This document discusses developing critical thinking skills in distance education. It defines critical thinking as involving asking questions, defining problems, examining evidence, analyzing assumptions and biases, avoiding emotional reasoning, avoiding oversimplification, considering other interpretations, and tolerating ambiguity. Some strategies for developing these skills discussed are modeling best practices, stimulating thought through discussion, challenging students to do additional research, and creating space for informal reflection. Both teachers and students have responsibilities - teachers in stimulating critical thinking and students in skills like increasing social skills and helping each other learn. Technology can be used to facilitate collaboration, such as through wikis, podcasts, discussion boards, and video conferencing.
7. Understanding Ability to select and monitor that thinking strategies that one uses Declarative knowledge Understanding how individual knowledge impacts what other people know
8. Characteristics of Critical Thinking involves asking questions, defining a problem, examining evidence, analyzing assumptions and biases avoiding emotional reasoning, avoiding oversimplification, considering other interpretations, tolerating ambiguity.
9. How we use or obtain these skills Model best practices Teacher responsibilities Stimulate thought through extending discussions Challenge the student to research information Create a space & time for informal and reflective thought Provide probing questions
10. Technology used for collaboration Wiki Podcast Discussion Boards Email Blogs Webquest Video conferencing/Skpe
11. Strategies Require a course related journal Positive reinforcement Assign narrowly focused topics
12. Student responsibilities Increase social skills Ask the right questions Listen to each other Help each other learn Build on each other’s ideas Construct their own understanding
13. Conclusion More than a buzz word Intellectual Process Takes practice Thank you: Welcome Steven Broomfield
14. Resources Arend B. Encouraging Critical thinking in Online Threaded Discussions . Journal of Educators Online 6, Retrieved from EBSCOhost Interview with Stephen Brookfield. (1994). ETC: A Review of General Semantics, 51(1), 3-17. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Bullen, Mark. (1998). Participation and Critical Thinking in Online University Distance Education. Journal of Distance Education/Revue de l'enseignement à distance: 13 , 2.[iuicode: http://www.icaap.org/iuicode?151.13.2.1]
15. Resources Osborne, R.E., Kriese, P., Tobey, H., Johnson, E. (2009) Putting it All Together: Incorporating “SoTL Practices for Teaching Interpersonal and Critical Thinking Skills in an Online Course. InSight: A Journal of Scholarly Teaching 445-55 Retrieved from EBSCOhost Lunney, M. (2008) Facilitating Critical Thinking through Online Courses. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 12(3-4) Retrieved from EBSCOhost Visser, L (2002) Critical Thinking in distance Education and Traditional Education AECT
Notas del editor
I am Sandra Johnson and I have the pleasure of introducing our speaker for this segment;“He has been a leader in research and scholarship in four major fields; understanding the practice of teaching and facilitation across a range of diverse adult educational contexts, understanding the rhythms of critical thinking as a form of learning and the dynamics of how best to develop this, understanding the development of critically reflective practice among adult educators, and applying the theoretical concepts of critical theory to the understanding of adult learning and education.”
Dispositions: Critical thinkers are skeptical, open-minded, value fair-mindedness, respect evidence and reasoning, respect clarity and precision, look at different points of view, and will change positions when reason leads them to do so. Criteria: To think critically, must apply criteria. Need to have conditions that must be met for something to be judged as believable. Although the argument can be made that each subject area has different criteria, some standards apply to all subjects. "... an assertion must... be based on relevant, accurate facts; based on credible sources; precise; unbiased; free from logical fallacies; logically consistent; and strongly reasoned" (p. 12). Argument: Is a statement or proposition with supporting evidence. Critical thinking involves identifying, evaluating, and constructing arguments. Reasoning: The ability to infer a conclusion from one or multiple premises. To do so requires examining logical relationships among statements or data. Point of View: The way one views the world, which shapes one's construction of meaning. In a search for understanding, critical thinkers view phenomena from many different points of view. Procedures for Applying Criteria: Other types of thinking use a general procedure. Critical thinking makes use of many procedures. These procedures include asking questions, making judgments, and identifying assumptions.