# data[].attributes.headline
Critical Thinking: The ability to reason effectively, use systems thinking, make judgements and decisions, and solve problems.

# data[].attributes.subject
Critical Thinking: The ability to reason effectively, use systems thinking, make judgements and decisions, and solve problems.

# data[].attributes.headline
How you can implement it into the classroom

# data[].attributes.subject
How you can implement it into the classroom

# data[].attributes.body
Reference:

An Educator’s Guide to the “Four Cs” - nea.org. (n.d.). Retrieved March 17, 2019, from http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/A-Guide-to-Four-Cs.pdf

# data[].attributes.body
Students can work individually to create different interpretations of a musical passage. Students can discuss and compare the interpretations that they have created and decide which is most effective.

# data[].attributes.body
Students will read job title descriptions of jobs which the title has been removed. Students are asked to match various job titles to the unlabeled descriptions. Students will then divide into groups and research 3-5 career/job sites and discover which jobs are in high demand and in what region. Finally, the students will share the information with the class.

# data[].attributes.body
Students research how the physical and chemical properties of natural and human-designed materials affect their decomposition in various conditions. Students will compare their findings to material evidence used by scientists to reconstruct lives of past cultures and create a map of their classroom as a future archeological site. Students will include descriptions and what the artifacts imply about the culture.

# data[].attributes.body
Students are divided into groups and have to research information about a specific state park including its amenities, campsites, and recreation. The students will research data about the population and develop case studies to advocate for additional culturally and linguistically responsive amenities at their state parks.

# data[].attributes.headline
Additional ideas for implementing critical thinking into the classroom

# data[].attributes.subject
Additional ideas for implementing critical thinking into the classroom

# data[].attributes.body
Creating a Country: Students will research and discover what makes a country and create their own country from this information. This will teach the students history, geography, politics, etc.

Problem-Solving: Assign a specific problem and leave the goal/answer open-ended.

Roleplaying: Students will research a conflict between two famous historical figures and choose which historical figure they would like to act out. The students will both have opposing points of view and discuss it until they can explain the opposing point of view. At the end, the students will each suggest a resolution or compromise.

Sketch: Students will translate thoughts into a picture and communicate an idea without using words.

Reference:

Watanabe-Crockett, L. (2018, April 4). 12 Strong Strategies for Effectively Teaching Critical Thinking Skills. Retrieved March 25, 2019, from https://www.wabisabilearning.com/blog/12-strategies-teaching-critical-thinking-skills

# data[].attributes.headline
Evidence: Why is this a valuable disposition/skill to teach?

# data[].attributes.subject
Evidence: Why is this a valuable disposition/skill to teach?

# data[].attributes.headline
Results of Increased Critical Thinking (Outcomes and Evidence)

# data[].attributes.subject
Results of Increased Critical Thinking (Outcomes and Evidence)

# data[].attributes.body
There have been documented increases in creativity, performance, and literacy within the confines of music.

Educators increase their critical thinking skills by challenging students to think critically.

Critical thinking helps students better understand the scientific process and encourages students to be more experimental and questioning of the various aspects of the sciences

Increased reading comprehension and reading assessment scores.

Reference:

Watanabe-Crockett, L. (2015, July 24). The Importance of Teaching Critical Thinking. Retrieved March 25, 2019, from https://www.wabisabilearning.com/blog/the-importance-of-teaching-critical-thinking

# data[].attributes.headline
Advantages of Critical Thinking in Schools (Outcomes and Evidence)

# data[].attributes.subject
Advantages of Critical Thinking in Schools (Outcomes and Evidence)

# data[].attributes.body
Improves problem solving abilities and helps in decision making by excluding guess work

Increases creativity

By analyzing problems the right life choices can be made

Organizational ability improves .

Critical thinking teaches how to prioritize time and resources allowing you to only analyze what is needed.

Critical thinking teaches students how to be their own person and not to take everything they read on the internet at face value .

Students who receive training in critical thinking will adapt quickly to a university environment where such a skill is needed.

Reference:

Importance of teaching critical thinking skills in the classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2019, from https://www.fractions4kids.com/importance-of-teaching-critical-thinking-skills-in-the-classroom/

# data[].attributes.body
Intelligence tests and standardized testing such as the SAT and ACT are often used to assess student thinking skills. Researchers have found that these tests miss vital aspects of critical thinking such as

Judgment

Reasoning

Decision Making

This is because traditional assessments often use solely multiple choice questions/formatting. These type of questions have been found to be the least effective way to measure critical thinking. It is recommended that critical thinking tests use a mix of multiple choice and short answer to approximate real-world problems.

# data[].attributes.body
Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) test

Critical thinking module consists of multiple-choice questions designed to assess analysis, evaluation, and clarification skills in response to passages.

California Critical Thinking Skills Test

Designed to assess numerous critical thinking processes such as deduction, evaluation, inference, and overall reasoning.

Developed through Delphi report guidelines

The Halpern Critical Thinking Assessment

Proposed in 1998, the test was designed with both open-ended (short answer) and forced response (multiple choice) questions.

Prompts are based on everyday scenarios

Cornell Critical Thinking Test (CCTT)

Defines critical thinking as a cognitive process that assists in "deciding what to believe or do."

Embeds questions in a real-world scenario that runs consistently throughout the test

Addresses five aspects of critical thinking: credibility, deduction, induction, and observation.

Most widely used critical thinking assessment

Retrieved from Dilley, A., Kaufman, J.C., Kennedy, C., & Plucker, J.A. (n.d.). What We Known About Critical Thinking.

# data[].attributes.headline
Assessing Critical Thinking in the Classroom

# data[].attributes.subject
Assessing Critical Thinking in the Classroom

# data[].attributes.body
When forming lesson plans it is important to understand the multidimensional quality of critical thinking and to plan accordingly. Once you understand that to assess critical thinking means to assess various aspect, you must:

Identify the assessment outcomes that are important

Take a task-oriented approach

Have students analyze and evaluate

Use formative assessments frequently to assess change

Use results from previous assessment to help form future assessments

Retrieved from: Assessing Critical Thinking Skills. (2016, August 24). Retrieved from https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/educational-assessment/assessing-critical-thinking-skills/

# data[].attributes.body
According to Novare Education, there are 4 key components in assessing critical thinking:

1. Take out the noise

2. Do not scaffold

3. Use a scoring guide

4. Analyze students together

Retrieved from: 4 Key Components to Assessing Critical Thinking. (2016, November 04). Retrieved from http://novareedu.com/2016/11/04/assessing-critical-thinking/

# data[].attributes.headline
The Importance of Teaching Critical Thinking

# data[].attributes.subject
The Importance of Teaching Critical Thinking

# data[].attributes.body
According to the Association of American Colleges and Universities along with many other major organizations who agree, critical thinking is a major intellectual and practical skill that all adults should possess. Nevertheless, when students are moving on to higher education and the workforce, they are severely lacking this skill. A majority of the initial time students spend in higher education or the workforce is spent teaching these skills instead of beginning with the true information that needs to be conveyed.

A study done in 2005 determined that critical thinking requires maximum exertion of intellectual capability compared to other forms of learning. The study also that both teachers and students alike dislike teaching/learning critical thinking skills because it depends heavily on personal reflection. It is because of this that critical thinking is often left for higher education.

Research suggests that a more in-depth focus on critical thinking skills in grades K-12 would add academic rigor and subsequently increase standardized testing scores. "By utilizing activities to enhance critical thinking, students are better able to understand why something has occurred as opposed to just understanding what has occurred." This ability allows for higher-level thinking that can be used in an array of different circumstances.

Reference:
Watanabe-Crockett, L. (n.d.). The Importance of Teaching Critical Thinking. Retrieved from http://www.wabisabilearning.com/blog/the-importance-of-teaching-critical-thinking

# data[].attributes.body
According to a study done by Butler University in 2018, though raw intelligence accounts for some of a person's success in life, it does not guarantee overall well-being. The study suggested that critical thinking skills are far more predictive of someone's ability to making positive life decisions than raw intelligence alone. Additionally, the study concluded that critical thinking is something that can be learned--unlike IQ which is predominately genetic.

The study tested 244 adults between the ages of 19 and 28 in three categories: IQ, critical thinking, and "an inventory of life events." The critical thinking survey measured the candidates' ability to test hypothesises to problem-solving in regards to every aspect of life including borrowing money to gamble, causing a car accident, and having unprotected sex.

Results showed that the candidates who possessed greater critical thinking skills had fewer negative life events happen than people who had higher IQ's. Additionally, those with critical thinking skills were far less likely to have an abundance of credit card debt compared to those who did not possess the skill.

# data[].attributes.body
Starting In the late 20th century, the skills people needed to interact with the world became significantly different. Critical thinking is an example of a 21st century skill that has become essential in education, the workforce, and in life in general.

This is a result of the emergence of new forms of technology, especially information and communications technologies (personal computers, emails, digital television, etc.)

In his article titled “Critical thinking for 21st-century education: A cyber-tooth curriculum?” Steve Higgins argues that  critical thinking is not a new concept. He explains that people used critical thinking in previous centuries, but for different purposes and in a different context than we use it today. For example, in previous centuries, when people started to interact with other cultures they needed to translate knowledge into their own language and context. so, they had to use more complex skills to evaluate and write the knowledge in a way that we would today call “higher-order” thinking.

# data[].attributes.headline
History of Critical Thinking in American Education 

# data[].attributes.subject
History of Critical Thinking in American Education 

# data[].attributes.body
Critical thinking has been an important movement in the education system in the United States for several decades. In 1987 the American Philosophical Association assembled an expert panel to discuss and research the concept of critical thinking in education and assessment. Its report includes a consensus statement regarding critical thinking and the ideal critical thinker, which begins:

"We understand critical thinking to be purposeful, self-regulatory judgment which results in interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and inference, as well as explanation of the evidential, conceptual, methodological, criteriological, or contextual considerations upon which that judgment is based.  CT (critical thinking) is essential as a tool of inquiry.  As such, CT is a liberating force in education and a powerful resource in one’s personal and civic life."

In the final decades of the last century critical thinking and developing thinking skills became more prominent in education because people recognized the changes that technology was enabling and requiring in terms of information and knowledge.

Reference:

# data[].attributes.body
Many of our contemporary definitions of critical thinking come from Dewey’s 1933 definition of reflective thinking. With an emphasis on knowledge and belief, Dewey defined reflective thinking as:

“Active, persistent, and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds that support it and the further conclusions to which it tends.”

Meaning: Being able to assess knowledge, support the knowledge with evidence, and make judgments about what that knowledge might lead to.

Brief Biography:
John Dewey was born October 20, 1859, in Burlington, Vermont. He taught at universities from 1884 to 1930. He was an academic philosopher and proponent of educational reform. In 1894 Dewey started an experimental elementary school. In 1919 he cofounded The New School for Social Research. Dewey published over 1,000 pieces of writings during his lifetime. He died June 1, 1952, in New York, New York.

Reference:
https://www.biography.com/people/john-dewey-9273497

# data[].attributes.body
In 1985 Robert Ennis became a leading figure in critical thinking when he described it as “reasonable, reflective thinking that is focused on deciding what to believe or do.”

Brief Biography:
Robert Ennis's career began as a high school educator and a graduate student of the University of Illinois. He then became a professor specializing in the Philosophy of Social Science and Education at the universities of Cornell, and
he published many books and articles about critical thinking and education.
Currently, Ennis is a professor at the University of Illinois and a member of the Board of the Association of Informal Logic and Critical Thinking.

Reference:
https://www.lifepersona.com/robert-ennis-biography-critical-thinking-works

# data[].attributes.headline
Some Books and Articles written by Robert Ennis

# data[].attributes.subject
Some Books and Articles written by Robert Ennis

# data[].attributes.headline
Differences Between the Theorists' Definitions of CT

# data[].attributes.subject
Differences Between the Theorists' Definitions of CT

# data[].attributes.body
Ennis focuses his definition of critical thinking more on argumentation and logic, whereas Dewey's definition includes multiple skills including making connections, working out the results of different scenarios and hypothesis, and having the ability to test those hypothesis and form conclusions.