Critical Thinking

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Critical Thinking Information Literacy

• EDES 545 Virtual Seminar
• Andrea Langelaar
• Sept. 23, 2007

All photos are used from Microsoft Power Point
Clip Art
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Topic 1 Information Literacy

• Topic 1 addresses the evolving role of
  Teacher-Librarians specifically concerning the
  use of technology.
• Technology is changing the way we approach
  teaching Information Literacy because of the
  increased access to information it provides.
• Students now need a skill set that will help
  them effectively utilize the resources that
  technology provides.
• It is important that we explore the necessity of
  critical thinking skills within this tool set so
  that our students can effectively use their
  information literacy skills.

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Martin Luther King Activity

• Click on the URL link below to view a website
  containing information concerning Martin Luther
  King.
• Take a very close look and evaluate this site
  knowing it is the second suggestion given when
  using a well-known search engine.
• http//martinlutherking.org/

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And the Verdict is?

• Upon careful examination of this website you will
  realize it was in fact written by a white
  supremacy group. (Click on Hosted by Stormfront
  at the bottom of the webpage for more information
  on the authors)
• This is an obvious conflict of interest leading
  to inaccurate information about Martin Luther
  King.
• Are we aware that this misinformation is
  appearing in our search engines where students
  commonly look for reliable information?

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This seminar will address the following questions

• Why are critical thinking skills an important
  part of becoming information literate,
  specifically concerning technology, and how can
  Teacher-Librarians approach teaching critical
  thinking?

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PART 1

• Why are critical thinking skills an important
  part of becoming information literate,
  specifically concerning technology?

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Defining Critical Thinking

• Critical thinking is the analysis of any attempt
  at persuasion, based on an evaluation of the form
  and content that attempt. (Mesher, 1999)

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Defining Information Literacy

• Information Literacy is proficiency in
  information retrieval, analysis, and
  communication in conjunction with highly
  developed technological skills. (Asselin, 2005,
  p. 3)

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Why is critical thinking so important?

• Four reasons to outline and understand the
  necessity for developing critical thinking in our
  students
• Willing Students
• Able Students
• Information Overload
• Accessibility

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Reason 1 Willing Students

• Without encouragement, students are already
  familiar with a variety of technologies that
  provide information.
• The students currently on college campuses, as
  well as those due to arrive in the next few
  years, have grown up in front of electronic
  screens television, movies, video games,
  computer monitors (Weiler, 2005, p.1).

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Reason 2 Able Students

• Students have the ability to access information
  in a variety of ways through exploration. Today,
  it does not necessarily require teaching to
  introduce students to information via technology.
• The results of a questionnaire study (OSullivan
  Scott, 2000) about students preferred use of
  materials indicated that the majority of the
  students chose the Internet to conduct research,
  citing ease of use, speed of use, and the
  convenience of finding infinite information
  quickly as the top reasons of choice. (Heil,
  2005, p.1)

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Reason 3 - Information Overload

• The nature of technology today is that it is
  accessible both to audiences and to participants
  which leads to a variety of quality and massive
  quantity of information.
• We are a culture awash in so much data, so many
  ads, so many resources, so much to Google, that
  our ability to evaluate information and sift out
  those things arein itself an important
  21st-century skill. (Rivero, 2006, p.1)

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Reason 4 Accessibility

• In the 21st century, we live in a digital,
  online environment. Periodicals, general
  nonfiction, and reference works are readily
  available and widely accepted in electronic
  format. (Church, 2005, p.4).
• There is a long list of places you can have free
  access to the Internet schools, cafes,
  libraries, to name a few. This provides access
  for anyone interested in using the Internet,
  including our students.

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Many will argue that you are not information
literate until you are a critical thinker!

• Information literacy and critical thinking go
• hand-in-hand

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Critical Thinking is Critical

• Teaching students to think critically about
  information is a fundamental goal of information
  literacy, as it should be. Without a
  well-developed capacity to evaluate and use
  information from books, library databases, or the
  Internet, students make questionable decisions,
  and sometimes about very important matters.
  (Ward, 2006, p.2)

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• An important part of information literacy is the
  ability to evaluate Internet resources critically
  and to decide if each source is unbiased,
  accurate, and written by a qualified person who
  has specific knowledge on the topic. This
  ability is crucial to being a good user of
  resources and to research. (Heil, 2005, p.1).

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Why is this important for Teacher-Librarians to
know?

• Teacher-librarians must teach students that
  although there is large quantity of information
  available on the internet, the quality of the
  sites is extremely important when using the
  Internet as a research tool. (Heil, 2005, p.1).
• Students need critical thinking skills in order
  to evaluate if information is quality or just
  quantity.

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Dont students have critical thinking skills
already?

• It has been said that student critical thinking
  and other cognitive skills (as well as their
  physical well-being) are suffering because of the
  large proportion of time spent in sedentary
  pastimes, passively absorbing words and images,
  rather than reading. (Weiler, 2005, p.1)
• Critical thinking skills are not innate. They
  need to be taught and practiced.

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Research Study

• A recent study conducted by Heil (2005) with 14
  Grade 8 students proves the increase in critical
  thinking, specifically concerning Internet use,
  after a formal unit was taught.
• She began her study with a pre-unit survey to
  determine their Internet use habits, their
  research habits, and their knowledge of the
  Internet and critical evaluation skills. (Heil,
  2005, p.2)

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The results of the Pre-Unit Survey
(Heil, 2005, p.3)
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Internet use YesCritical Thinking No!

• 100 of the students use the Internet for
  research!
• But do they know how to use it?
• 85 did not know how to critically evaluate the
  information on the Internet!
• Heil (2005) then conducted a survey to find out
  about the students perceptions of the Internet.

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Internet Perceptions Survey
(Heil, 2005, p.3)
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Students not Informed

• 85 of the students had not formed strong
  opinions about the cost of publishing materials
  on the Internet. (Heil, 2005, p.3)
• 92 percent of the students either did not have
  a strong opinion or agreed that one must have
  approval before publishing on the Internet.
  (Heil, 2005, p.3)
• Clearly, the students needed to be informed
  through being taught critical thinking skills

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What was done?

• A six step Internet Site Critical Evaluation Unit
  was then taught to the students (Heil, 2005, p.3
  - 4)
• When compared with the pre-unit survey, the
  post-unit student responses for what draws
  students to the Internet was the same. The
  students' Internet perceptions, however, had
  changed to be more realistic and better
  informed. (Heil, 2005, p.4)

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More Results

• Students were also asked to rank a predetermined
  list of resource materials in an attempt to find
  out where the Internet was now ranked. (Heil,
  2005, p.4)
• In the pre-unit survey, 71 of the students
  selected the Internet as their first choice.
  Then, 75 of the students selected subscription
  databases on the Internet and encyclopedias as
  the top choices, followed by library books and
  magazines in the library, and last, the general
  Internet. (Heil, 2005, p.4)

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My thoughts on Heils Study

• The results are clear that formal teaching of
  critical thinking skills both inform our students
  about the nature of the Internet as well as give
  them the skills to think critically while using
  the Internet as a source of information.
• It is my hope that critical thinking skills would
  not divert students from using the Internet as a
  resource, but rather inform them of how to make
  it a useful resource.

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PART 2

• How can Teacher-librarians approach teaching
  critical thinking?

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Two types of lessons

• FORMAL LESSONS
• Explicitly teaching critical thinking skills
• Using real-life situations
• Teaching about technology so the importance of
  critical thinking is understood

• INFORMAL LESSONS
• Using technology to teach while utilizing
  critical thinking skills
• Putting critical thinking skills into practice
• Teaching through technology

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Formal Lesson Ideas

• What is Critical Thinking?
• As a class, discuss the idea of critical thinking
  and create a definition with your guidance of
  what it is and why it is important.
• In small groups, assign your students the task of
  developing a short skit that displays someone NOT
  using critical thinking skills.
• Velcro Article Assessment
• Using the article that is found at the following
  URL, and with all seriously of Current Events
  class, assign your students to read this article
  individually.
• http//home.inreach.com/kumbach/velcro.html
• As a class, discuss the data chart that displays
  information about Successful Velcro Crops.
• In small groups, assign your students the task of
  creating a plan for Velcro crops to be grown in
  your area.
• Did you get very far in this lesson without
  students questioning the validity of the article?
  This lesson will help you evaluate to what
  degree your students need to develop their
  critical thinking skills.
• Discuss with your class the nature of this
  activity and the need for critical thinking
  skills when finding information.

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Formal Lesson Ideas continued

• Cybersmart Website
• For a variety of activities relating technology
  and critical thinking skills, visit the
  Cybersmart Website. You dont want to miss this
  one.
• www.cybersmartcurriculum.org/lesson_plans
• Matching Game
• Create this activity to assess your primary
  students or students with special needs critical
  thinking skills
• Make 10 pictures cards of kids doing a variety of
  activities at school (i.e. using scissors,
  colouring, eating their lunch, playing outside,
  reading)
• Make 10 word cards that describe the activities
  and ask students to match the cards to the
  pictures, reading the words on the cards if
  necessary
• When making the word cards, create one of the 10
  cards that reads, a school activity outside and a
  school activity inside as well as one that reads
  an activity done at home
• Evaluate the critical thinking skills by
  observing how students match the cards and how
  they think about the three special cards matching
  the pictures
• Discuss with the student how they came about
  their answers and teach them the vocabulary of
  critical thinking and its definition

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Informal Lesson Ideas

• Create criteria for quality websites
• Divide your class into small groups and assign
  them the task of creating a criteria sheet for
  evaluating website.
• They need to create criteria for what a quality
  website looks like as well as what a poor website
  looks like
• Discuss each groups ideas as a class and create
  one class criteria sheet that will be used
  throughout the year while finding information on
  websites.
• WebQuests
• WebQuests offer great ways of enriching the
  curriculum while teaching students to analyze and
  synthesize information they find online and
  elsewhere. (Judy Salpeter word printed notes)
• See www.webquest.org/index.php for more
  information and a plethora of ready to use
  WebQuests.
• After using WebQuests created by others, assign
  your students the task of creating a WebQuest.
  At younger grades, create one as a class.

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Informal Lesson Ideas continued

• Whos behind the Curtain?
• Choose two websites and as a class go on a hunt
  to find out who the author is and what expertise
  they have in the topic area.
• Choose one website created by an unauthentic
  author and one by a credible author.
• (Salpeter, 2003)
• Searching skills
• Steer students to pre-selected websites on the
  topic you are researching, including examples of
  poor quality sites.
• Work together as a class to select the most
  appropriate sites by teaching the components of a
  quality website.
• Allow this activity to be tested as a class and
  individually so students can practice their
  critical thinking skills within a real-life
  activity.

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Guess who else needs to be taught?

• We need to teach the teachers!
• There is a clear need for instructional
  leadership in existing critical-level new
  literacy learning outcomes (Asselin, 2005, p.9)
• We as Teacher-librarians need to be leaders in
  our schools and our school districts when it
  comes to critical thinking and information
  literacy.

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How and when can we teach teachers?

• Being realistic.
• Professional Development Days Be a leader in
  your school and district and sign up to lead a
  workshop on teaching critical thinking. Offer
  your workshop for Teacher-librarians and
  classroom teachers.
• Within school hours Working with your
  administration, provide relief for classroom
  teachers to attend a mini-workshop with you.
• Collaboration Schedule collaboration time into
  your timetable where you can educate students and
  teachers at the same time. You lead a lesson
  geared towards both the students and the
  classroom teacher. Create a lesson that will be
  new to both of your target audiences!

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One last critical thinking activity

• Click on the URL below to explore The Swiss
  Spaghetti Harvest.
• http//www.museumofhoaxes.com/spaghetti.html
• The Museum of Hoaxes provides many examples of
  articles you can use to develop your students
  critical thinking skills. Backtrack the URL
  above to the Home site of the Museum of Hoaxes.

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My thoughts to conclude

• Todays students are going to access information
  using technology with or without critical
  thinking skills.
• It is the job of todays Teacher-librarians to
  equip students with the critical thinking skills
  needed to make technological information a
  valuable resource.
• It is the goal of this Virtual Seminar to inform
  you of the necessity of teaching critical
  thinking and give you practical tools to do so.
• Please contact me if you have any questions or
  would like support in teaching critical thinking.

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Recommended Articles

• For more exciting ideas on teaching critical
  thinking skills through technology read Judy
  Salpeters (2003) article, Web-based literacy
  and critical thinking A teachers tool kit.
• For further information on why teaching critical
  thinking is important and a unit on teaching
  critical thinking, read Delilah Heils (2005)
  article, The Internet and student research
  teaching critical evaluation skills.
• A research project was conducted on teaching
  information literacy skills and one finding was
  to increase instruction of critical thinking
  skills. To explore the findings read Marlene
  Asselins (2005) article, Teaching Information
  Skills in the Information Age An Examination of
  Trends in the Middle Grade.
• All the above articles are available on ProQuest,
  see Resources list for article references

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Discussion Questions

• Please respond to one or two of the questions
  below to begin our discussion on critical
  thinking and information literacy.
• What stood out for you during this presentation
  and the material in our readings of Topic 1?
• Have you or your students run into an experience
  similar to the Martin Luther King activity at the
  beginning of the seminar? If so, what did you
  do? If not, what would you do?
• What lessons have you taught that formally or
  informally teach critical thinking?

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Discussion questions continued

• Do you feel equipped to teach critical thinking
  skills to students? Why or why not?
• Knowing your school, do you think it is realistic
  that you can teach teachers about developing
  critical thinking skills? What would this look
  like in your school?
• Do you think critical thinking should be taught
  before information literacy skills, after
  information literacy skills or both at the same
  time? Why?
• Do you think there are Velcro Crops in California
  or Spaghetti Harvests in Switzerland? ?

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Reference List

• Asselin, M., (2005). Teaching Information Skills
  in the Information Age An Examination of Trends
  in the Middle Grades. School Libraries
  Worldwide, 11(1), 17-36.  Retrieved September 13,
  2007, from ProQuest Education Journals database.
  (Document ID 846335031).
• Asselin, M., Branch, J., Oberg, J., (2003).
  Achieving Information Literacy Standards for
  School Library Programs in Canada. Ottawa
  Canadian School Library Association Association
  for Teacher-Librarianship in Canada.
• Boese, A., (2002). The Swiss Spaghetti
  Harvest. Retrieved September 14, 2007 from
  http//www.museumofhoaxes.com/spaghetti.html
• Church, A., (2005, March). virtual SCHOOL
  LIBRARIES-THE TIME IS NOW! MultiMedia
  Internet_at_Schools, 12(2), 8-12.  Retrieved
  September 22, 2007, from ProQuest Education
  Journals database. (Document ID 809417421).
• Cybersmart Education Company (2007). Cybersmart!
  Lesson Plans. Retrieved September 15, 2007 from
  www.cybersmartcurriculum.org/lesson_plans
• Dodge, B., (2007). WebQuest.org. Retrieved
  September 16, 2007 from www.webquest.org/index.php
  

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Reference List Continued

• Elmborg, J., (2006). Critical Information
  Literacy Implications for Instructional
  Practice. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 32(2)
  , 192-199.  Retrieved September 13, 2007, from
  ProQuest Education Journals database. (Document
  ID 1032380241).
• Gigagod Productions, (2007). The Liberator
  Blasphemous Humor. Retrieved September 21, 2007
  from http//www.liberator.net/humor/dilbertCRI.htm
  l
• Heil, D., (2005). The Internet and student
  research teaching critical evaluation
  skills. Teacher Librarian, 33(2), 26-29. 
  Retrieved September 13, 2007, from ProQuest
  Education Journals database. (Document
  ID 943662631).
• Mesher, D., (1999) Mission Critical. Retrieved
  September 13, 2007 from http//www.sjsu.edu/dept/i
  tl/7/index.html
• Oberg, D., (2001). Editorial Perspectives on
  information literacy. School Libraries
  Worldwide, 7(1), I.  Retrieved September 21,
  2007, from ProQuest Education Journals database.
  (Document ID 98001370).
• O'Sullivan, M., Scott, T., (2000, May). Teaching
  Internet information literacy A collaborative
  approach (part II). MultiMedia Schools, 7(3), 34-3
  7.  Retrieved September 21, 2007, from ProQuest
  Education Journals database. (Document
  ID 52776290).
• O'Sullivan, M., Scott, T., (2000, March).
  Teaching Internet information literacy A
  critical evaluation. MultiMedia
  Schools, 7(2), 40-44.  Retrieved September 21,
  2007, from ProQuest Education Journals database.
  (Document ID 50721308).

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Reference List Continued

• Rivero, V., (2006, March). The Importance of
  Knowing What's Important. T.H.E.
  Journal, 33(8), 6.  Retrieved September 13, 2007,
  from ProQuest Education Journals database.
  (Document ID 1008971681).
• Salpeter, J., (2003, March). Web literacy and
  critical thinking A teacher's tool
  kit. Technology Learning, 23(8), 22-34. 
  Retrieved September 13, 2007, from ProQuest
  Education Journals database. (Document
  ID 318791451).
• Stormfront, (2007). Martin Luther King Jr.
  Retrieved Sept. 13, 2007) from http//martinluther
  king.org/
• Umbach, K., (1993). Californias Velcro Crop
  under Challenge. Retrieved September 14, 2007
  from http//home.inreach.com/kumbach/velcro.html
• Ward, D., (2006). Revisioning Information
  Literacy for Lifelong Meaning. Journal of
  Academic Librarianship, 32(4), 396-402. 
  Retrieved September 13, 2007, from ProQuest
  Education Journals database. (Document
  ID 1143723581).
• Weiler, A., (2005). Information-seeking behavior
  in generation Y students Motivation, critical
  thinking, and learning theory. Journal of
  Academic Librarianship, 31(1), 46-53.  Retrieved
  September 13, 2007, from ProQuest Education
  Journals database. (Document ID 798162061).