Critical+Thinking

Critical thinking teaches students that **knowledge is fluid** and **builds upon itself**

Catalina Foothills Video about [|Creative and Critical Thinking] ...and the Catalina Foothills [|rubric for critical thinking skills]

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 * //What jobs are we preparing our students for?//**

Take the Critical Thinking QUIZ

__National Standards for Thinking Skills__ STANDARD: Distinction making: **//Learns to make distinctions by identifying what is and is not included in an idea.//** STANDARD: Organizing systems: **//Learns to think in systems by organizing parts and wholes.//** STANDARD: Recognizing relationships: **//Learns to think about interrelationships between and amo////ng things.//** STANDARD: Takes Perspectives: //**Learns to take different points-of-view and see new perspectives.**// STANDARD: Integration of Patterns of Thinking: **//Creates, understands, and changes concepts by integrating the Patterns of Thinking//** (by combining the traits listed above). STANDARD: Application of Patterns of Thinking: **//Differentiates between content and structural context when constructing the meaning of any idea.//**

__How to Promote Critical Thinking in the Classroom__

__Assessing Critical Thinking__ Asking students to write down the clearest and most confusing points for them in a class session, can be very helpful for collecting a lot of information quickly about student thinking and understanding. One Teacher's Grading Policy: "I have an all-or-none grading policy with re-do"s as the only option. Either you do REALLY GOOD work the first time and get 100% or else you take a zero and do the work over and over until it meets the requirements. I am very selective as to what I accept because I heard the quote, "The worst paper that you accept becomes your highest standard." After a time, laziness prevails and students do a nice job only the first time. I hope to "corrupt" their brain with this tendency permanently. I point out that you do not get paid 65% for a 65% effort at work, you just get fired. There are plenty of people waiting in line for your job!- so get used to doing your best all the time now. My classroom is the place to practice."

__Evaluating Information__ www.whois.com use this site to determine the owner of the website domain Websites to Validate Information Google Search using various country codes (example: tr: economy would return results for economy from the country of Turkey) Google Reader

__Technology Tools that facilitate critical thinking skills__ Gapminder data visualization. shows movement of data over time iCue learning environment built on NBC news archives Newsmap visual representation of news events Google News Timeline chronological representation of news events as they are posted to the web WeSeed virtual stock market game Scratch a programming tool for students. teaches logic, reasoning, problem solving Excel -> create visual representations of data, logic (if/then) statements Google SketchUp -> 3D modeling tool. integrates with Google Earth and Google Maps ProCon.org examining the pros and cons of controversial issues

__Resources__ (online worksheets, pdfs, online materials) Lesson Plan Redesign Format TeAchnology free critical thinking worksheets

[|Click here] to get to the end of class reflection.

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