Critical Discussions
Understanding Critical Thinking
Introduction to the TC2 Conception of Critical Thinking
By Roland Case and LeRoi Daniels
Critical thinking involves thinking through problematic situations about what to believe or how to act where the thinker makes reasoned judgments that embody the qualities of a competent thinker. A person is attempting to think critically when she thoughtfully seeks to assess what would be sensible or reasonable to believe or do in a given situation. The need to reach reasoned judgments may arise in countless kinds of problematic situations such as trying to understand a passage in a text, trying to improve an artistic performance, making effective use of a piece of equipment, or deciding how to act in a delicate social situation. What makes these situations problematic is that there is some doubt as to the most appropriate option.
Bringing Critical Thinking to the Main Stage
By Roland Case
The idea of critical thinking is not new. For decades it has been recognized as an important educational goal by practitioners and theorists alike. Every curriculum document mentions it and there is universal agreement about the need to make thoughtful judgments in virtually every aspect of our lives, from who and what information to believe, to what products would better meet our needs, to which options we should pursue, and so on. Despite this widespread and long-standing recognition, the extent and manner of teaching for critical thinking in schools is disheartening. As I have argued elsewhere, the rhetoric greatly outstrips practice. The depressing irony is that thinking critically is much valued yet inadequately addressed in many classrooms. As Walter Parker puts it, the teaching of thinking remains “more wish than practice”.
Preconceptions of Critical Thinking
By Roland Case and LeRoi Daniels
If schools are to succeed in teaching critical thinking, educators must have a clear idea of what it is.
The idea of critical thinking is not new. For decades-no, for centuries-it has been recognized as an important educational goal by practitioners and theorists alike Curriculum documents and learning resources in all subjects at every level of schooling recommend that students be taught to think critically. Despite this long-standing (and at least, formal) commitment, the extent and manner of teaching for critical thinking is disheartening. Many studies document the enormous preoccupation with transmission of information and rote application of skills, and how little of class time is devoted to thinking. It is a rather depressing irony: critical thinking is much valued and yet inadequately addressed. Or, as Walter Parker (1991, p. 234) puts it, the teaching of thinking remains “more wish than practice”.
Taking Seriously the Teaching of Critical Thinking
by Roland Case and Ian Wright
This article, which is reprinted here with the permission of the publisher, was first published in 1997 in Canadian Social Studies.
The State of Affairs in Social Studies Teaching students to think well has been a goal of social studies since the inception of the subject in 1916. At that time, the U.S. National Education Association identified promoting “good judgment” in making decisions as a central element of social studies (Barr, Barth & Shermis, 1977). This notion of “good judgment” mirrors contemporary accounts of critical thinking. In the intervening years, the call to improve students’ thinking in social studies has been made countless times. Few educators, teachers and teacher educators alike oppose the idea of getting students to think more critically.
Implementation and Professional Development
Developing Critically Thoughtful e-Learning Communities of Practice
by Philip L. Balcaen and Janine R. Hirtz
Electronic Journal of e-Learning
Volume 5 Issue 3
Special Issue ICEL New York 2007
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Developing Critically Thoughtful, Media-Rich Lessons in Science: Process and Product
by Philip Balcaen, University of British Columbia, Okanagan, Kelowna, Canada
Co-Editors: Shirley Williams & Laura Czerniewicz
Electronic Journal of e-Learning
Volume 6 issue 3
Special Issue ICEL South Africa, 2008
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Considering the Need for Critical Thinking at the Core of History Curriculum
by Garfield Gini-Newman
Welcome to the information age where words like “google†have become verbs. Need to know the capital city of Paraguay? Google your question. Need to know about the events surrounding the rebellions in 1837? Google them! With endless amounts of information readily available at the click of a mouse, educators need to take a new look at the primary function schools should play in the twenty-first century. An emphasis on the acquisition and retention of isolated bits of information serves neither the student nor society well. Accessing information is not the challenge today’s students face; being able to select and use relevant information for a purpose is the key.
Building Voluntary Teacher Networks
by Roland Case and Walt Werner
There exists an extensive literature on mandated changes that emanate from sanctioned decisions made at the top of institutional hierarchies and delivered to teachers by means of coercive directives. Its purpose is to understand the “implementation” difficulties associated with prescribed policies, programs, standards, assessment procedures, and learning materials (e.g., Fullan, 1991). Comparatively less literature focuses on non-mandated changes that teachers sponsor themselves or voluntarily accept because of the perceived benefits. The dismal record of mandated implementation efforts (e.g., Sarason, 1990) may be partly attributable to their non-voluntary nature. There is little motivation for teachers to examine their practices when they see themselves as merely implementing directives from above (Richardson, 1990). The irony is that requiring teachers to change may be counterproductive. Efforts to encourage voluntary teacher renewal deserve greater attention.
Engagement in Learning: Finding the Depth Beyond Diligence
by Bruce Beairsto
In order to develop the deep understandings, lifelong skills and personal dispositions that they will require to thrive in the complex, fast-paced, pluralistic and increasingly interdependent modern world, students must be actively engaged in their learning. Students should be sufficiently engaged in learning to look for the meaning that lies beyond the information they receive and strive to connect what they are learning to what they already know so as to achieve a harmonious integration. Mere compliance, no matter how diligent, is no longer sufficient to enable them to fully grasp, find fulfillment in, and make a contribution to, the world as it is now and will be in the foreseeable future. Therefore, we must find ways to better stimulate and deepen students’ engagement, and this quest begins with understanding exactly what is meant by “engagement in learning”.
Teaching and Assessment
Making Critical Thinking and Integral Part of Electronic Research
by Roland Case
The call to help students think critically about the content and use of electronic information technologies is a common educational refrain. Regrettably this call has not been answered adequately. This shortfall occurs even in the area of evaluating the credibility of website information, an area that is the focus of most of the work on supporting critical thinking about the Internet. Not only are many efforts in this area inadequate, but other aspects of electronic information and research, from focussing an inquiry to communicating findings, receive even less critical attention. In this article I highlight inadequacies in common teaching practices around evaluating the credibility of Internet sources. I also consider in passing other aspects of electronic research that should be the focus of students’ critical reflection. On a more positive note, I offer ideas developed by teacher-librarians working with The Critical Thinking Consortium (TC2) that have helped students think more critically about various aspects of electronic research, but especially about the evaluation of information.
From “finding out” to “thinking about”: Changing research assignments into critical challenges
by Patricia Finlay
This article was originally published in The Bookmark.
Two students arrive in the library shortly after the dismissal bell and ask “Does the library have any stuff on Japan?” “What do you want to know about Japan? the geography, its sports, its art” I respond. They look at each other and reply, “We don’t know, everything! Our teacher has asked us to write a report on Japan”.
Nurturing Critical Thinking: A Note to Parents
by Roland Case
Educators at all levels of schooling have long recognized the centrality of critical thinking in a sound education. Increasingly, parents are interested in learning what role they might play in helping to foster this goal. In this article, I explain what critical thinking involves, why is it important and how parents might help their children succeed in this area.
