1. 1 F OSTERING C RITICAL T HINKING ACROSS THE C URRICULUM Practical, Research-based Strategies to Overcome Persistent Challenges The Closing Plenary at the University of Guelph’s 27 th Annual Teaching & Learning Innovation Conference 30 April 2014 Tom Angelo Tom Angelo - thomas.a.angelo@gmail.com

2. Sincere thanks to Prof. Craig Nelson, with whom I co-developed much of this material over several years.

3. 3 Page 2 The RSQC2 Technique A simple, quick way to prompt retrieval and metacognition – and to assess what students recall, value, and can connect. Why bother? Because retrieval and re-thinking aid long-term memory and learning And without that, critical thinking is not possible. Tom Angelo - thomas.a.angelo@gmail.com

4. 4 Handout Page 10 Applications Card Ideas/TechniquesPossible Applications Tom Angelo - thomas.a.angelo@gmail.com

5. “It’s not what we do, but what students do that’s the important thing.” Biggs, J. & Tang, C. (2007). Teaching for Quality Learning at University, 3 rd Edition. Berkshire: McGraw-Hill, p. 19.

6. 6 Teaching Objectives for this Session 1.Share common definitions of Critical Thinking (CT) 2.Share research findings on what fosters and hinders CT 3.Demonstrate at least five practical research-based strategies to foster CT. 4.Provide hands-on experience with those strategies 5.Encourage participants to identify possible applications to their own work 6.Provide useful resources for follow up Tom Angelo - thomas.a.angelo@gmail.com

7. 7 Intended Learning Outcomes for this Session By the end of this brief session, participants will have: 1.Drafted their own definitions of Critical Thinking 2.Evaluated the relevance to their own practice of research findings on fostering & hindering CT 3.Evaluated the potential usefulness of at least three (3) strategies/techniques practiced during the workshop 4.Committed to adapt and apply at least two or three (2-3) strategies for fostering CT 5.Identified at least two (2) useful resources and references for follow up Tom Angelo - thomas.a.angelo@gmail.com

8. 8 A “Balcony” Question If you participated actively: What differences do you note between the “teaching objectives” and the “intended learning outcomes”? (How consequential are those differences?) Tom Angelo - thomas.a.angelo@gmail.com

9. 9 Lower half – page 1 Directed Paraphrasing Critical Thinking... _______________________________ ____________________________________ Tom Angelo - thomas.a.angelo@gmail.com

10. 10 Page 11 Some definitions of Critical Thinking Do you notice any commonalities? Tom Angelo - thomas.a.angelo@gmail.com

11. Two Persistent Questions Why do students avoid critical thinking whenever possible? And why is it so difficult to learn when they do try to think critically? 11Tom Angelo - thomas.a.angelo@gmail.com

12. 12 Critical Thinking appears to... Require a great deal of time and effort Cause discomfort and unhappiness Generate conflicts and tension Pose risks to relationships with family, friends, and work colleagues Be relatively easy to avoid Be strikingly rare in everyday life Tom Angelo - thomas.a.angelo@gmail.com

13. 13 Critical Thinking – More than one flavour is on offer Some Common CT Flavours Required in your Required discipline?of students in the curriculum? ____Formal Logic _____ ____Hermeneutics_____ ____Scientific method _____ ____Statistical method _____ ____Precedent-based _____ ____Problem-solving _____ Tom Angelo - thomas.a.angelo@gmail.com

14. Page 3 – Background Knowledge Probe (revisited) Please answer each question regarding Canada, the Ukraine, and Syria. 11. Which of the 10 questions above, if any, involve “facts”? Which, if any, involve “opinions”? Which involve “expert judgement?” 12. Which of the 10 questions above require or at least invite critical thinking? 13. Which of the 10 questions above might provoke strong emotional reactions from students? Tom Angelo - thomas.a.angelo@gmail.com 14

15. Under stress, we regress.

16. 16 Polling Personal Evaluation A simple, quick way to assess students’ personal evaluations of “contestable” content. Why bother? Because discussion requires personal interest in, consideration of and commitment to a position.

17. 17 Shared TRUST Shared GOALS Shared LANGUAGE & CONCEPTS Three Preconditions for Deep Learning

18. 18 Teaching critical thinking requires that we build shared trust... Improvement requires learning Learning requires change Change requires risk Risk requires trust What have you done or can you do to build and enhance trust? Tom Angelo - thomas.a.angelo@gmail.com

19. 19 Page 4 – top half Where on Bloom’s Taxonomy does Critical Thinking begin? Tom Angelo - thomas.a.angelo@gmail.com

20. Remember Understand Apply Analyse Evaluate Create Bloom’s Taxonomy (revised) Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001

21. 21 Handout Page 4 When and where do we need critical thinking? And what exactly is critical thinking? Tom Angelo - thomas.a.angelo@gmail.com

22. 22 Page 4 – bottom half Put an X in any cell that requires Critical Thinking... KNOWNUNKNOWNUNKNOWABLE? Easily Findable Findable w/ Difficulty Not yet Findable May never be Findable? Questions or Problems Answers or Solutions Solution Processes/ Heuristics Models or Theories Tom Angelo - thomas.a.angelo@gmail.com

23. 23 Handout Pages 5 & 6 A Developmental Model of Critical Thinking Stages that 18-24 year olds typically pass through in university and after Tom Angelo - thomas.a.angelo@gmail.com

24. 24 Handout Page 7 Stimulating Intellectual Growth through ‘Scaffolded’ Class Discussions – an example Tom Angelo - thomas.a.angelo@gmail.com

25. 25 Handout Page 8 Reflective Questions for Designing Courses to Promote Critical Thinking Tom Angelo - thomas.a.angelo@gmail.com

26. 26 Handout Page 9 Analytic Teams A Collaborative Learning Technique to Teaching Students How to Think from Different Viewpoints Tom Angelo - thomas.a.angelo@gmail.com

27. 27 Handout Page 10 Applications Card Ideas/TechniquesPossible Applications Tom Angelo - thomas.a.angelo@gmail.com

28. 28 Page 12 Fostering Critical Thinking Approaches Well-Supported by Research Step-by-step Guided Practice Authentic Problem-solving Structured Collaboration Focused Communication Formative Feedback Guided Inquiry/Research Tom Angelo - thomas.a.angelo@gmail.com

29. 29 Page 12 Hindering Critical Thinking Approaches Contraindicated by Research Focus on rote learning Information overload One-shot assignments/assessments Personally meaningless assignments No feedback or ineffective feedback Norm-referenced (curved) marking Assessment fatigue Tom Angelo - thomas.a.angelo@gmail.com

30. The Parking Lot Test As you’re walking to your car in the lot after this session, if a colleague who didn’t attend asks you what you got from the session, what would you say? The next slide is one way to prepare for that “parking lot test.” Tom Angelo - thomas.a.angelo@gmail.com 30

31. 31 What, Why and How Choose one of your possible applications. Prepare to answer the three questions below about that specific application: What is it? Why do you think it might be useful? How do you think you might use it? Tom Angelo - thomas.a.angelo@gmail.com

32. 32 Thanks for your time, attention and participation. Best of luck in your absolutely critical work! Tom Angelo - thomas.a.angelo@gmail.com