Kicking and Screaming Activating Critical Thinking - Course Technology Computing Conference Presenter: Heidi Helgren & Bruce Kemmer, Delta College Are your students struggling, refusing, or reluctant to use their critical thinking skills? Are you sick of hearing "what's on the test?" or "Do I really need to know this?" Learn from Heidi and Bruce as they discuss engaging students utilizing case studies from their Cengage textbooks and current event examples in both face-to-face or online formats. Case studies can take the pressure off the instructor and force students to think about concepts differently. See how we work critical thinking skills into a variety of business topics including business law, human resources, management, and introduction to business.

1. KICKING AND SCREAMING: Activating Critical Thinking

2. Presenters:
• Heidi Helgren, J.D.
DELTA COLLEGE
Associate Professor of Management
and Coordinator of the Legal Support
Professional Program
(989) 686-9464
heidihelgren@delta.edu
• Bruce Kemmer, CMA
DELTA COLLEGE
Associate Professor of Management
in the Business & Information
Technology Division
(989) 686-9537
brkemmer@delta.edu

3. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.:
“The function of education is to teach one to think
intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus
character - that is the goal of true education.”
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/martinluth402936.html#M1spSJFlv5DU
QJ3x.99

4. Critical Thinking: What is it?
• “Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively
and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing,
and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by,
observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication,
as a guide to belief and action. In its exemplary form, it is based on
universal intellectual values that transcend subject matter
divisions: clarity, accuracy, precision, consistency, relevance, sound
evidence, good reasons, depth, breadth, and fairness.” A
statement by Michael Scriven & Richard Paul, presented at the 8th
Annual International Conference on Critical Thinking and Education
Reform, Summer 1987 Criticalthinking.org Copyright ©2013
Foundation for Critical Thinking

5. Critical Thinking: Can’t We All Do It?
Left in it’s basic form:
• Biased
• Distorted
• Prejudiced
• Uninformed
• Costly
• Half-assed/Partial

6. A Critical Thinker However can:
• raise vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly and precisely;
• gather and assess relevant information, using abstract ideas to interpret it
effectively comes to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them against
relevant criteria and standards;
• think open mindedly within alternative systems of thought, recognizing and
assessing, as need be, their assumptions, implications, and practical consequences;
and
• communicate effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems.
(Taken from Richard Paul and Linda Elder, The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking
Concepts and Tools, Foundation for Critical Thinking Press, 2008) Criticalthinking.org
Copyright ©2013 Foundation for Critical Thinking

7. Bloom’s Taxonomy
• Named after Benjamin Bloom
• Bloom was the Chair of a committee that worked
during the mid 1950s.
• The committee devised the taxonomy, which is a set
of learning objectives that should be used by
educators.

8. REMEMBERING: Recalling Information - Recognizing,
listing, describing, retrieving, naming, finding
Process
Verbs:
Choose, cite, define, describe, group, know, label, list, listen, locate
Match, memorize, name, quote, recall, recite, record, repeat, select, underline.
Assessments: Definition, fact, label, list, quiz, reproduction
Test, workbook, worksheet
Question
Stems:
What happened after? How many? What is?
Who . . . . .? Can you name . . . . ? Which is true or false?

9. UNDERSTANDING: Explaining ideas or concepts –
Interpreting, summarizing, paraphrasing, explaining
Process
Verbs:
Ask, calculate, convert, describe, discuss, explain, give examples, identify, locate
Observe, recognize, report, research, retell, review, summarize, tell
Assessments: Debate, definition, dramatization, example, explanation, label, list
Outline, quiz, recitation, reproduction, story problems, summary, test
Question
Stems:
Can you write in your own words? Can you explain? What could happen next?
Who do you think . . . .? What was the main idea . . . .?

10. APPLYING: Using information in another familiar situation -
Implementing, carrying out, using, executing
Process
Verbs:
Adapt, apply, calculate, change, compute, demonstrate, dramatize, experiment,
List, make, manipulate, practice, produce, sequence, show, solve, teach, use.
Assessments: Demonstration, diagram, experiment, illustration, journal, lesson, map,
Model, performance, poster, prediction, presentation, report, simulation.
Question
Stems:
Can you group? What factors would you change? Do you know of another instance
where?
What questions would you ask of . . .? From the information given can you develop a
set of instructions about . . . .?

11. Process
Verbs:
Calculate, categorize, classify, compare, contrast, diagram, differentiate, discover,
distinguish, examine, experiment
Group, interpret, investigate, order, organize, question, relate, research, sequence,
solve, survey.
Assessments: Chart, checklist, database, diagram, graph, illustration, investigation, list,
Outline, plan, questionnaire, report, spreadsheet, summary.
Question
Stems:
Which events could not have happened? How is . . . Similar to . . . ? What are some
other outcomes?
Why did . . . . Occur? What was the problem with . . . . ?
ANALYZING: Breaking information into parts to explore understandings and
relationships - Comparing, organizing, deconstructing, interrogating, finding

12. EVALUATING: Justifying a decision or course of action - Checking,
hypothesizing, critiquing, experimenting, judging.
Process
Verbs:
Argue, assess, choose, compare, conclude, criticize, debate, defend, decide,
Determine, justify, prioritize, rate, recommend, support, tell why, value.
Assessments: Conclusion, debate, editorial, investigation, judgment, opinion,
Recommendation, report, survey, verdict.
Question
Stems:
Is there a better solution to . . . . ? What do you think about . . . . ? Do you think . . . is
a good thing or a bad thing? How would you feel if . . . ?
How effect are . . . . . ? What are the pros and cons . . . . ?

13. CREATING: Generating new ideas, products, or ways of viewing things -
Designing, constructing, planning, producing, inventing
Process
Verbs:
Act, arrange, assemble, combine, compose, construct, create, design, develop,
devise, formulate
Generate, improve, infer, invent, imagine, plan, predict, prepare, revise, show, write.
Assessments: Advertisement, poem, blueprint, cartoon, collage, film, formula, invention, new
game,
Newspaper, painting, plan, play song, story, video.
Question
Stems:
Can you design a . . .to. . . .? Can you see a possible solution . . . .? How would you
devise your own way to . . . .?
What would happen if . . . .? How many ways can you . . . .? Can you create new
and unusual uses for . . . .?

14. Case Study Method:
• As occupational faculty – we are here to prepare students for the
work force.
• A Case Study is: A detailed analysis of a person, group,
organization, policy, event, time period, project, or other system.
• The Case Study Method develops skills in the students that they
will use later on in the work force.
• Case studies help students use their critical thinking skills to
consider the environment, changes, and the impact their decisions
will make on coworkers and the organization.
Jerrard, Marjorie A. "Assessing student learning and skills using the case study method." Journal
of New Business Ideas and Trends 3.1 (2005): 27+. Gale Power Search. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.

15. Case Study Approach
• For Introduction to Business Students:
- Introduce them to an approach to case studies:
- Read the case
- Answer the following:
- What is the situation and how does it relate to the organization? Critical, minor etc.
- Who has the responsibility? ( Key decision maker if applicable)
- Review any charts or exhibits provided
- Review the questions for the case if provided.
- Provide them with the case the preceding class period for their reading/review
- Break them into small groups for discussion
- Discuss as a class, they should be doing 75-85% of the talking
- Have them write summaries of what they learned from the discussion.

16. How Does Cengage Help:
• Cengage Provides the Following for Instructors:
- Video cases at the end of each chapter
- Non video cases at the end of each chapter
- Developing Critical-Thinking Skills exercises at end of each chapter
- Online resources through Cengage Learning
- Business Insights Global Database from Gale. (Contact your library for
details on their subscriptions with your state consortium)

17. How do you create your own case studies?
• Challenge the students to design a case study.
• Modify a recent case/event in the news that relates
to your coursework material.
• Access the online instructor’s materials from
Cengage Brain.
• Manipulate a case from other editions or other
chapters in your textbooks.

18. Still Not Satisfied:
• What makes a good story?
– Relatable Problem
– Significant relationships
• Remember stories from your childhood?
– Aesop’s Fables, the Bible, FairyTales
– Famines = Lack of Resources
– Witches/Evil Stepmothers = Partners, Neighbors, Bosses

19. When to use Case Studies:
• Model the thinking you expect from students right in
class in the first couple of weeks.
• Allow group time to encourage active learning and
critical thinking.
• Integrate small case studies into quizzes or longer case
studies into exams.
• Teaching online?? Case studies in an early assignment
help you spot students who may not be taking the
exams on their own.

20. ANY QUESTIONS??
THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING OUR PRESENTATION!!