Transcript Critical Thinking

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Level 1
College
English
Tutoring
Service
Critical Thinking
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Today’s discussion topics
What is critical thinking?
What are the characteristics of a critical thinker?
How are your critical thinking skills?
Why is it important for educators to teach critical thinking?
As a tutor, how can you encourage critical thinking?
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Today’s discussion topics
1. What is critical thinking?
What are the characteristics of a critical thinker?
How are your critical thinking skills?
Why is it important for educators to teach critical thinking?
As a tutor, how can you encourage critical thinking?
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What is critical thinking?
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What is critical thinking?
CRITICAL THINKING is…
1) the art of thinking about your thinking while you're thinking so as to make your
thinking more clear, precise, accurate, relevant, consistent, and fair
2) the art of constructive skepticism
3) the art of identifying and removing bias, prejudice, and one-sidedness of
thought
4) the art of self-directed, in-depth, rational learning
5) thinking that rationally certifies what we know and makes clear wherein we are
ignorant
SOURCE: Paul, Richard. (1995). "Critical thinking in North America" in Critical thinking: What every person needs to survive in a
rapidly changing world, revised third edition.
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What isn’t critical thinking?
CRITICAL THINKING is NOT…
1)
thought captive of one's ego, desires, social conditioning,
prejudices, or irrational impressions
2)
thinking that is egocentric, careless, heedless of assumptions,
relevant evidence, implications, or consistency
3)
thinking that habitually ignores epistemological demands in
favor of its egocentric commitments
4)
simply being ‘critical’ (meaning negative) about something
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Example
A Colorful Crime
Read this story. Then figure out what color hat the bank robber was
wearing. But remember one thing: one of the brothers always tells the
truth, and the other always lies — and we don't know which is which.
After a bank robbery, two guys ran out of the bank. One was wearing a red
baseball cap. The other was wearing a blue baseball cap. The police didn't
know which one was the criminal. Luckily, Jake saw the robbery and could
tell the police what color hat the robber was wearing. Jake's brother Joe
later told their sister, Jenny, what happened.
"Jake said the robber was wearing a red hat," he said.
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Example
A Colorful Crime
What color is the bank robber’s cap?
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Example
A Colorful Crime
ANSWER:
The bank robber was wearing a blue hat.
Which brother is the liar?
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Example
A Colorful Crime
Jake is the liar and Joe is the truth-teller.
That means Jake actually did say that the robber was
wearing a red hat.
But remember, whatever Jake says is false, so the
robber's hat was blue.
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Example
A Colorful Crime
OR…
Joe is the liar and Jake is the truth-teller.
That means that Jake really told his friends that the
robber was wearing a blue hat. And since Jake always
tells the truth, the robber's hat was, indeed blue.
The answer is blue — either way.
Source: Usborne Brain Puzzles, p.20
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Being critically minded
Critical thinking includes identification of prejudice, bias,
propaganda, self-deception, distortion, and misinformation
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Being critically minded
Critical thinking includes identification of prejudice, bias,
propaganda, self-deception, distortion, and misinformation
Critical thinking gives due consideration to evidence, context of
judgment, relevant criteria for making a reasoned judgment,
applicable methods or techniques for forming the judgment, and the
applicable theoretical constructs for understanding the problem and
the question at hand.
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Being critically minded
Critical thinking includes identification of prejudice, bias,
propaganda, self-deception, distortion, and misinformation
Critical thinking gives due consideration to evidence, context of
judgment, relevant criteria for making a reasoned judgment,
applicable methods or techniques for forming the judgment, and the
applicable theoretical constructs for understanding the problem and
the question at hand.
Critical thinking employs not only logic but broad intellectual criteria
such as clarity, credibility, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth,
breadth, significance and fairness.
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What is critical thinking?
Source: University of South Australia website
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What is critical thinking?
Critical thinking is…
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What is critical thinking?
Critical thinking is…

Reasonably and reflectively deciding what to believe or do by
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What is critical thinking?
Critical thinking is…

Reasonably and reflectively deciding what to believe or do by
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Breaking things down and evaluating them then
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What is critical thinking?
Critical thinking is…

Reasonably and reflectively deciding what to believe or do by

Breaking things down and evaluating them then

Making reasoned judgments
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What is critical thinking?
Critical thinking is…

Reasonably and reflectively deciding what to believe or do by

Breaking things down and evaluating them then

Making reasoned judgments
Results may be…
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What is critical thinking?
Critical thinking is…

Reasonably and reflectively deciding what to believe or do by

Breaking things down and evaluating them then

Making reasoned judgments
Results may be…
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Positive or Negative
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What is critical thinking?
Critical thinking is…

Reasonably and reflectively deciding what to believe or do by

Breaking things down and evaluating them then

Making reasoned judgments
Results may be…

Positive or Negative

Acceptance or Rejection
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What is critical thinking?
Critical thinking is…

Reasonably and reflectively deciding what to believe or do by

Breaking things down and evaluating them then

Making reasoned judgments
Results may be…

Positive or Negative

Acceptance or Rejection

(and everything in-between)
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Today’s discussion topics
What is critical thinking?
2. What are the characteristics of a critical thinker?
How are your critical thinking skills?
Why is it important for educators to teach critical thinking?
As a tutor, how can you encourage critical thinking?
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Critical thinkers
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An "ideal" critical thinker is…
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Critical thinkers
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An "ideal" critical thinker is…
inquisitive
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Critical thinkers
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An "ideal" critical thinker is…
inquisitive

open-minded
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Critical thinkers
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An "ideal" critical thinker is…
inquisitive
open-minded

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orderly
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Critical thinkers
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An "ideal" critical thinker is…
inquisitive
open-minded


orderly
focused
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Critical thinkers

An "ideal" critical thinker is…
inquisitive
open-minded


orderly
focused
persistent
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Critical thinkers
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An "ideal" critical thinker is…
inquisitive
open-minded


orderly
focused

An "ideal" critical thinker can…
persistent
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Critical thinkers
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An "ideal" critical thinker is…
inquisitive
open-minded


orderly
focused

An "ideal" critical thinker can…
devise testing strategies
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persistent
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Critical thinkers

An "ideal" critical thinker is…
inquisitive
open-minded


orderly
focused

An "ideal" critical thinker can…
persistent
devise testing strategies


formulate alternative solutions or hypotheses
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Critical thinkers

An "ideal" critical thinker is…
inquisitive
open-minded


orderly
focused

An "ideal" critical thinker can…
persistent
devise testing strategies



formulate alternative solutions or hypotheses
judge acceptability of premises and inferences
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Critical thinkers

An "ideal" critical thinker is…
inquisitive
open-minded


orderly
focused

An "ideal" critical thinker can…
persistent
devise testing strategies



formulate alternative solutions or hypotheses
judge acceptability of premises and inferences
draw conclusions
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Today’s discussion topics
What is critical thinking?
What are the characteristics of a critical thinker?
3. How are your critical thinking skills?
Why is it important for educators to teach critical thinking?
As a tutor, how can you encourage critical thinking?
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Test your critical thinking skills
1. A girl who was just learning to drive went down a one-way street in the
wrong direction, but didn't break the law. How come?
2. How can you throw a ball as hard as you can and have it come back to you,
even if it doesn't hit anything, there is nothing attached to it, and no one else
catches or throws it?
3. Two students are sitting on opposite sides of the same desk. There is
nothing in between them but the desk. Why can't they see each other?
4. There are only two T's in Timothy Tuttle. True or false?
5. Two sons, two fathers and a grandfather sat together. How many men were
there?
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Test your critical thinking skills
Answers:
1. She was walking.
2. Throw the ball straight up in the air.
3. The two students have their backs to each other.
4. True.
There are only two T's (upper case).
There are also three t’s (lower case).
5. Two men, one of whom was the grandfather.
Source: Sterling, Brain Teasers, p.24
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Test your critical thinking skills
Connect the 9 dots with 4 straight lines without lifting your writing pen
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Test your critical thinking skills
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Test your critical thinking skills
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Test your critical thinking skills
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Test your critical thinking skills
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Critical thinking is…
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Thinking outside the box!
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Brain break!
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Today’s discussion topics
What is critical thinking?
What are the characteristics of a critical thinker?
How are your critical thinking skills?
4. Why is it important for educators to teach
critical thinking?
As a tutor, how can you encourage critical thinking?
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Critical thinking in education
Why teach the methods of critical thinking?
“Education is what is left after you forget all the things you
memorized in school.”
–
Albert Einstein
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Critical thinking in education
Why teach the methods of critical thinking?
“Education is what is left after you forget all the things you
memorized in school.”
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Albert Einstein
Critical thinking is considered important in the academic fields because
it enables one to analyze, evaluate, explain, and restructure their thinking,
thereby decreasing the risk of adopting, acting on, or thinking with, a
false belief.
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Critical thinking in education
Why teach the methods of critical thinking?
“Education is what is left after you forget all the things you
memorized in school.”
–
Albert Einstein
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Critical thinking is considered important in the academic fields because
it enables one to analyze, evaluate, explain, and restructure their thinking,
thereby decreasing the risk of adopting, acting on, or thinking with, a
false belief.

Student are often passive receptors of information
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Critical thinking in education
Why teach the methods of critical thinking?
“Education is what is left after you forget all the things you
memorized in school.”
–
Albert Einstein

Critical thinking is considered important in the academic fields because
it enables one to analyze, evaluate, explain, and restructure their thinking,
thereby decreasing the risk of adopting, acting on, or thinking with, a
false belief.

Student are often passive receptors of information
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Today’s amount of information is massive
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Critical thinking in education
Why teach the methods of critical thinking?
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Critical thinking in education
Why teach the methods of critical thinking?
Students need a method to…
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weed through all information and not passively accept it
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distinguish between facts, opinions, personal feelings and
reasoned judgments
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make assumptions and inferences
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understand inductive and deductive arguments
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recognize the objective and the subjective
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Critical thinking in education
Why teach the methods of critical thinking?
As students learn to think more critically…
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Critical thinking in education
Why teach the methods of critical thinking?
As students learn to think more critically…
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they become more proficient at historical, scientific, and mathematical
thinking
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Critical thinking in education
Why teach the methods of critical thinking?
As students learn to think more critically…
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they become more proficient at historical, scientific, and mathematical
thinking
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they develop skills, abilities, and values crucial to success in everyday
life
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Today’s discussion topics
What is critical thinking?
What are the characteristics of a critical thinker?
How are your critical thinking skills?
Why is it important for educators to teach critical thinking?
5. As a tutor, how can you encourage critical thinking?
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As a tutor
How do you tutor toward critical thinking?
Suzie’s 10 point plan:
1. Don’t be the answer fairy
6. Encourage open-mindedness
2. Lengthen response time
7. Encourage reasoning
3. Generate questions
8. Encourage analyzing for patterns
4. Talk through the problem
9. Be cognizant of tutees response
5. Encourage questioning
10. Be gentle – Thinking is hard
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As a tutor
What
questions
you can ask
to encourage
critical
thinking
from your
tutee?
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What do you mean by X?
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What is your main point?
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How does this relate to X?
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Could you put that another way?
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What do you think is the main issue here?
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How does this relate to our discussion (problem, issue)?
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What did you take X to mean?
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Could you give me an example?
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Could you explain that further?
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Why do you say that?
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As a tutor
The goal of the critical thinking tutor is to…
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encourage tutees to learn to think on their own.
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assist their tutees in developing problem solving strategies.
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provide another method of approaching the subject matter, not add
more subject matter.
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As a tutor
Result of the Critical Thinking Tutee:
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Easier job for the tutor
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As a tutor
Result of the Critical Thinking Tutee:
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Easier job for the tutor
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Empower tutees to become more active in their education
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One last exercise…
1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?
The correct answer is:
Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe, and close the door.
This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.
2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?
Correct answer: Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant and
close the door.
This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your previous actions.
3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals
attend ... except one.Which animal does not attend?
Correct Answer: The elephant. The elephant is in the refrigerator. You just put him in there.
This tests your memory.
4. There is a river you must cross but it is used by crocodiles, and
you do not have a boat. How do you manage it?
Correct Answer: You jump into the river and swim across. Have you not been listening? All the
crocodiles are attending the animal conference.
This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.
Test by Anderson Consulting Worldwide
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Credits
University of South Australia
theawareproject.org.au
Blinn College Learning Center
The University of Utah