Transcript Slide 1 - NESCent

NESCent Postdoc Professional Development Series
on Effective Teaching and Learning
Session 1 – Critical Thinking and the
Nature of Science
March 24th, 2006
NESCent - Durham, NC
What We’ll Cover…
• Critical Thinking
– What is it? Definition, History and Assessment
– Why teach it? Can it be taught? Should it be
taught?
– How does one teach Critical Thinking?
• The Nature of Science, and its relationship
to Critical Thinking
Question: What is the highest point
on earth?
• Answer: The peak of Mount Chimborazo, an
extinct volcano (20,700 feet or 6,310 meters)
• How can this be true? I thought the correct
answer was Mt. Everest!
• Hint: Mount Chimborazo is in Ecuador…
Now
can you explain why it is the “highest point on
earth”?
• Another hint: Think about the shape of the
earth…
• Answer: Due to the bulge of the earth at the
equator, Chimborazo’s peak is the point farthest
from the center of the earth
Do We Have a Problem?
"Many 17-year-olds do not possess the
'higher-order' intellectual skills we should
expect of them. Nearly 40 percent cannot
draw inferences from written material;
only one-fifth can write a persuasive
essay; and only one-third can solve a
mathematics problem requiring several
steps."
From the 1983 report “A Nation at Risk” by the
National Commission on Excellence in Education
What is Critical Thinking?
What is Critical Thinking?
“Critical thinking is careful and
deliberate determination of whether
to accept, reject, or suspend
judgment.”
Moore and Parker, 1994
What is Critical Thinking?
“Critical thinking is
deciding rationally
what to or what not
to believe.”
Stephen P. Norris, 1985
What is Critical Thinking?
“The purpose of critical thinking is…to
achieve understanding, evaluate view points,
and solve problems. Since all three areas
involve the asking of questions, we can say
that critical thinking is the questioning or
inquiry we engage in when we seek to
understand, evaluate, or resolve.”
Victor P. Maiorana, 1992
What is Critical Thinking?
“Critical thinking is
reasonably and
reflectively deciding
what to believe or
do."
Ennis, 1985
What is Critical Thinking?
Ultimately, the best
definition of Critical
Thinking may be your
own……
Attributes of a Critical Thinker
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asks pertinent questions
assesses statements and arguments
is able to admit a lack of understanding or information
has a sense of curiosity
is interested in finding new solutions
is able to clearly define a set of criteria for analyzing ideas
is willing to examine beliefs, assumptions, and opinions and weigh them
against facts
listens carefully to others and is able to give feedback
sees that critical thinking is a lifelong process of self-assessment
suspends judgment until all facts have been gathered and considered
looks for evidence to support assumption and beliefs
is able to adjust opinions when new facts are found
looks for proof
examines problems closely
is able to reject information that is incorrect or irrelevant
S. Ferrett, 1997
Relationship Between Critical
Thinking and Bloom’s Taxonomy
Critical
Thinking
A Brief History of Critical Thinking
• 400 BC – Socrates discussed importance of asking deep,
probing questions, seeking evidence and remaining
skeptical
• 1272 – Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica
• 1605 – Francis Bacon publishes The Advancement of
Learning
• Many advances throughout the Age of Enlightenment
• 1910 through 1939 – John Dewey ushers in the “modern
Critical Thinking” movement, which is refined and
expanded right up through present day
Can Critical Thinking be measured
or assessed?
Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal
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Inference
Recognition of Assumptions
Deduction
Interpretation
Evaluation of Arguments
Critical Thinking
• Why teach it?
• Can it be taught?
• Should it be taught? If so, at what
level(s)?
• How can it be taught?
Nature of Science
Let’s do Science
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What is it?
How does it work?
Does your culture influence your answer?
What’s the next question you would ask?
Have you revised your ideas about it?
What makes that Science?
• What are the fundamental elements of
science?
– Deals with natural phenomena
– Deals with measurable entities
• Limited by technology
– Subject to revision
– Public
– Guided by theories
What is NOT Science?
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Includes supernatural forces
Does not rely on measurable data
Relies on faulty logic
Is not testable
How do promoters of ID misuse
NOS?
• Logic flaws
– If evolution can’t explain everything, then it must be
false
– If evolution is false, ID must be correct
• Concept of “theory”
• Changing interpretation of facts, or different
interpretations of facts
• Progress of ideas
• Supernatural forces
• Extension of natural sciences to philosophy
– Origin of life = meaning of life
Resources for teaching CS and NOS
• Understanding Evolution
• Teaching Evolution and the Nature of
Science