NWBIO 2002

Incorporating Critical Thinking

In

Biology Classes

Mary Pat Wenderoth
Department Zoology
University of Washington

What is Critical Thinking?

Critical-- from two Greek roots

"kriticos"--discerning judgement

"kriterion"-- standards

critical-- "discerning judgement based on standards"

Some definitions from the literature

  • --identifying a problem and its associated assumptions
  • --clarifying and focusing the problem
  • --analysing, understanding and making use of inference
  • --inductive and deductive logic
  • --judging the validity and reliability of assumptions, sources of data & information
  • --evaluation is a core ability
    • (Kennedy, Fisher and Ennis, 1991)

 

  • Didactic vs. critical thinking
  • Automatic and scripted vs. reflective
  • Literal vs. critical
  • Good thinking vs. illogical, irrational thinking 

Critical thinking (P. Falcione 19989)

Asked a group of international experts ---their conclusion

The core skills include

  • Interpretation
  • Analysis
  • Evaluation
  • Inference
  • Explanation
  • Self-regulation 

"Critical thinking is thinking that assess itself"

 It is the ability to think about one's thinking in a such a way as to

1. recognize its strengths and weaknesses and as a result

 2. recast the thinking in improved form

(Center for Critical Thinking, 1996)

To reason with intellectual discipline within a subject field.

(Center for Critical Thinking 2002)

 

Eight Characteristics of critical thinking --Wade (1995)

USA Workplace Know-How Skills(Mayer 1992)

Competencies are recognized by knowledge and skills in

*Collecting, analyzing & organizing information
*Planning activities
*Problem-solving
*Communicating information
*Working with others
*Using technology

256 Scottish & Australian University students

--Smith Whetton Critical Reasoning Test

compared the mean CRT scores of students
entering the program
year of study (year 2 and 3)
graduates

Results: NO significant difference between group CRT scores (Pithers & Soden 1999)

 

Center for Critical Thinking at Sonoma State College California

 Study of 38 Public Universities and 28 Private Universities ----To Determine Faculty Emphasis on Critical Thinking In Instruction by Dr. Richard Paul, Dr. Linda Elder, and Dr. Ted Bartell, 2002

http://www.criticalthinking.org/schoolstudy.htm

140 interviews of faculty (Education, A&S)

 Results:

  • 89% claimed CT to be a 1° objective of their instruction
  • only 19% could give a clear explanation of what critical thinking is
  • only 9% of the respondents were clearly teaching for critical thinking on a typical day in class.
  • 77% of the respondents had little, limited or no conception of how to reconcile content coverage with the fostering of critical thinking.

How to teach critical thinking?

Bonnett (1995) argued that "any view of good thinking which fails to affirm the sanctity of content is likely to be deficient."

Rath et al. (1966) state that there should be NO new subject called critical thinking, rather that it should be conceived as a means of teaching learning in any subject area.

 

Methods used to teach thinking---McGuiness (1993)

-make the student thought process more explicit

-model ways of thinking in your discipline

-scaffold students attempts to understand and use concepts

-encourage students to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of the thinking process they use

Langer (1997)

Teachers should present content mindfully
Should focus on linkages and similarities of content
  • The learners
  • are active
  • ask questions
  • seek information
  • link to relevant questions
  • are able to tolerate ambiguity and uncertainty
  • need to develop more control and independence over their own learning
    •
    Method to incorporate Critical Thinking into classroom/lab.

    -------------------------------------------------(GOALS)

    Input--------- learning activity -------Output

    (Ask)------------------------------------- (assessment)

     

    1. Set the goals for your class/course

    What do you want your students to be able to DO?

    2. Design learning activities that will allow your students to PRACTICE what you want them to DO.

    3. Assessment

    early and often -- they need feedback
    align exam questions and course goals
    Examples from my 100 and 200 level Physiology course. 

    Goal:

    Mechanistic vs descriptive understanding
    Cause and Effect
    Offer explanations

    Move away from teleological approach

    Method:

    1) Build-test and refine mental models of how system works

  • Make predictions
  • ask students a question that calls for them to predict what will happen in a particular situation... will something increase, decrease, or stay the same?
  • -allow them to talk with their neigbor about answer
  • vote by thumbs up--thumbs down--thumbs flat
  • ask a group to support their answer
    •

    • 2) In lab and class provide opportunity for student to present and defend the answer.

     --instead of another lecture at the beginning of lab keep upfront time as short as possible and use the time to have students present the lab results and thier implications at the end of lab. Can also ask them to show how this lab ties in with class.

    • They need to practice the language of science.
    • They need practice in explaining.

    3) Interpreting the data from a lab

    Chick Heart Lab-----Dissect 4 d.embryonic heart

    results -- Intact heart--- isolated heart-- atria---ventricle

    HR-----------120-----------100---------------120---------45
    ----------------120----------120----------------100---------40 etc

    have students explain the discrepancies in the data, why are the values different, why do different lab groups get different valuse?

    Offer Alternate hypothesis.. design an experiment test your idea….

    4.) Practice using the tools of science

    graphs
    How was graph generated?
    What does graph tell us?

    5.) Ask thoughtful questions in class----NOT fill in the blank questions

    6.) Create a summary page of system

    --connect information--
    --makes their thinking visible

    7) Ask them to reflect on

    How they are learning the material?
    How are they figuring out if they know it or not?
    (metacognition)

    8) Be EXPLICIT

     

    "To promote critical thinking students must learn

    to teach themselves
    to reflect and refine the strategies,
    to develop their metacognitive knowledge and skills."

     "The school teacher can only facilitate this individual process"

    (Pithers and Soden 2000)

    Summary:

    Teach Critical thinking in CONTEXT of your discipline.

    Critical thinking is hard work for you and your students.

    You job is to guide them through the process

    In steps
    With repeated practice
    Constant feedback
    Critical thinking is learning to learn

    Teacher behavior that inhibits good thinking(Rath et al. 1966)

    Teachers who

     

    Teacher Fallacies (Sternberg 1987)

    1. Critical thinking is solely the lecturer's job

    the lecturer must think out the responses
    ideas should be presented smoothly and slickly
    uses the best available technology

    -- the teacher's role is as facilitator rather than instructor

    2. There is a correct program for the delivery of critical thinking

     there is no one correct thinking program
    it depends on the program goals and content

    References

    Critical thinking in education: a review . R.T. Pithers and R. Soden, Educational Research 42(3):237-249, 2000

    Critical Thinking across the Disciplines

    Longview Community College
    http://www.kcmetro.cc.mo.us/longview/ctac/toc.htm
     

    University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

    http://www.utc.edu/Teaching-Resource-Center/critical.html

     

    Other good books to read

    How people Learn

    Thinking about teaching and learning by Leamnson

    Classroom Assessment Techniques by Angello and Cross