Critical Thinking Criteria for Evaluating Online Discussions
Are you tired of the term “critical thinking” being used as buzzword, vaguely defined through circular reasoning? In this article from the International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, find specific components of critical thinking discussion derived from empirically validated measures:
- Problem identification: clear problem statement, nature of problem, novel perception, linked to historical phenomenon
- Clarifying question: accurate paraphrasing, provides dichotomy, refutes bias Logic of argument: clear and valid assumptions, flow of arguments, sequence of ideas
- Evidence/supportive information: clear connection to logic, relevant examples
- Synthesis of ideas: clearly connects concepts, identifies differences and commonalities, reveals patterns
- References to readings: attribution, accuracy in paraphrasing and quotations, demonstrates understanding, original thought related to readings
- Problem solving: clearly expresses solution or strategy, logical result of evidence
A great deal of evidence-based instructional design is presented on this page by Vanderbilt’s Center for Teaching.
This includes the ARCS model for motivation. The acronym ARCS stands for four factors that influence student motivation: attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction. The ARCS model is: “grounded in an expectancy-value framework, which assumes that people are motivated to engage in an activity if it’s perceived to be linked to the satisfaction of personal needs and if there is a positive expectancy for success. The purpose of this model was to fill a gap in the motivation literature by providing a model that could more clearly allow instructors to identify strategies to help improve motivation levels within their students.”
Scaffolding Assignments – How and Why?
By breaking down larger concepts into smaller tasks, you acknowledge that learning is a process in which skills are built incrementally. This recognition, along with regular feedback, builds trust in the integrity of the course – as students progress within the course rather than being rewarded for pre-existing knowledge. On this page by the University of Melbourne, a scenario is presented with several options for approaching scaffolding.
Contextual Learning: Linking Learning to the Real World
Contextual learning introduces students to what it means to be a practitioner in their field of study – and eventually, what will likely become their intended profession. It can help students to develop their own professional identity. An additional benefit of contextual learning is that it also introduces students to other perspectives and disciplines and how those align – or don’t align – with their own. Because growth in this context is relevant to them, students are much more likely to experience intrinsic motivation.
Metacognition: Cultivating Reflection to Help Students Become Self-Directed Learners
This publication from the Sweetland Center for Writing at the University of Michigan presents evidence-based recommendations founded on the recognition that “students who learn to think about how their academic environments affect their learning strategies are more likely to develop the ability to transfer knowledge among varying contexts.” Some of the practical approaches include:
1. Students need explicit training to practice reflection and metacognition.
2. The best reflective assignments respond to an authentic problem or a disagreement that needs to be resolved.
3. The best reflection is often social/collaborative.
4. Reflection in the midst of a process can be as helpful as reflection after the fact…
Modeling Discipline-Specific Thinking
In this faculty spotlight from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, we see why it’s important to challenge “students to step into the shoes of experts within their fields and consider problems from specialized points of view can make material more relevant and help students develop crucial disciplinary instincts. The ultimate goal of the history instructor, for instance, is for his/her students to be not only well-versed in the content but also able to think like historians.”