"Teaching tips in a nutshell" - The
University of Colorado |
|
Office of Teaching
Effectiveness & Faculty Development 1250 14th
St. Room 720
|
Phone (303) 556-4915 Volume 10 Number 2 March, 2002 |
Teaching for Higher Levels of Thinking (V - lessons from
research)
There are
myriad definitions of "critical thinking," but the consistence (see
NN v9 n4) of researchers' findings provide the conclusions needed to illuminate
practice.
(1) Critical
thinking is identifiable through the process through which one engages an
open-ended problem. This reveals an imperative to provide open-ended problems
for students to grapple with so that they can practice process and develop
skill. "Academically
talented" students more often receive richer challenges, but the advice
(Fiori, 1999): "Make the special challenge of your course the way in which
the material is approached—not the quantity of material included" should inform the way we teach all
students.
Disciplines have
frameworks through which to address open-ended problems, so teaching students
how to use these frameworks is an important part of teaching critical thinking.
For instance, if we ask: "Are common levels of radon dangerous to
homeowners?" a review of current literature will not yield a definitive
answer. Yet, by using the framework of the methods of science, a student can
evaluate current evidence and decide what constitutes the currently stronger
hypothesis. This is not so different from using criteria to judge a play or a
piece of artwork. Employment of frameworks provides valuable experience in
understanding what constitutes a good reasoning process.
(2) A progression toward higher
level thinking results from appropriate education. "Learning"
is often too narrowly conceived of as "content learning." If
professors want high-level thinking as a learned outcome, it must be deliberately
cultivated. The acquisition of high-level ability takes time—more than a single
course provides. On the average,
Pavelich and Moore (1996) showed that deliberate efforts made within a block of
content courses advanced students to higher levels than their peers attained in
courses without such focus. Without our deliberate individual efforts, students
will not realize much in the way of cumulative gains in high-level thinking.
The research also alerts us to the need to design instructional challenges that
match our students' stages of development. Inexperienced thinkers cannot handle
open-ended challenges that involve much ambiguity. They struggle to produce
what they think "the teacher wants" rather than to reflect on their
own use of process, and tend to replace one authority with a (perhaps) better
authority, which produces only the illusion of use of evidence with
sophistication.
Transitions
between some levels of thinking are not gradual or comfortable. Challenges that
produce clashes with established beliefs, that displace cherished authority, or
that bring grounding to overconfidence can produce discomfort, frustration, and
even anger. If we tell students when to anticipate such side effects, they can
better recognize and resolve such feelings.
(3) Critical thinking is a process. Therefore the emphasis of instruction
must be on process and not just on knowledge or unexamined computations. The
evaluation (or grading) must be mainly based on the process, as guided by a
rubric (see NN v9 n6), and not
just on the conclusion. In coaching and evaluation, we must be very careful to
avoid pressuring students toward the conclusion that we favor. Teaching process
requires that students use evidence to reach their conclusions, not ours.
Fairness in grading dictates that we evaluate in accord with respect for that
ground rule.
References Cited
Fiori,
J., 1999, Teaching academically-talented students: National Teaching and
Learning Forum, v. 8, n. 6.
Pavelich,
M. J., and Moore, W. S., 1996, Measuring the effect of experiential education
using the Perry model: Journal of Engineering Education, October, pp. 287-292.
This issue of Nutshell Notes is a
condensation of Nuhfer and Pavelich (2002), "Using what we know to promote
high level outcomes." The full article is available through UCD's institutional subscription to National Teaching and Learning
Forum ( v. 11, n. 3). Access this from your office through http://www.ntlf.com/restricted/ .
.
Call for Presentations
The University of Colorado
invites proposals for presentation at the Seventh Annual Teaching with Technology Conference
June 5-6, 2002 University of Colorado at Boulder, Humanities Building
TOPICS The TWT Conference
Planning Committee invites presentations on the following topics but also is
open to other subject areas that will be of interest to an audience of
knowledgeable and experienced users of technology in higher education.
1. Research on
the use of technology to enhance teaching and learning
2. Innovative
approaches within departments and academic disciplines
3. Effective
measurement of student learning in technology
4. Institutional
planning and policy development to support the use of instructional technology,
including faculty reward practices
5. New
institutional models for providing faculty development, services/support to
faculty
6. Web-based
student services
7. Assessing new
markets for distance education
8. Preparing
future teachers on effective integration of technology in education
9. Accessibility
to web-based resources through assistive technologies
10. Applications
of new technologies such as virtual reality, artificial intelligence and video
streaming
Conference Audience
TWT conferences typically draw 200 participants from around
the State of Colorado including faculty, administrators, staff from
instructional technology support units, policymakers, and representatives from
technology business partners.
Presentation Submissions
The Conference Planning Committee seeks one-page proposals
that provide a clear description of what the audience will learn from the
session, and where appropriate, address efforts to assess learning
outcomes. All presentation
proposals will be submitted electronically to the TWT Conference website:
http://www.cusys.edu/~vpaar/6.technology/twt/twt2002/
Presenters may
choose from among the following formats 45-60 minute presentation 45-60 minute panel
presentation Poster session
If you experience any problems in submitting your proposal,
please contact Constance Meyn at Constance.Meyn@cu.edu Presentation submissions are due: April 12, 2002 Notification of
Acceptance: April 26, 2002 Conference dates: June 5-6, 2002 Our conference will consist of
workshops on the 5th & 6th. We are working on a special event June 4th.
The Teaching with Technology Conference is sponsored by the
Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Research. We look forward to a strong turnout of
Colorado faculty, staff and administrators!
Once again, that TWT Conference WEBSITE IS: http://www.cusys.edu/~vpaar/6.technology/twt/twt2002/