DEVELOPING

CRITICAL THINKING
Stephen Brookfield
University of St. Thomas

A WORKSHOP TO
Stimulate Critical thinking About
Critical Thinking
Find Out What Colleagues Do To
Think Critically
Find Out How Colleagues Help
Others Think Critically
Recognize Points of Contact &
Divergence

CRITICAL THINKING - WHAT

DOES IT MEAN?

WHAT IMAGES,
ACTIONS,
THOUGHTS,
EXAMPLES DOES
THIS PHRASE
BRING TO MIND?

WHAT DOES IT INVOLVE?

Identifying Assumptions
Checking Assumptions
Recognizing What is Evidence
Assessing Evidence
Assessing Fit with Real World
Taking Informed Action

ASSESSING EVIDENCE
EVERY

SUBJECT / CONTENT AREA

HAS ITS GRAMMAR - ITS
CRITERIA FOR JUDGING WHAT
COUNTS AS VALID KNOWLEDGE
OR HOW EXCELLENCE IS
DISPLAYED

KINDS OF ASSUMPTIONS
CAUSAL - purports to explain a

sequence of events
PRESCRIPTIVE - assumptions
about how we wish things to be
PARADIGMATIC - framing,
structuring assumptions viewed as
obvious

AN INFORMED ACTION IS
One Based on Evidence
One Where Evidence Can be Cited
One That Can be Explained & Justified
One That Has Its Assumptions Known &
Checked
One That Stands a Chance of having Its
Intended Consequence

WHEN IS IT
APPROPRIATE?
Beyond the Novice Level
After Initial Assimilation
When Skills & Knowledge Have to be
Applied in the Real World
When Independent Judgment is Needed

WHEN IS IT
APPROPRIATE?
When Alternative Explanations /
Interpretations are Possible
When Actions / Decisions / Judgments
Need to be Informed
When Thinking on Your Feet is Called
For - Rapid Fire Response
When Venturing into New Territory

WHAT HELPS YOU THINK

CRITICALLY?
THINK OF A TIME WHEN YOU BECAME
AWARE OF AN ASSUMPTION YOU HELD
or REALIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF A
PIECE OF EVIDENCE FOR YOU

WHAT TRIGGERED THIS?

WHAT HELPED YOU THINK IT
THROUGH?

HOW IS IT LEARNED?
By Instructors MODELING

MODELING MODELING &

MODELING VIA: Critical Incident Questionnaire
Assumption Hunting
Assumption Inventory
Constantly Citing Evidence
Constantly Assessing Evidence

HOW IS IT LEARNED?
ASSUMPTION INVENTORY
Whats the decision weve just made?
Whats the chief piece of evidence the

decision is based on?

What assumptions is the decision based
on?
What Do We Hope to Achieve by
Taking this Decision?
What is Questionable About the
Decision?

HOW IS IT LEARNED?
Consistently providing Real World

Illustrations / Examples
Instructor Point - Counterpoint /
Structured Devils Advocacy / Speaking
in Tongues
Best When Grounded in Real World
Examples, Experiences, Case Studies

HOW IS IT LEARNED?
Scaffolded Via Extensive Instructor

Examples / Repeated Practice

Incremental - Begin With Basic Mental
Protocol /Inquiry Applied to Topics
Well Away From Students Experiences
then Gradually Move Closer to Home
(c.f. Vigorous Exercise)

HOW IS IT LEARNED?
When Students Have to Face &

Respond to a Disorienting
Dilemma (Mezirow) - a
situation engineered to take
them by surprise / reverse /
upset their expectations

COURSE DESIGN
Begin with Foundations / Introductory
Course on Critical Thinking Across the
Disciplines
Scenario Analyses (brief real-life but
fictional vignettes)
Move to Topic / Discipline Specific
Applications

SHARED DEFINITION
University / School-Wide Definition
Quoted in All Syllabuses, Course
Descriptions
Assessing Evidence - what is valid
or accurate evidence? How do you
judge the relative truth or accuracy
of a source / authority?
Checking Assumptions

BUILD A CASE
Students Testimony - videostream
Students Testimony - real world
applications
Former Resisters - Alumni Panels
Employer / User Testimony - real
world examples

BUILD A CASE
Simulations
Real-life sites in cyberspace
Consistent Modeling: Never Ask a
Learner to Think Critically Before
Youve Done it First - Publicly !
Monitor via the CIQ

EVERY COURSE UNIT

SHOULD SHOW

How Skills &/or Knowledge Learned

Connect to Critical Thinking
What is the Students
Comprehension of Critical Thinking
(by student providing examples or
responding to multi-choice
questions)
1st Points Bearing Test is On the
Syllabus - Stated Critical Thinking
Expectations

ASSIGNMENT
INSTRUCTIONS SHOULD:
Request Sources of Evidence or
Authority
Ask Students to Judge Validity of
Different Sources Used - online,
textbooks, students notes, course
packet etc.
Contain Frequent Tests of Application How Does the Knowledge / Skill Apply
in the Real World?

ASSIGNMENT
INSTRUCTIONS SHOULD:Ask for Frequent Examples of
Application - Student Generated or
Via Multiple Choice
Ask Students to Spot the Deliberate
Error (1 per unit / exercise /
module)
Identify Assumptions - Causal,
Prescriptive, Paradigmatic

ASSIGNMENT
INSTRUCTIONS SHOULD:Contain a Parallel Example of
Critical Thinking Provided for Each
Critical thinking Exercise Required
Disclose How Instructor Applies
Critical Thinking in each Exercise
Require a Critical Thinking Audit

CRITICAL THINKING
AUDIT
What

Assumptions Have Been

Confirmed
What Assumptions have Been
Challenged?
What New Assumptions Have
Been Discovered?

CRITICAL THINKING
AUDIT
What

Evidence Was Most

Accessible
What Evidence Was Most
Accurate
How did the Learning Fit the
Real World

CRITICAL THINKING
AUDIT
Where is Further Study
Needed?
Which Evidence is Most
Open to Question?
Which Assumptions Could
Not be Checked
Adequately?

CRITICAL THINKING
AUDIT
Unit Audit
Mid-Course Audit
Course Completion Audit
Program Audit
Instructor Provides Audit at
Each Stage

CRITICAL INCIDENT
QUESTIONNAIRE (CIQ)
MOMENT MOST ENGAGED AS
LEARNER
MOMENT MOST DISTANCED
ACTION MOST HELPFUL
ACTION MOST CONFUSING
WHAT SURPRISED YOU MOST

ASSESSING CRITICAL
THINKING
Pre-test / Post test (Simulations, Scenarios)
Critical Thinking Audits
Standardized Tests (Ennis-Weir, New
Jersey, California, CAAP, Watson-Glaser)
Learning Journals
Multiple Choice Questions in Each Unit
Specifically on Assumptions / Evidence

FINAL QUESTIONS

What Have We Not Covered?

What Do You Need to Know?
Whats Wrong, Ill-Conceived?
What Doesnt Make Sense in Your
Work?
What Sounds Good in Theory but Wont
Work in Practice - & Why?

STEPHEN BROOKFIELD

WWW.STEPHENBROOKFIELD.COM

DEVELOPING CRITICAL THINKERS

(1987)
BECOMING A CRITICALLY REFLECTIVE
TEACHER (1995)
THE POWER OF CRITICAL THEORY
(2004)
(Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco)