Critical Thinking in High School Physics

By Alan ZollnerED 5251: Curriculum and Methods for

Adolescent EducationMount St. Mary College

April 23, 2008

Research Topic

What is critical thinking, and how is it developed in the context of a high school Physics Class?

Surprise Quiz:Why, except during a full moon, is part of the

moon in a shadow?

Source: http://moon.nightskyobserver.com/index.php

Moon Shadow Explanatory hypothesis

The earth blocks light from the sun,causing a shadow.

The moon happens to sit on the boundary of that shadow;

hence, part of the moon is lit up, while the rest is in darkness.

Example from Paul Hager, Ray Sleet, Peter Logan, & Hooper, M. ,2003.

Moon Shadow Did you accept this hypothesis without first thinking about it? Thinking uncritically Did we compare this hypothesis to others?

Alternate hypothesis:

Earth and Moon as viewed from Mars

Target Name:   Earth, Moon

Spacecraft:   Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter

Instrument:   Mars Orbiter Camera

Produced by:   NASA/Malin Space Science Systems

Copyright:  NASA Copyright Free Policy

Date Taken:   8 May 2003

Date Released: 

22 May 2003

http://www.solarviews.com/cap/earth/PIA04531.htm

What is Critical Thinking? Reasonable reflective thinking that is focused on deciding what

to believe or do. (Source: Ennis, 1996 cited in Hager, et al, 2003 )

Characteristics of a critically thinking person:(Source: Gadzella & Penland, 1995 and Halpern, 1998 cited Kaplan, 2004 p. 123)

Makes inferences, Identifies assumptions, Analyzes arguments, Assess the reliability of a source, Distinguishes fact from opinion, Recognizes bias, fallacy, and irrelevance.

An individual’s ability and inclination to make and assess conclusions based on evidence.

(Source: Glassner, Weinstock, & Neuman, 2005 and van Gelder, 2005 cited in Eggen & Kauchak 2007 p. 282)

What is Critical Thinking? Reasonable reflective thinking that is focused on deciding what

to believe or do. (Source: Ennis, 1996 cited in Hager, et al, 2003 )

Characteristics of a critically thinking person:(Source: Gadzella & Penland, 1995 and Halpern, 1998 cited Kaplan, 2004 p. 123)

Makes inferences, Identifies assumptions, Analyzes arguments, Assess the reliability of a source, Distinguishes fact from opinion, Recognizes bias, fallacy, and irrelevance.

An individual’s ability and inclination to make and assess conclusions based on evidence.

(Source: Glassner, Weinstock, & Neuman, 2005 and van Gelder, 2005 cited in Eggen & Kauchak 2007 p. 282)

What is Critical Thinking? Reasonable reflective thinking that is focused on deciding what

to believe or do. (Source: Ennis, 1996 cited in Hager, et al, 2003 )

Characteristics of a critically thinking person:(Source: Gadzella & Penland, 1995 and Halpern, 1998 cited Kaplan, 2004 p. 123)

Makes inferences, Identifies assumptions, Analyzes arguments, Assess the reliability of a source, Distinguishes fact from opinion, Recognizes bias, fallacy, and irrelevance.

An individual’s ability and inclination to make and assess conclusions based on evidence.

(Source: Glassner, Weinstock, & Neuman, 2005 and van Gelder, 2005 cited in Eggen & Kauchak 2007 p. 282)

What is Critical Thinking? Reasonable reflective thinking that is focused on deciding what

to believe or do. (Source: Ennis, 1996 cited in Hager, et al, 2003 )

Characteristics of a critically thinking person:(Source: Gadzella & Penland, 1995 and Halpern, 1998 cited Kaplan, 2004 p. 123)

Makes inferences, Identifies assumptions, Analyzes arguments, Assess the reliability of a source, Distinguishes fact from opinion, Recognizes bias, fallacy, and irrelevance.

An individual’s ability and inclination to make and assess conclusions based on evidence.

(Source: Glassner, Weinstock, & Neuman, 2005 and van Gelder, 2005 cited in Eggen & Kauchak 2007 p. 282)

Challenge of Critical Thinking Critical Thinking is hard.

Most people are not very good at it. “When asked to provide evidence to justify an opinion, more than

have the population flounders.” (van Gelder, 2005 cited in Eggen and Kauchak, 2007)

Not a natural disposition for humans. “Our minds seem to have an intrinsic tendency toward illusion,

distortion, and error.” (Sherman, 2002 and Piatelli-Palmarini, 1994 cited in Eggan and Kauchak, 2007)

Belief Preservation: The tendency to make evidence subservient to belief, rather than the other way around. Changing belief disrupts cognitive equilibrium, which requires energy

to reestablish it.

Takes practice.

Higher Thinking

Creativity

Higher Thinking

Critical ThinkingConcepts

Rules

Problem Solving

(Source: Levine, 2002, p.190)

Blooms Taxonomy of Educational Objectives in the Cognitive Domain

Knowledge

Comprehension

Application

Analysis

Synthesis

Evaluation

Highest Level

Lowest Level

Most Authentic

Less Authentic

(Source: Bloom et al., 1984 cited in Borich, 2007, p. 93)

Form judgments. Make decisions.State the basis of judgments.

A Step-by-step Approach to Critical Thinking

Step 1 Enumerate the facts describe objectively

Step 2 Uncover the point of view detective work.

Step 3 Establish the student’s own bias

What’s my point of view, myfeelings?

Step 4 Search for errors and exaggerations appearance vs reality

Step 5 Get outside help other people’s opinions

Step 6 Weigh the evidence Pull it all together

Step 7 Communicate formulate opinions using words

(Source: Levine, 2002, p.203-206)

Teaching Critical Thinking1) Nurture a positive attitude toward critical thinking.

2) Instruction and practice in critical thinking skills.

3) Demonstrate how to transfer critical thinking skills from one situation to another.e.g.: More money for a missile system, repairs of old car,

marry longtime girlfriend. Sunk costs problem

4) Direct and assess thinking. Did it work?

(Kaplan, 2004 p. 123 – 125)

Instructional Strategies Evaluative Strategy:

Evaluative Questions: e.g. Why? What reasons? How do you know? Explain.

Evaluative Criteria Help students generate criteria for making judgments

Think-Aloud Modeling Student summaries

Help students develop criteria

Physics

…and how is critical thinking developed in the context of a high school Physics class?

The Great Ideas of Physics: Exemplars

The sun-centered planetary model Nicolaus Copernicus (1473 – 1543)

Heavy and light objects fall at the same rate in the absence of air resistance. Galileo (1564 – 1642)

The Scientific Method

The Scientific Method

1. Make Observations 2. Formulate a hypothesis 3. Test the hypothesis4. Analyze the results5. Reach a Conclusion6. Modify the hypothesis

Practice in …Thought experiments, Classroom demonstrations, Lab experiments

Developing Concepts by Evaluating Hypotheses Sound: Particles or waves?

What are the implications of each hypothesis? How can we prove one or the other? Interference – wave phenomenon

Caloric fluid theory vs. thermal energy

Questions and Assessments

“Two mass-spring systems vibrate with simple harmonic motion. If the spring constants are equal and the mass of one system is twice that of the other, which system has a greater period?”

T = 2 √ mk

(Source: Serway & Faughn, 2006, p. 381)

Questions and Assessments “Two cars are moving in the same direction in

parallel lanes along a highway. At some instant, the instantaneous velocity of car A exceeds the instantaneous velocity of car B. Does this mean that car A’s acceleration is greater than car B’s? Explain and use examples.”

(Source: Serway & Faughn, 2006, p. 381)

Summary:Developing Critical Thinking in High School Physics Critical thinking refers to an individual’s ability and

inclination to make and assess conclusions based on evidence.

Higher order thinking: Evaluation

Opportunities when teaching Physics: Great ideas of Physics Evaluating hypotheses The scientific method Evaluating claims Thinking aloud Questioning Assessments

Sources Borich, G. D. (2007). Effective teaching methods: Research-based practice (sixth ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson

Merrill/Prentice Hall.

Eggen, P., & Kauchak, D. (2007). Educational psychology: Windows on classrooms (Seventh ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Kaplan, P. S. (2004). Adolescence. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Levine, M. (2002). A mind at a time. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Orlich, D. C., Hardner, R. J., Callahan, R. C., Trevisan, M. S., & Brown, A. H. (2007). Teaching strategies: A guide to effective instruction (Eigth ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Paul Hager, Ray Sleet, Peter Logan, & Hooper, M. (2003). Teaching Critical Thinking in Undergraduate Science Courses. Science & Education, 12, 303-313.

Serway, R. A., & Faughn, J. S. (2006). Physics. Austin: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

van Gelder, T. (2005). Teaching critical thinking: Some lessons from cognitive science. College Teaching, 53(1), 41-46.

Additional Resources:

This website has a photo of the Earth and moon as viewed from Mars aboard the Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter on May 8, 2003, courtesy of NASA: http://www.solarviews.com/cap/earth/PIA04531.htm

Langrehr, J. (2001). Teaching our children to think. Bloomington: Solution Tree.

Critical Thinking in High School Physics