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1. Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines: Volume > 23 > Issue: 1/2
David G. Lebow, Dale W. Liek, Hope J. Hartman HyLighter and Interactive Annotation: New Technology to Develop Higher-Order Thinking Skills
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The ability to gain knowledge from text in widely different subject matter areas is key to academic success and lifelong leaming. The process of attaining critical understanding of ideas in text requires a robust repertoire of leaming or study strategies, metacognitive knowledge for regulating their use, and willingness to apply them. Although much is known about the basic design of leaming environments to develop higher-order thinking skills and motivation to learn, educators have, in general, not changed their practices to reflect new knowledge. The lack of procedures that are easy for teachers to administer and provide results that teachers may use in their classrooms for assessment of complex cognitive skill development is a major obstacle to widespread adoption of new approaches. This paper describes a new technology, referred to as HyLighter, and a pedagogically sound implementation of this technology, referred to as the Interaclive Annotation Model. This approach suggests a promising direction for improving the quality of instruction and promoting active reading (i.e., an approach to the development of leaming ability that combines reading with critical thinking and a range of learning-to-Iearn skills) for students in higher education across academic disciplines.
2. Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines: Volume > 23 > Issue: 1/2
Joe Norden, Jr., Gary J. Dean Thinking Critically About the Assessment of Adult Students in Even Start Family Literacy Programs
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During the past decade and a half, the field of family literacy has gone from its infancy on the educational periphery toward a position closer to the mainstream. Characteristic ofthe field’s growth is the nation’s largest endeavor in family literacy, the federal Even Start program, which began from scratch in the late 1980s and now claims more than 800 local programs in 50 states and Puerto Rico.Despite several national evaluations of Even Start, no comprehensive study in the family literacy literature specifically focuses on this quarter-billion dollar program’s attempts to measure the progress of its adult students. Accordingly, this study sought to discover the ways in which adult assessment is performed by Even Start programs.This essay emphasizes critical thinking with regards to assessment in Even Start programs Critical thought and reflection drive the exploration of several themes in the study’s data that carry itnplications for the families served by Even Start. These implications, gleaned from what Brookfield (1987) calls “reflective skepticism” and careful study of the data, bring the survey’s numbers to life and ultimately yield useful, potentially program-enhancing information.The article offers background on family literacy and Even Start programs and briefly illustrates the study’s methodology. Then follows a discourse that views the study’s findings through the lens of critical thought, drawing meaning from selected findings that contain repercussions for Even Start families. The piece concludes with recommendations for the improvement of Even Start programs through enhanced assessment and continued study.
3. Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines: Volume > 23 > Issue: 1/2
T. Ross Owen Introduction to the Special Issue on Critical Thinking and Higher Education
4. Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines: Volume > 23 > Issue: 1/2
Joseph L. Armstrong, John A. Dale A Freireian Critique of American Adult Literacy Policy
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At first glance, legislation intended to shape American adult Iiteracy programs appears egalitarian and hopeful. After a more thorough reading, the legislative objectives are Iimited, culturally biased, and largely unattainable. In order to develop coherent Iiteracy pedagogy, we explore Paulo Freire’s definition of critical thinking. From a critical theory perspective, we argue that a vocational education of learning basic skills is insufficient. Furthermore, we believe that more is needed to help adult learners beconle self-sufficient in a modern, dynamic economy. Critical thinking, as defined by Freire, along with vocational education allows individuaIs to develop their ontological right to become aware of historical and social forces.
5. Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines: Volume > 23 > Issue: 1/2
Tom Nesbit, Daniel Schugurensky, Darlene Clover Building Research Capacities in Adult Literacy: Bridging the Gap between University Researchers and Practitioners
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There is growing interest in developing co-operation between adult literacy researchers and practitioners to further research skills and approaches. Canada’s National Literacy Secretariat has recently initiated a series of policy debates that suggested several possibilities: targeted research grants, research internships for practitioners, practical sabbaticals for researchers, support for networking between literacy researchers and practitioners, and joint seminars and workshops between researchers and practitioners. A common theme throughout these discussions is the need to develop critical thinking about both collaborative research and adult literacy. In this paper we discuss two collaborative initiatives between university-based researchers and adult literacy groups in the provinces of British Columbia and Ontario. Each project was based on the notion of “research circles” and specifically designed to enhance research capacity and critical thinking about literacy research.
6. Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines: Volume > 23 > Issue: 1/2
Jean Toner, Michele Rountree Transformative and Educative Power of Critical Thinking
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Critical theory and critical thinking emphasize the power of self-reflection and educative analysis where students in higher education become motivated to change their present societal reality by being strategic and action orientated. Central to these theories is the enlistment of strategies that utilize educational vehicles infused with critical thinking to engage students in the process of intensive evaluation of the theory, values, knowledge and skiIls of their respective fields with the often transformative impact upon a student’s worldviews. This article reviews the theoretical and historical tenets of ctitical theory and its interdependence and reinforcing relationship with critical thinking. An illustration is offered that represents the cyclical and often transformative relationship between critical theory and critical thinking. Along with a definition of critical thinking there is a discussion of the difference between critical thinking and other forms of thinking. Last, at the core of the article will be suggestions for designing trans disciplinary teaching methods based upon Freire’s critical consciousness with an emphasis upon an instructor’s self-evaluative, liberating stance towards education. Strategies will be introduced that engage students in the act of intensive critical thinking becomes transformative.
7. Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines: Volume > 23 > Issue: 1/2
Christine M. Cress Critical Thinking Development in Service-Learning Activities: Pedagogical Implications for Critical Being and Action
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This study investigated student development of critical thinking skills in senior-level service-Iearning courses. The methodology included a pre- and post-test design. Findings indicate that facilitating critical thinking as a function of developing critically engaged students is related to the pedagogical types of course content, discussions, and activities.
8. Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines: Volume > 23 > Issue: 1/2
Elizabeth J. Allan, Susan V. Iverson Cultivating Critical Consciousness: Service-Learning in Higher Education
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In this article, we blend the Piagetian informed understanding of critical thinking with the scholarship of critical theory to analyze service-Iearning as a pedagogical strategy to promote critically conscious thinking among Students in higher education. We draw from our teaching experiences and student reflections in three different courses at two universities. In these courses, service-leaming was designed to: promote understandings of course content related to societal systems of advantage and disadvantage, develop self-awareness, promote understanding of sociocultural identity differences, and to instill a sense of responsibility for social change. Recommendations are provided.
9. Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines: Volume > 23 > Issue: 1/2
Donald J. Yarosz, Susan Willar Fountain Facilitating Reflection Among Family Literacy Participants
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In this paper, we reflect upon our experience in Mexico, as weIl as review the literature on reflection developed by adult educators in the United States in order to begin to develop a theory of “relevant retlection” useful for family literacy practitioners. We feel that engaging in relevant reflection can help to empower family literacy practitioners in the United States to work more effectively with participants and help participants think more critically about the meaning of literacy in their lives. It is the participant’s perception of their life-world that we hold to be valid. In the context of family literacy, our initial interest is in promoting the exploration of the educational validity of a certain form of reflection as it relates to learning process and outcomes. Our theory derived from reviewing the literature on reflection and critical reflection is thus stated: When family literacy paticipants are encouraged to reflect upon the relevance of literacy as it relates to their life-world, learning is significantly enhanced. Relevant reflection can be facilitated through engaging participants in reflecting upon the relevance of literacy to their lives, their families, their communities and their livelihoods. Indeed, this can be done individuaIly, in dialogue with another and/or as a group. Family literacy practitioners are provided a framework for facilitating relevant reflection for participants.
10. Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines: Volume > 23 > Issue: 1/2
T. Ross Owen Introduction to the Special Issue on Critical Thinking and Adult Literacy
11. Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines: Volume > 23 > Issue: 3
Steve Cady Integrating Critical Thinking into Daily Life
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Learners who are first introduced to the process of critical thinking frequently experience a paradigm shift in their own thinking. However, such a major transition in one’s pattern of thinking may presentdifficulties when applying newly acquired critical thinking skills in social contexts. Learners may lack the confidence required for engaging in intellectual discourse, placing inhibitions on their using critical thinking. This article suggests several ways in which critical thinkers may more effectively and confidently use their skills in daily conversation.
12. Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines: Volume > 23 > Issue: 3
Bruce Davidson The Gospel of Critical Thinking in the Land of Harmony
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Convinced that critical thinking has value for people in Japan, the author describes his experiences introducing critical thinking to the educational scene there. Finding students to be too uncritical aboutsources of information, he began teaching and promoting it among students and colleagues. Initially, some discouraging responses came from the latter group because of Japanese social norms in largemeetings and organizations. The author has since learned to make use of less explicit approaches to presenting critical thinking to fellow teachers and students. Among students, these include treating itas a collaborative activity and as an intellectual game. It was also necessary to deal explicitly with conceptual barriers, such as student views of friendship and popularity. Generally speaking, encouraging progress has been evident in classes and in the academic community.
13. Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines: Volume > 23 > Issue: 3
Mary Vasudeva, Stuart Keeley Critical Thinking as a Constructive Rather Than Destructive Force in Interpersonal Relationships
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Transferring critical thinking skills and dispositions from the classroom to our relationships is fraught with peril. The constructive infusion of criticality into interpersonal relationships, however, can greatlyenrich such relationships. An important question is how best to accomplish this enrichment process. In response to that question, we suggest the following strategies to facilitate the process of criticality in a relationship: (1) recognize potential argument frames and explore and negotiate these within the context of our relationships; (2) recognize one’s own and the other’s complex context, especially deep-seatedvalues, attitudes, and commitments; (3) frame caring as including both support and criticality and avoid treating others as “spun glass,” too fragile to partake of critical thinking exchanges; (4) apply active listening skills during critical thinking discussions. These strategies can help transform potentially adversarial interactions into positive growth experiences for all concerned.
14. Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines: Volume > 23 > Issue: 3
M. Neil Browne, Stuart M. Keeley Introduction to the Special Issue on The Social Dimension of Critical Thinking
15. Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines: Volume > 23 > Issue: 3
William Hare Open-minded Inquiry: A Glossary of Key Concepts
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This is a brief guide to the ideal of open-minded inquiry by way of a survey of related notions. Making special reference to the educational context, the aim is to offer teachers an insight into what it wouldmean for their work to be influenced by this ideal, and to lead students to a deeper appredation of open-minded inquiry. From assumptions to zealotry, the glossary provides an account of a wide rangeof concepts in this family of ideas, reflecting a concern and a connection throughout with the central concept of open-mindedness itself. An intricate network of relationships is uncovered that reveals therichness of this ideal; and many confusions and misunderstandings that runder a proper appreciation of open-mindedness are identified.
16. Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines: Volume > 23 > Issue: 3
Robert Garnett, Kristin Klopfenstein Critical Thinking as an Interpersonal Experience: Rethinking Introductory Courses Across the Disciplines
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Students enter the classroom with a variety of perspectives and beliefs, adhering strongly to such beliefs that are most likely acquired from the teachings of certain authorities. Educators seeking to promote critical thinking often encounter resistance from those students who are primarily interested only in dismantling the arguments of others, as opposed to students’ being skeptical of their own beliefs as well. This paper suggests that educators can promote strong-sense critical thinking through the use of joint inquiry, striving to create an environment of greater communal learning, where students are taught how to ask the right questions and not just how to look for the right answers.
17. Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines: Volume > 23 > Issue: 3
Andrea Giampetro-Meyer The Social Fallout of Critical Thinking: Lessons from Social Justice Educators
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As more professors implement critical thinking training in their classrooms, these professors not only must teach the process of critical thinking, but they must also instruct students about how to effectivelyuse their newly acquired skills. Because critical thinking tends to promote reconsideration of strong personal beliefs, students may be resistant to change, resulting in various kinds of emotions. In addition, students who have been trained to in critical thinking may experience resistance from friends and family, leading to greater interpersonal conflict. Therefore, professors should strive for greater sensitivity and understanding, responding to students’ personal needs by teaching them how to effectively and appropriately use their critical thinking skills in various environments.
18. Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines: Volume > 23 > Issue: 3
M. Neil Browne, Michelle Crosby Nurturing the Relational Promise of Critical Thinking
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After having achieved some level of competency in their critical thinking classes, students are often frustrated by the effects of their use of critical thinking with their friends and family. This threat to their long-standing relationships and social comfort should be addressed in our pedagogy if we are to enable critical thinking to realize its potential for effective communication. Explicit attention to the emotional component of critical thinking exchanges is a possible step towards alleviating the negative tensions that would otherwise result from the socially clumsy deployment of critical thinking. This paper offers suggestive evidence of relational frustration experienced by freshman critical thinking students and provides practical suggestions whereby criticaI thinking can nurture, rather than jeopardize social networks.
19. Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines: Volume > 23 > Issue: 4
Patricia K. Kubow Complex Identities: Negotiating Self, Educator, and Citizen in the Education for Democracy Project
20. Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines: Volume > 23 > Issue: 4
Patricia K. Kubow, John M. Fischer Questions Based on Shared Themes: The Education for Democracy Project