What is critical thinking?

It seems we are constantly having conversations--and for good reason--about the importance of critical thinking and discussing ways to increase the critical thinking for our students. We all just seem to readily accept that we understand what we mean when we use the term, yet if you stop to think about how to define what critical thinking is, it's kind of hard to do. It's much easier to give examples of critical thinking skills. We understand what it means to infer, to compare, or to classify for example.

But let's try to identify what critical thinking is without going to exemplars. First, critical thinking is a mental act. We cannot just look at a product a student creates and determine if critical thinking occurred. Since there is a mental act underlying the product, we must ask questions of the student to learn the thinking behind what they have created or developed.

Another important aspect of critical thinking is revealed in the meaning of the word critical, indicating that it is a type of thinking, or a type of mental act, that is of high importance to knowing or understanding. There are lots of mental acts that are rote or automatic to the extent they can't be considered a critical thought. For instance, 2+2=4 or Jefferson City is the capital of Missouri. But critical thinking allows us to make judgments about the truth or reality of new knowledge against a convergence of knowing that is widely accepted as what is true or real.

Next, critical thinking is not limited to a content area or learning discipline. Critical thinking can be generalized across all disciplines. This characteristic is one of the reasons critical thinking is so important to our students. Whereas content specific knowledge is requisite to understanding a subject, critical thinking can help us to understand all subjects.

And finally, critical thinking can be developed through practice and through quality instruction. Some educators seem to believe, if not outwardly expressed, that students' abilities to think critically are just a part of intelligence that is fixed. Clearly, this is not the case. As we have learned from Carol Dweck, critical thinking and intelligence can be developed through practice and hard work.

Center for Critical Thinking (1996c). Three definitions of critical thinking [On-line]. Available HTTP: http://www.criticalthinking.org/University/univlibrary/library.nclk

Why AP courses aren't superior to dual credit

I just filled out another survey for a magazine creating a national "Best High Schools" list. This one
was for Newsweek, but every year we also see the same type of thing from U.S. News. I'm not sure why I take time out of my day to even complete the survey given the fact that they are using the information for profit, and I don't have faith in the metrics they use to determine the best schools.

The measure that is the most frustrating, and one these magazines use heavily to determine the best schools, is the participation rate and completion rate on Advanced Placement courses. We don't offer any AP courses at Bolivar High School, but we do offer 19 dual credit courses in partnership with Southwest Baptist University and Missouri State University, and it's not uncommon for our students to graduate from high school with 30 plus college hours complete.

It's not that I'm against AP courses in general. No doubt these courses are rigorous and help prepare students for college, but so does our dual credit program. Our teachers are qualified to teach college level coursework, and overall the dual credit route better meets the needs of our students. Instead of one test (AP exam) to determine if a student has successfully completed the advanced program, our students are able to earn the college credit each semester without everything riding on one exam.

Moreover, we've found the dual credit classes are generally better accepted for college credit at universities than AP courses. For our students, it just makes sense to for them to want to take dual credit courses over AP.

As we think about what's next for our dual credit program, we would like to add additional courses and perhaps the ability for students to complete an associate's degree while in high school. That would require approximately 60 hours of college credit during the high school years. While the goal would be for these students to continue their studies beyond the associate's degree, it would provide a target for students wanting to demonstrate academic acceleration through high school.

We would also like to greatly expand the opportunities for under-resourced students to take dual credit courses at a reduced cost or for free. We are considering the creation of a dual credit "Bright Futures" scholarship fund that could be used to help students with potential who might not have the current financial means to take dual credit courses.

What Apollo 13 can teach us about project-based, collaborative learning

Educators with an eye on helping students succeed in the future recognize that collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking/problem solving are the skills of the future. I learned about the 4 C's of 21st Century Learning at p21.org. (http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/4csposter.pdf).

But I would suggest that these skills aren't newly important. People have been using these skills to solve some of the most pressing problems of humankind throughout history. In 1970, the Apollo 13 mission suffered a catastrophic failure when an oxygen tank exploded. It left the crew to endure incredible hardships because of limited power, heat loss, and a critical need to repair the carbon dioxide removal system. Back on the ground, NASA was scrambling to support the mission and ensure the crew returned safely to Earth. This video clip exemplifies how the NASA team used "project-based" skills to begin the problem solving.

 

As I think about the types of problems that will fully engage and empower students, instead of asking questions that have predetermined right answers, why not ask questions and present scenarios that could have multiple right answers and require student creativity and critical thinking.

If I was preparing students to successfully bring Apollo 13 back safely, what would my students need to know? If teachers can design projects, or cooperative learning experience that replicate some or all of these characteristics, student learning will be empowering and of lasting value.

1. Sense of purpose--team members are working towards a common goal that has significant meaning beyond the self-interests of the team members.

2. Shared goals--the team is striving to achieve specific goals.

3. Interdependence--team members rely on each other for the success of the entire team. Everyone recognizes the contributions of each member are valuable for team success.

4. Risk of failure--success is not guaranteed and the team recognizes that it's best ideas are required to succeed.

5. No box thinking--it's required to think "outside the box." We can't rely on patterns or models of what's been done before. We need to think of new possibilities even in the face of seemingly impossible circumstances.

6. Extensive discussion--everyone provides input, even introverts, to make sure that all possible solutions are considered.

I think one of the best ways to facilitate this type of teamwork and problem-solving in the classroom is to have students working on real problems in your school, community, or broader context. There are plenty of compelling problems in our world that would bring instant relevance to the learning experience. Students want to solve real problems.

In the end, thanks to a brilliant team effort from those on the ground and in orbit, the crew of Apollo 13 was successful in rigging a carbon dioxide removal system created with items aboard the spacecraft. As a result, we know this story had a happy ending and the astronauts returned safely to Earth.