MORE THEN BEING CRITICAL’ Presented
by: Greg Pearson and Mary Zommit Mississauga Secondary School October I7, 2007

Welcome I3Beyond your curriculum, what
is the most important thing you can teach or educate your students about?

Your Task: '3 Working in
table groups of 5-6 each group will receive a piece of chart paper and list answers/ ideas to the question that follows 5 Groups post their work on the wall for others to see '3 One member in a group will highlight a key item or idea that seems to appear on more than one chart paper

Your Question: I3 When you
think of someone you consider an effective critical thinker, what attributes do you attach to that individual?

What is Critical Thinking? C’
One definition is: “the thinking through of a problematic situation about what to believe or how to act where the thinker makes a reasoned iudgment that reflects competent use of the intellectual tools for quality thinking. ”

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Community of Thinkers CV Community
of Thinkers

What is a Community of
Thinkers? DA community of thinkers is defined as an active group of students and teachers striving to learn more about a discipline by engaging in critical and imaginative thinking. Adapted from - Explorers of the Universe

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~~* Interactive experience Sha red Ideas Discussion and Debate

ml ‘.43 ) iclckground Criteria
for Critical Thinking Thinking Hob“; of Mmd nowledge Judgment Vocabulary Strategies "lint: ~ - ‘ 'lhI: «r-I, -:: nii-II¢: I I- I - -I (-: b»flI‘l:4(-Ill-2w . , . .. oti -11:19:-min, It -. oli 3|mu; .jI. ~. ion II. ‘ i I ojt. -.wt<: ;;, -: I I | ' ‘ °Tl: u-Y. ’l°IllI; I '-'Iill'llI II I ' ICIOI-l‘-ll‘). °1l| I0I ‘III I ll]! Oli Illa . I. II Ill I II- 1iI~o, If:1g[l: r I ' ' ~ ‘I qI| i'; Jl| |oIi'‘I: ) L I I IA; )lI]l N-‘llI'. l|I iii; ulofii ‘- iiflllffluigl <: Iml'-II: ~-It I - IIII-uLg| l»o, -_I, ~t, -Icomfl-. ‘II-. . «mm-_lI ibfl‘ol! flr. gI glireliltam

Using Questioning to Develop Critical
Thinking '3 Three levels of questions: 5' Literal: "On the page“ I right there, reading for facts and accuracy '3 Inferentialz "Between the | ines“ I drawing conclusions, reading between the lines 5' Evaluative: "Off the page“ ' defending an opinion, synthesizing information, bringing personal observations and insights to the text

"On the page" ' hat
(‘. ".i: U|1l’l'le"S (1 re represented on this map? 'w'|1at factors cause stress? "5-z"l'l(li patterns are retle: -«: te<l in 1l1-. ' to blc. ‘ °'-‘-filtcit is 'Il<2:‘l)Ctll2CIilf. ‘n3' °'z'-. -"ltatis bodv language’ “'5-»'l1(I1' is -: m irnprc-pr: -r fractir. ::»n? °‘w'l1en ancl '-srere was Pierre Tr-_-deau born? °a-/ liut is -; t ll Ir. -l<_IrIlI. Lil 4;| ue~. ti~: _:vn? ° . '/‘hat is :1 sawing: boncl? Inferential "Between the lines" *'x‘—'l1c1trttc1l. e-s an effe: —~: :ti--»-s: - lecicleni‘ *'x*: '|1', - do so rnany‘ people have a dillicult time controlling their intake oi . .ul: ~'. tan. «:'. .-J-: :h at. ul-: :a: .|. .>| , tot: -:tc«: o an: :l «cthet clrv 2? ‘How do you lno= .'= that 2.4 is greater than 2.2.7? ‘Create a ». ~'isual representation {such as :1 collage, collection of chic-zts, or (1 ‘I-. et<: l1fv tl: -:: tt «: oi1x-3,/ s the cweictll n‘n: ‘:»c_l and tlteme thiz story. "What happened it a person plans a buclget based on his or her pay slip? Evaluative "Off the page" °'-’: “rr, v' i ' it important in «:1 --. -:: .~. :iet, r such 0‘: outs ll‘: -iii e-; luv; :-ziti-z; -n institutions shoulcl I~. —<: <;»gni1e and rc-. .0Id merit in rni: m_/ different fonnsi‘ ‘Thin is in. Explain whether you agree or disagree —. vitl1 this )lCli0:'lTt~. -Iii. ‘K-‘. i‘tCI1 is the pot-_-ntal for bartering in the future’ “~". ’nc1t '. =«»'ou| -:l you I-: :--: <:mn‘is: —n-:1 to <1 person -. -.-‘ho has a difficult ‘ime sa. i’ng any money but wishes to im if’-’ V/ 'v"l'i , 3‘ ‘In : 'rl1crt -. -.: :I; -is doe: this story follo-. -. the archet‘. -pal pattern of quest m; ..—rhsE‘

ft 7 1 : A
grid used to form questions by selecting framing words (who, what, where, .. .) from the vertical list and then adding a verb from the horizontal list (is, did, might, ... ) IS DID CAN WOULD V/ IL- MIGHT

: 5 Why use it?
'3 Can be easily used by students to formulate questions that can range from simple recall to inference '3 Supports reading comprehension '7' Can be used to guide students while reading a text 5' Can be used with pictures or text

Coding Text '3' As students
read a passage, they can use the following coding system to help them organize their thoughts and main ideas I = Important L = Learned something new ! = Big idea surfaced Interesting or important fact ? = Unsure/ Find out more " = Agree 7‘ = Disagree

Coding Text 5' Why use
it? '3 Supports reading comprehension '3 Requires students to "think" about what they are reading 5 Requires students to make iudgments 5' Provides useful discussion starters '3 Can assist students in answering questions related 0 the text

Critical Challenges [3 have no
obvious ‘right’ answer [3 raise other important questions, often across subject area boundaries U often address the philosophical or conceptual foundations of a discipline '3 naturally recur 51 are framed to provoke and sustain student interest

Criteria for Effective Critical Chaflenges
9 Does the challenge require reasoned judgment? (i. e., involve assessment among plausible options/ possibilities based on criteria) 9 Is the challenge likely to be perceived as meaningful by students? 9 Will significant curricular understanding be uncovered as students respond to the chaflenge?

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Why Bother With Critical Thinking?
“We are currently preparing students for jobs that don't yet exist, using technologies that hc: ven’t yet been invented, in order to solve problems we don't even know are problems yet. ”

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