Critical Thinking In Every Classroom

Teaching Academy: New Faculty Orientation

August 11, 2007

For the QEP (SACS-COC), we’re going to add CT SLOs to

each course so that we’ll do better on the CCTST (VCCS core competencies) and the

CCSSE…

HUH?

Deciphering Acronyms

Q: Quality

E: Enhancement

P: Plan

One of 2 required elements of re-accreditation through SACS-COC

(Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges)

We demonstrate critical thinking when we…

• Explain, analyze and synthesize what we see, hear and read• Use creativity to discover multiple and diverse approaches to

issues• Find relevant information to address tasks and problems• Evaluate claims and evidence to draw reasonable conclusions• Justify conclusions and solutions• Apply concepts to real-world problems• See connections and patterns both within disciplines and across

disciplines• Reflect on our own thinking and learning.

CT = Critical Thinking

Why are we so interested in CT?

* Results of our 2006 VCCS core competency exams (CCTST, or California Critical Thinking Skills Test)

* Results of our 2005 CCSSE results (Community College Survey of Student Engagement)

CCSSE Results

Benchmark LFCC VCCS Med. Colleges

Active/Collaborative Learning

45.2 46.8 49.9

Student Effort 44.9 49.4 49.9

Academic Challenge 46.3 48.6 50.3

Benchmark Descriptors

Active/Collaborative Learning:Asked questions or contributed to class discussionsMade a class presentationWorked with classmates outside of class to prepare assignmentsDiscussed ideas from readings or classes outside of class

Benchmark Descriptors

Student Effort

Prepared 2 or more drafts of a paper

Worked on a paper or project that required integrating ideas from various sources

Amount of time preparing for class

Benchmark Descriptors

• Academic Challenge– Worked harder than you thought you could– Analyzed basic elements of a theory– Synthesized or organized ideas, information

or experiences in new ways– Made judgments about the value of

information or arguments– Applied theories or concepts to practical

problems or in new situations

LFCC’S QEP

Purpose: Create a culture of critical thinking which permeates all aspects of the College community.

Outcome: Improved critical thinking skills in our students.

Three Broad Strategies

Professional Development

Curricular Enhancement

Activities Outside the Classroom

Curricular Enhancement

• Each course in the college has specified a critical thinking student learning outcome (SLO).

• The SLOs are based on the VCCS core competencies, and they will be assessed regularly.

VCCS Core Competency: CT

Degree graduates will demonstrate the ability to:

• 2.1 discriminate among degrees of credibility, accuracy, and reliability of inferences drawn from given data

• 2.2 recognize parallels, assumptions, or presuppositions in any given source of information

CT Core Competencies

• 2.3 Evaluate the strengths and relevance of arguments on a particular question or issue

• 2.4 Weigh evidence and decide if generalizations or conclusions based on the given data are warranted

CT Core Competency

• 2.5 Determine whether certain conclusions or consequences are supported by the information provided.

• 2.6 Use problem solving skills.

Saying and Doing

• We would like all faculty teaching in fall 2007 to– KNOW the CT SLO for the course(s) they

teach, – IDENTIFY and SCHEDULE assignments

that support that SLO with practice and feedback,

- ASSESS the SLO, using the faculty designed instrument/measurement (for courses being assessed in fall 2007), and

- SHARE experiences, successes, struggles, tips, techniques, questions, and insights with faculty in your cluster.

Resources

• Critical Thinking In Our Classes (sample assignments from LFCC faculty)

• The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking: Concepts and Tools (excellent overview of CT with questions)

• Seeking The Ox: Developing Critical Thinkers at LFCC (QEP – with literature review)

Other Resources

• Faculty in your cluster

• Staff and administrators (deans and program leaders)

• Web resources (will be available later this fall)

• The Ox Pictures

The Ox-Herder Pictures

The seeker begins by recognizing that he or she is lacking. Knowing that we don’t know is an important step towards better thinking…

• The quest to think more critically is a struggle…

• There are obvious benefits when our thinking and knowing WORK for us…

ASK RAMON SELOVE

• Eventually, a seeker (or thinker, in our case) goes back into the world to share what he has learned and to make a difference.

What We’ve Covered

• The QEP (for SACS-COC),

• Adding CT SLOs to each course (and teaching for improved CT)

• Doing better on the CCTST (VCCS core competencies) and the CCSSE

• WOW.

Contact Information

Miriam Moore

Middletown, 126G

540-868-7173

mmoore2@lfcc.edu