Critical Thinking in Every Classroom

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Critical Thinking in Every Classroom

• Progress and Plans

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Background The QEP
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• Enhance critical thinking skills in all courses
  and programs

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Why?
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• In 2005, LFCC benchmark scores were lower than
  those of VCCS counterparts for questions on the
  CCSSE related to critical thinking. In addition,
  in 2006, LFCC students scored below VCCS peers
  for critical thinking on the CCTST.

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Stop and Think

• What is critical thinking?
• Do you recall any of the activities included in
  the LFCC definition of critical thinking?

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Thinking means
Explaining, analyzing, and synthesizing what we
see, hear, and read
Using creativity to discover multiple solutions
and diverse approaches to issues
Seeing connections and patterns
Evaluating claims and evidence to draw reasonable
conclusions
Finding relevant information to address tasks and
problems
Justifying conclusions and solutions
Reflecting on how we think and learn.
Applying concepts to real-world problems
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CCSSE Benchmarks

• 2005 2008
• Active/Collaborative Learning 45.2 48.8
• Student Effort 44.9 49.6
• Academic Challenge 46.3 49.9
• Student/Faculty Interaction 48.9 47.9
• Support for Learning 46.2 50.6

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Active and Collaborative Learning

• About how often during the current school year
  have you
• Made a class presentation?
• 2005 76 said never or sometimes
• 2008 65 said never or sometimes
• Contributed to class discussions?
• 2005 59 said often or very often
• 2008 62 said often or very often

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Student Effort

• In 2005, 44 of students said that they worked
  harder than they thought they could often or
  very often to meet an instructors standards or
  expectations.
• In 2008, 48 of students said that they worked
  harder than they thought they could often or
  very often to meet an instructors standards or
  expectations.

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Academic Challenge

• In 2005, 54 of students said they wrote four or
  fewer papers for all of their courses during the
  current school year.
• In 2008, only 36 of students reported four or
  fewer papers. 32 reported that they had written
  11 or more papers for their courses during the
  current school year.

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A Closer Look at the CCSSE
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• Analyzing the basic elements of an idea,
  experience, or theory
• Synthesizing and organizing ideas, information,
  or experiences in new ways
• Making judgments about the value of soundness of
  information, arguments, or methods
• Applying theories or concepts to practical
  problems or in new situations
• Using information you have read or heard to
  perform a new skill

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Student Responses
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• Students responding Some or Very little
• Question 2005 2008
• Analyzing 40 35
• Synthesizing 47 31
• Judging 53 43
• Applying 53 50
• Using info 47 48

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Stop And Think

• Why do you think our CCSSE scores in these areas
  have improved?
• What is ONE activity you have done or will do in
  your course this semester that might contribute
  to improved CCSSE scores?

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Why did our scores go up?
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• Since 2007, all syllabi at the College include
  one of the six critical thinking SLOs
• 2.1 Discriminate among degrees of credibility,
  accuracy, and reliability of inferences drawn
  from given data
• 2.2 Recognize parallels, assumptions, or
  presuppositions in any given source of
  information

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CT SLOs, continued

• 2.3 Evaluate the strengths and relevance of
  arguments on a particular question or issue
• 2.4 Weigh evidence and decide if generalizations
  or conclusions based on the given data are
  warranted

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CT SLOs, Continued

• 2.5 Determine whether certain conclusions or
  consequences are supported by the information
  provided.
• 2.6 Use problem solving skills

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Stop and Think

• What is the CT learning outcome for the course(s)
  you are teaching this term?

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Way to go, LFCC! But

• Question 5a
• During this school year, how much has your
  coursework at this college emphasized memorizing
  facts, ideas, or methods from your courses or
  readings so that you can repeat them in pretty
  much the same form?
• 2005 60 answered quite a bit or very much.

800-906-LFCC / www.lfcc.edu
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Hmm

• In 2008, 65 answered quite a bit or very
  much.
• This question has an inverse relationship to
  critical thinking

800-906-LFCC / www.lfcc.edu
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Stop and Think
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• Whats going on with this question? Why did our
  score go the WRONG way?

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A definition

• Teaching means
• Causing to learn.
• So am I talking, or am I causing to learn? How
  can I know? How can I keep my students engaged
  enough to learn the knowledge they need to learn?

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Some Tools

• Quick thinks (http//amps-tools.mit.edu/tomprofblo
  g/archives/2007/09/818_quickthinks.htmlmore)
• Paul and Elders Universal Intellectual Standards
  (1996) http//www.criticalthinking.org/page.cfm?P
  ageID527CategoryID68

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Universal Intellectual Standards

• Clarity Give an example, paraphrase, select the
  best response.
• Accuracy correct the error, verify the
  information
• Precision Complete the statement, select the
  best word
• Relevance Choose the fact that best supports a
  conclusion

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Universal Standards

• 5. Depth Which of the following questions have
  we not answered? What else do we need to know?
• 6. Breadth How would ____ use this information?
  How does point of view change this information
  and its relevance?

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Universal Standards

• 7. Logic
• What follows logically from this statement?
• What does not follow logically from this fact?
• If this is true, what cannot be true?
• If this is false, what else is also false?
• Put these steps into a logical order.

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WHY?

• Students who approach the learning of factual
  information with these standards have already
  begun to see knowledge as a basis for critical
  thought.
• Unfortunately, these standards are not always
  valued, even by educational institutions!

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Applying Standards

• In March of 2005, Dr. Les Perelman, then
  undergraduate director of writing at MIT,
  examined scores awarded to the essay section of
  the SAT exam. His conclusion?
• To get a high score, write a lot. Dont worry
  about the accuracy of your information.

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Think again

• Sept. 2008
• The Kaiser Family Foundation led a study about
  health messages inserted into the television
  show Greys Anatomy. In regards to one particular
  fact about AIDS treatment during pregnancy, they
  found the following

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Greys Anatomy Viewersthinking?

• 15 were unaware of the fact before the show
  aired
• 61 knew the fact a week after the show
• 45 still knew the fact six weeks later

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Conclusion?

• Victoria Rideout, author of the study, says, For
  better or worse, viewers do absorb the health
  information they see on TV, so its important for
  these shows to get it right.
• What does the Greys Anatomy finding tell us
  about the way some of our students approach
  knowledge?

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So what?
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• When we think, whatever else were doing, were
  constructing a future.
• (IBM Website)
• Miriam Moore
• Professor of English/ESL
• Middletown 126G
• 540-868-7173
• mmoore2_at_lfcc.edu

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Lord Fairfax Community College Your Future. Our
Focus.