Critical Thinking 2

Mr. / Girgis

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“The sufferings of this present

time are not worth comparing

with the glory that is to be

revealed to us.”Romans 8:18

7 Ways That Teachers Can Improve Their Lessons | by Europass

Humor:

Girl Laughing Hysterically Stock Photo ...

Teacher: I hope I didn't see

you looking at Maria's

answers.

Student: I sure hope you

didn't, either!

Use the other language selector on

my home page above to go through

my whole site using any native

language you speak,

then use the video above to see and

listen to the same teaching topic in

text below.

اختاراي لغة من لغات العالم / اللغة التى تريد تصفح

موقعى باستخدامها . استخدم المؤشر

الذى فى الاعلى

Next, Use the world site selector on

my home page above to go to the

search engine site or the social

media site you like.

My YouTube Channel: Click: :( Mr. / Girgis H. H).

منهج الانجليزى ثانوية عامة / معكم الاستاذ / جرجس حنا هارون

/Unit 1: (Writers and stories) Lesson: 1

Critical Thinking

Significance:

Critical thinking is an active state of mind in which the

learner asks himself some inner questions to reach

the solution to a problem. Such questions start with

the following questions words ( what, who, why, how,

how come, where, when....).

Let's transfer from the stages of comprehension,

knowledge and applicability to other high levels of

thinking like analysis, synthesis and evaluation.

When I hear I forget,

when I see I remember,

when I practice, I learn,

When I learn, I analyze,

When I synthesize, I evaluate,

When I create, I innovate.

Remember

Recognizing

Recalling

Understand

Interpreting

Exemplifying

Classifying

Summarizing

Inferring

Comparing

Explaining

Apply

Executing

Implementing

Analyze

Differentiating

Organizing

Attributing

Evaluate

Checking

Critiquing

Create

Generating

Planning

Producing

In the revised taxonomy, knowledge is at the basis

of these six cognitive processes, but its authors

created a separate taxonomy of the types of

knowledge used in cognition:

Factual Knowledge

Knowledge of terminology

Knowledge of specific details and elements

Conceptual Knowledge

Knowledge of classifications and categories

Knowledge of principles and generalizations

Knowledge of theories, models, and

structures

Procedural Knowledge

- Knowledge of subject-specific skills and
- algorithms
- Knowledge of subject-specific techniques and methods
- Knowledge of criteria for determining when to use appropriate procedures

Meta-cognitive Knowledge

Strategic Knowledge

Knowledge about cognitive tasks, including

appropriate contextual and conditiona lknowledge

Self-knowledge

Bloom's taxonomy:

Bloom's taxonomy includes 2 parts of knowledge levels.

The first part of this taxonomy includes the levels of

understanding , comprehension, knowledge and

applicability.

Critical thinking includes the second part of Bloom's

taxonomy which includes the processes of analysis,

synthesis and evaluation. They are called the superior

processes of thinking or critical thinking processes.

Bloom’s taxonomy:

Critical Thinking Skills

Bloom's Taxonomy is a method created by

Benjamin Bloom (1965) to categorize the

levels of reasoning skills that students use for

effective learning. There are six levels

of Bloom's Taxonomy: knowledge,

comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis,

and evaluation. Each one of the categories aims

to construct one level of abstraction

more complex than the other.

Remember, understand, apply, analyze,

evaluate and create were organized and included

action words to recognize cognitive

processes by which students come across and

work with knowledge.

In general, both teachers and students should

avoid test and assessment that merely

attempt recalling information but incorporate

higher levels to create real critical

thinkers.

The Original Taxonomy (1956)

Here are the authors’ brief explanations of these

main categories in from the appendix of Taxonomy

of Educational Objectives (Handbook One, pp.

201-207):

Knowledge “involves the recall of specifics and

universals, the recall of methods and processes, or

the recall of a pattern, structure, or setting.”

Comprehension “refers to a type of understanding

or apprehension such that the individual knows

what is being communicated and can make use of

the material or idea being communicated without

necessarily relating it to other material or seeing its

fullest implications.”

Application refers to the “use of abstractions in

particular and concrete situations.”

Analysis represents the “breakdown of a

communication into its constituent elements or

parts such that the relative hierarchy of ideas is

made clear and/or the relations between ideas

expressed are made explicit.”

Synthesis involves the “putting together of

elements and parts so as to form a whole.”

Evaluation engenders “judgments about the value

of material and methods for given purposes.”

Knowledge:

In the knowledge level of Bloom's Taxonomy,

questions are asked merely to test

whether a student has gained specific

information from the lesson. Dates, events,

places and the wh- questions are displayed at

this level. For example, students should

match the words to their definitions.

Some common examples are:

Who were the main...?

Which one...?

Why did...?

Learning domains Note. Bloom et al.'s (1956) learning domains are... | Download Scientific Diagram

Comprehension:

The comprehension level of Bloom's

Taxonomy has students go past simply recalling

facts and instead has them understanding the

information. With this level, they will be

able to interpret the facts. You are probably

recognizing comprehension questions

when you use words like describe, contrast,

discuss, predict, or paraphrase.

Some common examples for this

category are:

How would you rephrase the meaning?

What facts or ideas show...?

What is the main idea of ......?

Which statements support...?

Which is the best answer...?

Application:

Application questions are those where

students have to actually apply, or use, the

knowledge they have learned. They might be

asked to solve a problem with the

information they have gained in class being

necessary to create a practical solution.

For example, a student might be asked to

solve a legal question in Government class

using the Constitution and its amendments.

You can write questions that use words

like complete, solve, examine, illustrate,

show, etc.

Some common examples for this category are:

What would result if...?

Can you make use of the facts to...?

What elements would you use to change...?

What facts would you select to show...?

What questions would you ask during an

interview?

Analysis:

In the analysis level, students will be required

to go beyond knowledge and application

and actually see patterns that they can use to

analyze a problem. For example, an

English teacher might ask what the motives

were behind the protagonist's actions

during a novel. This requires students to

analyze the character and come to a

conclusion based on this analysis. You write

analysis questions when you use words

like analyze, explain, investigate, infer, etc.

What conclusions can you draw . . . ?

How would you classify . . . ?

How would you categorize . . . ?

Can you identify the different parts ?

Synthesis:

With synthesis, students are required to use the

given facts to create new theories or

make predictions. They might have to pull in

knowledge from multiple subjects and

synthesize this information before coming to a

conclusion. For example, if a student is

asked to invent a new product or game they are

being asked to synthesize. You are

probably writing synthesis questions when you

use words like invent, imagine, create,

compose, etc.

What changes would you make to solve...?

How would you improve...?

What would happen if...?

Can you elaborate on the reason?

Evaluation:

The top level of Bloom's Taxonomy is

evaluation. Here students are expected to

assess information and come to a conclusion

such as its value or the bias behind it.

For example, if a student is completing a DBQ

(Document Based Question) for an AP

US History course, they are expected to

evaluate the bias behind any primary

or secondary sources in order to see how that

effects the points that the speaker is

making. You are probably writing evaluation

questions when you use words like select,

judge, debate, recommend, etc.

How would you evaluate...?

How would you compare the ideas...?

How would you compare the people...?

How could you determine...?

What choice would you have made...?

Following these guidelines teachers can help

develop critical skills for students to have

the capacity to think and act creatively, to meet

challenges positively and effectively,

and show initiative and enterprise in how they

think and learn. Thus, creating a real

impact on various aspects of society such as

social and economic development

Why Bloom's Taxonomy?

The authors of the revised taxonomy suggest a multi-

layered answer to this question, to which the author

of this teaching guide has added some clarifying

points:

1-Objectives (learning goals) are important to

establish in a pedagogical interchange so that

teachers and students alike understand the purpose

of that interchange.

2-Organizing objectives helps to clarify objectives for

themselves and for students.

3-Having an organized set of objectives

helps teachers to:

“plan and deliver appropriate instruction”;

“design valid assessment tasks and strategies”;and

“ensure that instruction and assessment are aligned

with the objectives.”

Smart thinking

Smart thinking is not an innate quality but rather a

skill we can cultivate. Each of has the capacity to

learn to be smarter.

Learning outside our field of knowledge helps us create

new patterns for problem solving within our business.

Looking beyond the surface is a good way to train our

memory to give us new ideas to solve future problems

that are not obvious.

Since more often than not we do not know what we do

not know -- or we think we know more than we actually

do -- it's a good idea to develop a habit of learning

through a culture of thinking.

A formula for thinking more effectively:

(1.) Develop smarter habits -- Habits are formed wheneve

r we repeat an action in a specific context. Habits are not

stopped, they are replaced.

(2.) Acquire high quality knowledge -- the core

knowledge for smart thinking is causal knowledge, which

is what we use to answer the question “why?”

Unfortunately, the quality of our causal knowledge is

often less good than we think it is.

(3.) Need to be able to use that knowledge when we

need it-- to use knowledge effectively, we need to master

the art of analogy. To that end, we need to learn to see the

essence of the problems we are trying to solve. We also

need to improve our memory, or ability to remember things

to access knowledge when we need it. -- to use knowledge

effectively, we need to master the art of analogy. To that

end, we need to learn to see the essence of the problems

we are trying to solve. We also need to improve our

memory, or ability to remember things to access

knowledge when we need it.

Examples

1. If You Build it…

This team-building game is flexible. You simply have to

divide students into teams and give them equal amounts

of a certain material, like pipe cleaners, blocks, or even

dried spaghetti and marshmallows.

Then, give them something to construct. The challenge

can be variable (think: Which team can build the tallest,

structurally-sound castle? Which team can build a castle

the fastest?).

You can recycle this activity throughout the year by

adapting the challenge or materials to specific content

areas. Apart from critical thinking students also learn to

collaborate and to work in groups.

2. Think–Pair–Share

In this activity first asks students to consider a question

on their own, and then provide them an opportunity to

discuss it in pairs, and finally together with the whole class.

The success of such activities depends on the nature of

the questions posed.

This activity works ideally with questions to encourage

deeper thinking, problem-solving, and/or critical analysis.

The group discussions are critical as they allow students

to articulate their thought processes.

Re-group as a whole class and solicit responses from

some or all of the pairs.

Advantages of the think-pair-share include the engagement

of all students in the classroom (particularly the opportunity

to give voice to quieter students who might have difficulty

sharing in a larger group), quick feedback for the instructor

(e.g., the revelation of student misconceptions),

encouragement and support for higher levels of

thinking of the students.

3. The Worst Case Scenario

Construct a scenario in which students would need to

work together and solve problems to succeed, like being

stranded on a deserted island or getting lost at

sea/jungle/town. Ask them to work together and

come out with a solution that ensures everyone

arrives safely.

You might ask them to come up with a list of 10 must-have

items that would help them most, or a creative passage

to safety. Encourage them to vote everyone must agree

to the final solution.

4. Go for Gold

This game is similar to the “If you build it” game:

Teams have a common objective, but instead of each

one having the same materials, they have access to a

whole cache of materials.

For instance, the goal might be to create a contraption

with pipes, rubber tubing and pieces of cardboard that

can carry a marble from point A to point B in a certain

number of steps, using only gravity.

5. Keep it Real

This open-ended concept is simple and serves as an

excellent segue into problem-based learning.

Challenge students to identify and cooperatively solve

a real problem in their schools or communities.

6. Gap Fill In

Students are shown a picture, projected in the front of

the room, if possible. At the top of their paper, students

should write: "What is happening in this picture?"

At the bottom of the page, they should answer with

what they believe is happening in the photo simply

in 1-2 sentences or according to the age/grade this

activity is being done with.

In the middle of the page students write down all of the

steps they took to arrive at that answer. Students are

encouraged to write down the evidence they see that

supports their conclusion.

This activity not only uses evidence, but supports

Meta cognition skills by asking what prior knowledge

brought you to your conclusion. This is a good activity

to Bell Work or "Do Now."

7. Fishbowl

Set up an inner circle and an outer circle in your

classroom. Students should not be sitting in this setup

yet, but rather in their regular classroom seats.

The class should be presented with a question or

a statement and allowed to reflect individually for

a few minutes.

During this reflection period, count the class off into

small groups by 3s, 4s, or 5s.Students should now

transition to the fishbowl setup. In the numbered

groups, have students facilitate a conversation while

others on the outside observe without comment.

(For example, a teacher may have all 1s go to the

fishbowl, while the rest of the class sits in the outer

ring.)

Once the inner group has discussed for a bit, have the

outer group evaluate two things: Their process is they

actually listened to one another and their content from

knowing whether they are providing evidence or just

opinions.

8. Big Paper - Building a Silent Conversation

Writing (or drawing) and silence are used as tools

to slow down thinking and allow for silent reflection,

unfiltered. By using silence and writing, students can

focus on other viewpoints. This activity uses a driving

question, markers, and Big Paper. Students work in

pairs or threes to have a conversation on the Big

Paper.

Students can write at will, but it must be done in

silence after a reflection on the driving question.

This strategy is great for introverts, and provides a

ready made visual record of thought for later.

9. Barometer—

Taking a Stand on Controversial Issues

When posed with a thought-provoking prompt,

students line themselves up along a U-shaped

continuum representing where they stand on that

issue. The sides of the U are opposite extremes,

with the middle being neutral. The teacher starts a

discussion by giving equal opportunity for individuals

in each area of the continuum to speak about their

stand. The students use “I” Wstatements when

stating their opinion.

10. Journal Data Goals

Last but not the least, Students must be asked to

maintain journals and update them on a regular basis.

This can be done in the form of a blog as well.

By doing so students become their own progress

monitors and can assess the growth within oneself

Other Examples

1-Venn Diagram:

A-Down, a diagram where learners can learn

about synthesis:

B-Down, a diagram where learners can find the

similarities and differences between 2 things, 2

characters or 2 phenomenon.

2-Subsequent events series:

Learners can use it in talking about a story events in its

natural times subsequently.

Example:

(Prisoner of Zenda), Chapter 1. The chapter "Feed back":

1- First,...................................the first event...........

2-Next,....................................the second event..........

3-Next,....................................the third event............

4-Then,...................................the fourth event.........

5-Later,...................................the fifth event.......

6-Finally,.................................the last event........

3-The range of solving problems:

The independent learner can ask himself simple

questions to reach the solution of a problem( What,Who,

why, how, how come, where and when). It is called a self

dialoguing state beside the dialoguing with others as a

group work.

The learner can find several solutions to the problem.

Then, he can select the solution which has less bad

effects. The solution may need a study which needs

the help of several other subjects like ( History,

Geology, Maths, physics,....) to reach the best solution.

Solving problem Exercise:

1-Situation 1:

“A woman was near death from a special kind of cancer.

There was one drug that the doctors thought might save

her.

It was a form of radium that a druggist in the same town had

recently discovered. The drug was expensive to make, but

the druggist was charging ten times what the drug cost him

to produce. He paid $200 for the radium and charged

$2,000 for a small dose of the drug.

The sick woman's husband, Heinz, went to everyone he

knew to borrow the money, but he could only get together

about $1,000 which is half of what it cost. He told the

druggist that his wife was dying and asked him to sell it

cheaper or let him pay later.

But the druggist said: “No, I discovered the drug and I'm

going to make money from it.” So Heinz got desperate

and broke into the man's laboratory to steal the drug

for his wife.

2-Situation 2:

There is a trolley coming down the tracks and ahead,

there are five people tied to the tracks who are unable

to move. The trolley will continue coming and will kill the

five people. There is nothing you can do to rescue the five

people except that there is a lever.

If you pull the lever, the train will be directed to another

track, which has only one person tied to it.

You have two choices:

Do nothing and the five people will die

Pull the lever and save the five people, but let one

person die.

Did you make your choice?

Situation 3:

There is a trolley coming down the tracks and ahead,

there are five people tied to the tracks who are unable

to move.

The trolley will continue coming and will kill the five people.

However, in this situation, you are standing on a bridge

above the train tracks and you can see the train coming.

There is a man standing next to you, who is so enormous

and heavy that if he places himself in front of the oncoming

train, it will hit and kill him but the train will stop.

So you have two choices

Do nothing and the five people will die.

Push the big guy down the bridge.

He will be killed but will stop the trolley and save the

five people.

Another Example for

critical thinking skills:

EDX program course content is:

(To solve an education problem, there are 6 steps):

1-Organizing collaborative work, creating data.

Observation,collecting data and Synthesis.

2-digging into students data. Analysis

3-finding evidence, Illustration

4-deciding the problem, Evaluation

5--developing plan and assessing progress.

Experiencing

6-Starting work collaboratively,

Application of solution

My Critical Thinking skills Research

1- Critical thinking ( 1 ).

2- Critical thinking ( 2 ).

1-Cultures.

2-Practice

4-Pre-Shool Education.

5-Reading abilities.

6-A model Lesson.

7-Curriculum Design.

8-Interaction / Interactivity

9-Education with a good quality.

10-Human Resources Management.

11-Mind-Mapping

12- Using technology in teaching.

13-Education with a good qualit

English Teaching Forum 2014,

Volume 52, Number 4

1-Spoken Grammar

2-Environments for Learning

3-Integrating Environmental Education

4-TOEFL Essay Topics

5-Fish All Around Us

6-Classroom Activities

7-The Lighter Side: "Fish Tanks"

8-Homogeneous VS Heterogeneous.

9-Pedagogy, Andragogy and Heutagogy.

10-Human Resources Management.

11-Mind-Mapping

12- Using technology in teaching.

13-Education with a good qualit

14-Human resources management

15-Goup work and playing role

13-Classsroom work rules