Developing critical thinking skills

Tine Reimers helps us define the term critical thinking and truly start developing our students’ skills. PODCAST NOTES [GUEST ] Tine Reimers Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Specialist Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Learning Vancouver Island University Critical Thinking Defining critical thinking (and the inherent challenges when we want to improve critical thinking in our students, without actually agreeing, collectively, on what we mean) Different disciplines define critical thinking differently than each other Difficulty in the concrete way in how to get students to think critically in the discipline-specific way that I’m trying to develop… HANDOUT: Taxonomy of [some] critical thinking theories * Developmental – what gets emphasized? – a few of the thinkers/researchers who posit this theory * Learning styles / bio-neurological models of thought Article from Wired: All you need to know about learning styles… – what gets emphasized? – a few of the thinkers/researchers who posit this theory * Categories of cognitive skills – what gets emphasized? – a few of the thinkers/researchers who posit this theory * Processes of self (in culture and society) – what gets emphasized? – a few of the thinkers/researchers who posit this theory Episode with stephenbrookfield/15 Suggestions to grow critical thinking Invert the classroom intellectually Give the students practice in situations of ambiguity and complexity [Correction: I said I was listening to the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, but I meant that I was listening to the Inside Higher Ed podcast on competency-based programs] Each team gets a significant problem to work on Give the same problem to all the groups in the class Limited set of choices as right answers Which is the best answer to this problem Simultaneous report in the classroom Clickers or cards in class Why did you say D? Next steps Flip the classroom – all of class period is around problem solving and sticking to your guns Rabbit holes are a way of thinking… and we don’t give our students enough chances to do that type of thinking in foundational classes. ARTICLE: First day questions for learner-centered classrooms, by Gary Smith, University of New Mexico Michelson and Fink’s team based learning approach Michelson’s Team Based Learning – team task design – good for any discipline that you can do… Chrissy Spencer talking on Teaching in Higher Ed about teaching large classes Team based learning list serve Team based learning site RECOMMENDATIONS From Tine: On Intelligence, Jeff Hawkins  Reality is Broken, Jane McGonnigal