, distortion, and misinformation

+ Being critically minded Critical thinking includes identification of prejudice, bias, propaganda, self-deception, distortion, and misinformation Critical thinking gives due consideration to evidence, context of judgment, relevant criteria for making a reasoned judgment, applicable methods or techniques for forming the judgment, and the applicable theoretical constructs for understanding the problem and the question at hand.

+ Being critically minded Critical thinking includes identification of prejudice, bias, propaganda, self-deception, distortion, and misinformation Critical thinking gives due consideration to evidence, context of judgment, relevant criteria for making a reasoned judgment, applicable methods or techniques for forming the judgment, and the applicable theoretical constructs for understanding the problem and the question at hand. Critical thinking employs not only logic but broad intellectual criteria such as clarity, credibility, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breadth, significance and fairness.

+ What is critical thinking? Source: University of South Australia website

+ What is critical thinking? Critical thinking is…

+ What is critical thinking? Critical thinking is…  Reasonably and reflectively deciding what to believe or do by

+ What is critical thinking? Critical thinking is…  Reasonably and reflectively deciding what to believe or do by  Breaking things down and evaluating them then

+ What is critical thinking? Critical thinking is…  Reasonably and reflectively deciding what to believe or do by  Breaking things down and evaluating them then  Making reasoned judgments

+ What is critical thinking? Critical thinking is…  Reasonably and reflectively deciding what to believe or do by  Breaking things down and evaluating them then  Making reasoned judgments Results may be…

+ What is critical thinking? Critical thinking is…  Reasonably and reflectively deciding what to believe or do by  Breaking things down and evaluating them then  Making reasoned judgments Results may be…  Positive or Negative

+ What is critical thinking? Critical thinking is…  Reasonably and reflectively deciding what to believe or do by  Breaking things down and evaluating them then  Making reasoned judgments Results may be…  Positive or Negative  Acceptance or Rejection

+ What is critical thinking? Critical thinking is…  Reasonably and reflectively deciding what to believe or do by  Breaking things down and evaluating them then  Making reasoned judgments Results may be…  Positive or Negative  Acceptance or Rejection  (and everything in-between)

+ Today’s discussion topics What is critical thinking? 2. What are the characteristics of a critical thinker? How are your critical thinking skills? Why is it important for educators to teach critical thinking? As a tutor, how can you encourage critical thinking?

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+ Critical thinkers  An "ideal" critical thinker is…

+ Critical thinkers  An "ideal" critical thinker is… inquisitive 

+ Critical thinkers  An "ideal" critical thinker is… inquisitive  open-minded

+ Critical thinkers  An "ideal" critical thinker is… inquisitive  open-minded  orderly

+ Critical thinkers  An "ideal" critical thinker is… inquisitive  open-minded  orderlyfocused

+ Critical thinkers  An "ideal" critical thinker is… inquisitive  open-minded  orderlyfocused persistent

+ Critical thinkers  An "ideal" critical thinker is… inquisitive  open-minded  orderlyfocused persistent  An "ideal" critical thinker can…

+ Critical thinkers  An "ideal" critical thinker is… inquisitive  open-minded  orderlyfocused persistent  An "ideal" critical thinker can… devise testing strategies 

+ Critical thinkers  An "ideal" critical thinker is… inquisitive  open-minded  orderlyfocused persistent  An "ideal" critical thinker can… devise testing strategies  formulate alternative solutions or hypotheses 

+ Critical thinkers  An "ideal" critical thinker is… inquisitive  open-minded  orderlyfocused persistent  An "ideal" critical thinker can… devise testing strategies  formulate alternative solutions or hypotheses  judge acceptability of premises and inferences 

+ Critical thinkers  An "ideal" critical thinker is… inquisitive  open-minded  orderlyfocused persistent  An "ideal" critical thinker can… devise testing strategies  formulate alternative solutions or hypotheses  judge acceptability of premises and inferences  draw conclusions

+ Today’s discussion topics What is critical thinking? What are the characteristics of a critical thinker? 3. How are your critical thinking skills? Why is it important for educators to teach critical thinking? As a tutor, how can you encourage critical thinking?

+ 1. A girl who was just learning to drive went down a one-way street in the wrong direction, but didn't break the law. How come? 2. How can you throw a ball as hard as you can and have it come back to you, even if it doesn't hit anything, there is nothing attached to it, and no one else catches or throws it? 3. Two students are sitting on opposite sides of the same desk. There is nothing in between them but the desk. Why can't they see each other? 4. There are only two T's in Timothy Tuttle. True or false? 5. Two sons, two fathers and a grandfather sat together. How many men were there? Test your critical thinking skills

+ Answers: 1. She was walking. 2. Throw the ball straight up in the air. 3. The two students have their backs to each other. 4. True. There are only two T's (upper case). There are also three t’s (lower case). 5. Two men, one of whom was the grandfather. Source: Sterling, Brain Teasers, p.24 Test your critical thinking skills

+ Connect the 9 dots with 4 straight lines without lifting your writing pen

+ Test your critical thinking skills

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+ Critical thinking is…  Thinking outside the box!

+ Brain break!

+ Today’s discussion topics What is critical thinking? What are the characteristics of a critical thinker? How are your critical thinking skills? 4. Why is it important for educators to teach critical thinking? As a tutor, how can you encourage critical thinking?

+ Critical thinking in education Why teach the methods of critical thinking? “Education is what is left after you forget all the things you memorized in school.” – Albert Einstein

+ Critical thinking in education Why teach the methods of critical thinking? “Education is what is left after you forget all the things you memorized in school.” – Albert Einstein Critical thinking is considered important in the academic fields because it enables one to analyze, evaluate, explain, and restructure their thinking, thereby decreasing the risk of adopting, acting on, or thinking with, a false belief.

+ Critical thinking in education Why teach the methods of critical thinking? “Education is what is left after you forget all the things you memorized in school.” – Albert Einstein Critical thinking is considered important in the academic fields because it enables one to analyze, evaluate, explain, and restructure their thinking, thereby decreasing the risk of adopting, acting on, or thinking with, a false belief. Student are often passive receptors of information

+ Critical thinking in education Why teach the methods of critical thinking? “Education is what is left after you forget all the things you memorized in school.” – Albert Einstein Critical thinking is considered important in the academic fields because it enables one to analyze, evaluate, explain, and restructure their thinking, thereby decreasing the risk of adopting, acting on, or thinking with, a false belief. Student are often passive receptors of information Today’s amount of information is massive

+ Critical thinking in education Why teach the methods of critical thinking?

+ Critical thinking in education Why teach the methods of critical thinking? Students need a method to…  weed through all information and not passively accept it  distinguish between facts, opinions, personal feelings and reasoned judgments  make assumptions and inferences  understand inductive and deductive arguments  recognize the objective and the subjective

+ Critical thinking in education Why teach the methods of critical thinking? As students learn to think more critically… 

+ Critical thinking in education Why teach the methods of critical thinking? As students learn to think more critically… they become more proficient at historical, scientific, and mathematical thinking 

+ Critical thinking in education Why teach the methods of critical thinking? As students learn to think more critically… they become more proficient at historical, scientific, and mathematical thinking they develop skills, abilities, and values crucial to success in everyday life 

+ Today’s discussion topics What is critical thinking? What are the characteristics of a critical thinker? How are your critical thinking skills? Why is it important for educators to teach critical thinking? 5. As a tutor, how can you encourage critical thinking?

+ As a tutor How do you tutor toward critical thinking? Suzie’s 10 point plan: 1. Don’t be the answer fairy6. Encourage open-mindedness 2. Lengthen response time7. Encourage reasoning 3. Generate questions8. Encourage analyzing for patterns 4. Talk through the problem9. Be cognizant of tutees response 5. Encourage questioning10. Be gentle – Thinking is hard

+ As a tutor What do you mean by X? What is your main point? How does this relate to X? Could you put that another way? What do you think is the main issue here? How does this relate to our discussion (problem, issue)? What did you take X to mean? Could you give me an example? Could you explain that further? Why do you say that? What questions you can ask to encourage critical thinking from your tutee?

+ As a tutor The goal of the critical thinking tutor is to…  encourage tutees to learn to think on their own.  assist their tutees in developing problem solving strategies.  provide another method of approaching the subject matter, not add more subject matter.

+ As a tutor Result of the Critical Thinking Tutee:  Easier job for the tutor

+ As a tutor Result of the Critical Thinking Tutee:  Easier job for the tutor  Empower tutees to become more active in their education

+ 1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator? The correct answer is: Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe, and close the door. This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way. 2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator? Correct answer: Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant and close the door. This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your previous actions. 3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend... except one. Which animal does not attend? Correct Answer: The elephant. The elephant is in the refrigerator. You just put him in there. This tests your memory. 4. There is a river you must cross but it is used by crocodiles, and you do not have a boat. How do you manage it? Correct Answer: You jump into the river and swim across. Have you not been listening? All the crocodiles are attending the animal conference. This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes. Test by Anderson Consulting Worldwide One last exercise…

+ Credits University of South Australia theawareproject.org.au Blinn College Learning Center The University of Utah