Critical Thinking in

Democracy EducationMatthew Hiebert

Bethesda, Maryland

April 4, 2014

Opening ReflectionConsider this

Manipulative language

Be afraid

Grand generalizations

Ad populum argument

Listen carefully

This is important

Im an expert

Logical fallacies

Ad hominem arguments

Post hoc ergo propter hoc

Appeal to authority

Cliches

Convoluted

points

Unfair and

one-sided Dodging the

question

Straw man

arguments

Emotionally laden

Over-

simplifications

Sound bites

Misuse of statistics Out of context

Propaganda

Propaganda

Propaganda

Propaganda

Propaganda

Propaganda

Propaganda

Manipulation

Manipulation

Manipulation

Manipulation

Overview

1. First principles

2. Rationale for critical thinking

3. Teaching critical thinking explicitly

4. Teaching critical thinking tacitly

1. First Principles

What do we mean by critical thinking?

First Things First

Dont take my word for it.

Clarifying Our Terms

Starting points:

Critical versus uncritical thinking

Higher and lower level thinking

Blooms Taxonomy of Educational

Objectives (cognitive)

Clarifying Our Terms

Blooms Taxonomy (cognitive)

Clarifying Our Terms

Blooms Taxonomy (cognitive)

Clarifying Our Terms

Blooms Taxonomy (cognitive)

Blooms Taxonomy

Strengths and appropriate uses:

Clearly articulates learning above the

knowledge level

Helps scaffold instruction to engage

higher levels

Useful in developing assessments and

lesson plans with a range of cognitive

tasks

Very well developed base of literature

and resources

Considerations

Be careful of hidden

biases and embedded

assumptions

Clarifying Our Terms

Blooms Taxonomy (cognitive)

Clarifying Our Terms

Blooms Taxonomy (cognitive)

Clarifying Our Terms

Blooms Taxonomy (cognitive)

Clarifying Our Terms

Blooms Taxonomy (cognitive)

Lower Level Thinking Higher Level Thinking

Knowledge Analysis

Comprehension Synthesis

Application Evaluation

Knowledge

Comprehension

ApplicationAnalysis

Synthesis

Evaluation

Blooms Taxonomy

Other assumptions that might be inferred:

Discrete levels/ activities

Hierarchy of value

Implied directionality for teaching

Assumptions about the nature of learning

Oversimplifies complex activities

Suggests teaching and learning can be

reduced to objectives

Narrows potential scope of learning to

predefined list and of course

Lateral thinking

Argumentation

Bias detection

Infering

DeterminingPerception Intuition

Emotional intelligence

Critical reasoning

Inquiry

Curiosity

Creativity

Credibility

Clarity

Making connections

Strategic

Beyond Blooms Taxonomy

back to our task

Characteristics of Critical Thinking

Common characteristics associated

with critical thinking:

Multifaceted

Higher order (meta)

Reflective and self-reflective

Deals with validity,

appropriateness, and ethics

Partly discipline-dependent

Defining Critical Thinking

Points that come up often in definitions:

Disciplined, rational, open-minded,

informed by evidence

Purposeful, self-regulatory

Results in interpretation, analysis,

evaluation, inference

Applies valid criteria and evidence to

form judgments

Considers alternative perspectives

Integrates new information/ perspectives

Putting It All Together

Potential criteria:

Disciplined, rational, open-minded,

informed by evidence

Purposeful, self-regulatory

Results in interpretation, analysis,

evaluation, inference

Applies valid criteria and evidence to

form judgments

Considers alternative perspectives

Integrates new information/ perspectives

Characteristics of critical thinking:

Higher order (meta)

Reflective and self-reflective

Deals with validity,

appropriateness, and ethics

Discipline-appropriate

Multifaceted

Lateral thinking

Argumentation

Bias detection

Infering

DeterminingPerception Intuition

Emotional intelligence

Critical reasoning

Inquiry

Curiosity

Creativity

Credibility

Clarity

Making connections

Strategic

Putting It All Together

Potential criteria:

Disciplined, rational, open-minded,

informed by evidence

Purposeful, self-regulatory

Results in interpretation, analysis,

evaluation, inference

Applies valid criteria and evidence to

form judgments

Considers alternative perspectives

Integrates new information/ perspectives

Characteristics of critical thinking:

Higher order (meta)

Reflective and self-reflective

Deals with validity,

appropriateness, and ethics

Discipline-appropriate

Multifaceted

Lateral thinking

Argumentation

Bias detection

Infering

DeterminingPerception Intuition

Emotional intelligence

Critical reasoning

Inquiry

Curiosity

Creativity

Credibility

Clarity

Making connections

Strategic

Potential criteria:

Disciplined, rational, open-minded,

informed by evidence

Purposeful, self-regulatory

Results in interpretation, analysis,

evaluation, inference

Applies valid criteria and evidence to

form judgments

Considers alternative perspectives

Integrates new information/ perspectives

Characteristics of critical thinking:

Higher order (meta)

Reflective and self-reflective

Deals with validity,

appropriateness, and ethics

Discipline-appropriate

Multifaceted

Lateral thinking

Argumentation

Bias detection

Infering

DeterminingIntuition

Emotional intelligence

Critical reasoning

Inquiry

Curiosity

Creativity

Credibility

Clarity

MakingStrategic

Critical Thinking

Standards of Quality Thinking

Rather than getting preoccupied with

Critical Thinking, consider:

Clarity

Accuracy

Precision

Depth

Significance

Relevance

Breadth

Logic

Fairness

Sufficiency

(Congruence)Adapted from Paul, R. & Elder, L (2006) The Foundation for Critical Thinking

3. Rationale

Why is critical thinking so important in

democracy education?

Rationale for Critical Thinking

Different ways of looking at why

critical thinking is important:

Critical thinking and humanization

Critical thinking and autonomy

Critical thinking and community

Critical thinking in a democracy

Others

Critical Thinking and Humanization

For humanization and self realization:

Inherent value to the individual

Enriched consciousness and awareness

Not just critical also enhances our

capacity for appreciation!

Development of identity and sense of self

Overcoming ethical servility

Inherent value to individual freedom

Critical Thinking and Autonomy

Developing autonomy and personal

agency:

Capacity for greater independence

of thought and action

Intellectual self defense

Ability to develop and support a

position, course of action etc.

Critical Thinking and Community

Developing community and social

cohesion:

Capacity to empathize with others

To understand and respect other

perspectives

To recognize ones own assumptions

and biases

Ability to work collectively and

collaboratively with others

Critical Thinking and Democracy

In relation to democratic values,

principles, and processes:

Supports deliberative discussion and

debate.. Working things out together

Helps maintain accountability and

balance of power

Necessary countermeasure to forces

that affect public opinion (state and

corporate media, lobbyists, group

think, stereotypes etc.)

Critical Thinking and Democracy

But more fundamentally:

Democracy is predicated on governance

by informed consent, which is in turn

predicated on personal agency

Therefore

Capacity for critical thinking is a

necessary precondition for the legitimacy

of a democratic government

Along with others, such as access to

relevant information

3. Teaching critical

thinking explicitly

Approaches for direct instruction on

critical thinking skills

Direct Instruction on Critical Thinking

Metacognition:

Refers to awareness and understanding

of ones own thought processes

Improves analytical capacity

Can be facilitated by instruction related

to thinking processes themselves

Some of th