scholarly journals Critical Thinking in University through a Curriculum-wide Reading and Writing Project

2021 ◽  
pp. 195-236
Author(s):  
James Dunn ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Logical Thinking ◽  
Academic English ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
Writing Project ◽  
Writing Course ◽  
Logical Fallacies

Critical thinking has gained popularity in the English as a foreign language (EFL) educational arena of late in Japan due to the Ministry of Education (MEXT) updating its requirements of English education to include logical thinking. This has caused the need for educators in Japan to quickly adapt to the inclusion of logical thinking, and by extension, critical thinking in their curriculum (MEXT, 2011) from 2013. Even though MEXT has required critical thinking to be included in the classroom, it seems very little has been done to include true critical thinking into textbooks and institutions’ curriculum designs. One crucial component of the language teaching curriculum is the ability to think rationally, objectively, and deeply about a topic, or in other words, to think critically. Critical thinking has been shown to foster students’ abilities to analyze, evaluate, and judge the value of the information presented to them both inside, and outside, the classroom (Lund, 2016). Critical thinking also helps students to make their own decisions related to their academic, and future employment, success (Nold, 2017). In a university-level reading and writing course in Japan, for example, students must create manuscripts at beginner to advanced levels that somewhat adhere to the expectations of academic English communities (Fang & Schleppegrell, 2010) when it comes to topic development and utilizing source information. In order to reflect on, and thereby judge the veracity of, the information presented to them either by their textbook in the classroom or by external sources, critical thinking skills allow students to deconstruct, reflect upon, and assign value to information sources. This also allows them to construct their own content on two levels, one, projecting their creativity as independent thinkers, and two, linguistically as writers who can think about a topic more deeply. The purpose of this paper is to share the planning, design, and implementation of a critical thinking reading and writing project which was introduced into the second-year EFL reading and writing focused courses at Tokai University from the spring and fall semesters of 2019. The reading and writing course, named Academic English (AE), was split into three levels depending upon the students’ performance in their first-year English courses. Each level of the AE course had a project book that was individualized for their corresponding textbook and level. The project’s focus, for all levels, was to develop critical thinking skills through the introduction of reflective thinking, logical fallacies, and research skills. At the end of the project, students were asked to apply their critical thinking skills to their textbook and research the veracity of the information presented to them in one of their required readings during the course. The overall reception of the project by the students was positive and results of a post-project questionnaire showed that students felt they had gained some mastery over critical thinking on subjects both in the classroom and in their lives. The project has seen success in allowing students to become learners who are more independent in their thinking, more critical in their reception to information provided to them, and better writers who are able to think on a topic more deeply and logically.

scholarly journals An Analysis Of Mathematics Teacher Candidates Critical Thinking Dispositions And Their Logical Thinking Skills

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lutfi Incikabi ◽  
Abdulkadir Tuna ◽  
Abdullah Cagri Biber
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Mathematics Teacher ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
School Type ◽  
Logical Thinking ◽  
Thinking Dispositions ◽  
Critical Thinking Dispositions

This study aimed toinvestigate the existence of the relationship between mathematics teachercandidates critical thinking skills and their logical thinking dispositions interms of the variables of grade level in college, high school type, and gender.The current study utilized relational survey model and included a total of 99mathematics teacher candidates from the department of elementary mathematicseducation at a university in Turkey. Among the results of the study were thatmathematics teacher candidates had a low level of logical thinking skills andcritical thinking dispositions; mathematics teacher candidates logicalthinking skills were improved from second grade to third grade level whiletheir critical thinking skills did not change considerably by the grade level;mathematics teacher candidates critical thinking abilities did not affectconsiderably by the high school type that were graduated from while regularhigh school graduates possessed lower level of logical thinking abilities thanthe others; a weak and negatively directed correlation between mathematicsteacher candidates critical thinking dispositions and their logical thinkingskills was evident.

Developing Creative and Critical Thinking Skills in an Authentic Learning Environment

2014 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi Tan Yeen-Ju ◽  
Neo Mai ◽  
Neo Tse Kian ◽  
Kwok Wai Jing ◽  
Lee Kai Wen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Authentic Learning ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
Group Project ◽  
Web Technologies ◽  
Learning Principles ◽  
The Impact

The Malaysian Ministry of Education has called for a need to produce skilled graduates that are highly employable. In this study, Herrington and Kervin’s Authentic Learning principles were adapted into the design of an Authentic Learning environment that is driven by a problem-based group project.  The impact of this learning environment on engaging students’ creative and critical thinking as well as the students’ perception towards the Authentic Learning environment was studied. The learning environment was designed to center on an authentic problem-based group project and was supported by multimedia and web technologies. Results indicate that Authentic Learning principles, when adapted into a learning environment engaged the use of higher-order thinking skills, encouraged the cultivation of crucial skills, made learning an active process, and enhanced understanding. Students responded positively towards the Authentic Learning environment as learning became more relevant. The positive results of this study provide support for the development of more Authentic Learning environments to engage students’ creative and critical thinking skills, thereby answering the call of the national agenda to produce industry-ready graduates with skills that make them highly employable.

scholarly journals Redesigning a General Education Science Course to Promote Critical Thinking

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. ar30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew P. Rowe ◽  
B. Marcus Gillespie ◽  
Kevin R. Harris ◽  
Steven D. Koether ◽  
Li-Jen Y. Shannon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
General Education ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
University Curriculum ◽  
Logical Fallacies ◽  
Scientific Facts ◽  
Education Science ◽  
Scientific Ideas

Recent studies question the effectiveness of a traditional university curriculum in helping students improve their critical thinking and scientific literacy. We developed an introductory, general education (gen ed) science course to overcome both deficiencies. The course, titled Foundations of Science, differs from most gen ed science offerings in that it is interdisciplinary; emphasizes the nature of science along with, rather than primarily, the findings of science; incorporates case studies, such as the vaccine-autism controversy; teaches the basics of argumentation and logical fallacies; contrasts science with pseudoscience; and addresses psychological factors that might otherwise lead students to reject scientific ideas they find uncomfortable. Using a pretest versus posttest design, we show that students who completed the experimental course significantly improved their critical-thinking skills and were more willing to engage scientific theories the general public finds controversial (e.g., evolution), while students who completed a traditional gen ed science course did not. Our results demonstrate that a gen ed science course emphasizing the process and application of science rather than just scientific facts can lead to improved critical thinking and scientific literacy.

scholarly journals Importance and development of Critical Thinking in BA Academic Writing Course

enadakultura ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ketevan Gochitashvili ◽  
Giuli Sha bashvili
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Professional Career ◽  
Writing Course ◽  
Specific Activities ◽  
Secondary Information

Critical thinking is a complex phenomenon, that helps the learner to separate relevant information from irrelevant and unnecessary information, to evaluate and explain events and facts, to formulate a clear argument objectively, to deliver the right message to the target audience, and to find ways to solve the problem. Critical thinking is directly related to the teaching of academic writing and is a transferable skill that helps students both to complete other university courses successfully and to build a further professional career. The aim of the paper is to identify the challenges and problems faced by both instructors and students at the university level in Georgia in terms of developing critical thinking skills while teaching/learning an academic writing course. Moreover, the paper presents specific activities to solve the given problems. The paper offers teachers the basic strategies and techniques that can be used to achieve the goals set out in the curriculum. The following research methods are applied: questionnaires and classroom observation.The following factors can be named as limitations of the research: relatively small number of students; The study was conducted for only one semester.The analysis of the questionnaires revealed the following issues related to critical thinking and writing for the students: lack of ability to formulate an objective critical opinion, reliability of sources, formulation of main research questions and hypotheses, generalization, separation of main and secondary information, focus on key issues and formulation of logical coherent conclusions.The paper suggests specific activities and questions for the development of critical thinking that are needed to process a text or information.The use of these approaches and methods should be implemented at different levels of the course. The teacher in advance should design and plan activities that will be used during the class. Critical thinking development activities should be combined with all the assignments and activities covering all the topics of the course. In the process of searching the proper materials, the student should master the techniques of working on sources, the criteria for determining the reliability and relevance of sources. In addition, the student should be able to process a significant amount of materials, merge main and secondary information, paraphrase the information, and integrate it into their own text in accordance with academic standards. As a result, the student should be able to evaluate the material retrieved and present and argue their own position.

Reflecting on Critical Thinking in the Jamaican Education System: Embracing UNESCO’s MIL City Concept

2021 ◽  
pp. 290-299
Author(s):  
M. Deans
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Intercultural Dialogue ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
Library And Information Studies ◽  
Information Studies ◽  
Jamaican Education

Jamaica has acknowledged that the digital age calls for an education sys­ tem that takes into consideration the development of critical thinking skills within students as a means of resolving immediate and lifelong challenges. To this extent, the Ministry of Education advocates that Ja­ maica needs a “well resourced, internationally recognized, values­based system that develops critical thinking, life­long learners who are pro­ ductive and successful and can effectively contribute to an improved quality of life at the personal, national and global levels (PIOJ, 2010, p. 45). In order to achieve this; at the tertiary level, the Department of Library and Information Studies (DLIS), UWI, Mona, plays a criti­ cal role as a regional school in embracing and advocating Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue (MILID) initiatives. Both students and staff recognize the importance of their role in UNESCO’s multi­disciplinary approach to media and information lit­ eracy for all.

CRITICAL AND LOGICAL MATHEMATICS THINKING SKILLS ENHANCEMENT OF VOVATIONAL SCHOOL STUDENTS THROUGH COOPERATIVE MODEL TYPE STAD ASSISTED MAPLE

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryanti ◽  
Laila Qadriah ◽  
Sayed Achmady
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Mathematics Learning ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Logical Thinking ◽  
Mathematical Learning ◽  
Cooperative Model ◽  
Better Than

Critical thinking skills of mathematics and mathematical logical thinking is very important in the study of mathematics, as described in 2013 curriculum books that are currently implemented. However, this ability is often overlooked in the study of mathematics which still adhered to the old paradigm that learning is less engaging students in active thinking so that students are not used to empower the cognitive function in thinking. One of the efforts to develop the students' active thinking on the matter exponent especially needed an innovative learning strategies that STAD learning model aided Maple. This study aims to determine the increase in critical thinking skills and logical mathematical learning mathematics students getting through the cooperative model STAD assisted Maple. This research uses experimental methods to study the design of the control group pretest-posttest design. Population is the entire class X SMK Flight Banda Aceh by taking two classes as a sample of the experimental class and control class, through random sampling technique of three parallel classes are available. Data collection was performed using a test instrument that includes tests of critical thinking and logical ability. To see the difference in ability between groups of students Student Team Achievement Division with a conventional group used the t-test at a significance level of 0.05 after testing pre-requisites are met. Based on the results, it is noted that: 1) Improvement of critical thinking skills of students who got the mathematical learning of mathematics through STAD cooperative model assisted Maple is better than the students who received conventional learning, in terms of: (a) overall, and (b) subgroup ( high, medium, low); 2) Improvement of mathematical logical thinking ability of students who receive mathematics learning through cooperative model STAD assisted Maple is better than the students who received conventional learning, in terms of: (a) overall, and (b) subgroups (high, medium, low).

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