Below is a one page summation of the key critical thinking concepts that I have students key in the front of their notebooks and keep at hand in their work space or desk. Linked here is a pdf file for easy printing.
THE KEY COMPONENTS OF CRITICAL THINKING
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NATURAL FLAWS OF THINKING
INTELLECTUAL VIRTUES
ELEMENTS OF REASONING
STANDARDS OF REASONING
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CLARITY
Steps to make explanations clear:
DEPTH To think deeply, find the topic’s:
THREE TYPES OF QUESTIONS
DOMAINS, FIELDS OF STUDY [a partial list]
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Introduction to Critical Thinking, adapted by John Trapasso
I wrote this overview of Dr. Richard Paul's core critical thinking ideas for my students in grades 6-8; it also is a good introduction for adults new to the subject. A set of study questions for the reading is linked here.
Using the Elements of Reason: Watching the Mind Field Trip Exercise
The elements of reason are the components we put together in a particular way to think; they are the building blocks of thinking. We use them in an endless variety of ways in order to better understand our own thinking or the thinking of others. In this exercise, my class went on a field trip and strolled down Haight Street in San Francisco. The exercise outlined below asked them to use the elements of reason to gain insight into their own thinking. Many students found this exercise fascinating.
Planning a Short Story with the Elements of Reason
The elements of reason can also be used in creative writing to help authors plan their stories and design characters. These example show only a part of the preliminary work we do to design our stories; it focuses on the author determining what her goals for the story are.
Analyzing Literature with the Elements of Reason: Two Old Women
This is one of the first assignments my sixth grade students completed using the elements of reason. They are challenged to use the elements to reconstruct the thinking of the band leaders in the novel Two Old Women, about Athabascan Indians in Alaska. Read the scene from the beginning of the novel and the horrible the decision the band members must make to ensure their survival.
Using the Elements of Reason in Social Studies: The Logic of BaMbuti Hut Construction
In this exercise a seventh grader used the elements of reason to gain a deeper and more complete understanding of the logical of hunter-gatherer architecture.
Using the Elements of Reason in Social Studies:
The Logic of the American Revolution from Four Points of View
Here is another example of using the elements to reconstruct four different points of view about the American Revolution. Below the example are two blank charts students can use to think through a particular point of view and use the elements of reason.
Students can use these blank forms to think through a topic of investigation.
Essay on Your Foundational Point of View
This is a major assignment seventh graders completed to explore their foundational point of view and better understand their own thinking and its influences. This assignment is focused on one of the elements of reason, point of view. The students build a poster for the project to show their thinking influences; below is the blank chart I designed for them to think through their personal influences. Unfortunately, their final charts were done on a charting program called Inspiration which I cannot find a way to share here. After making their chart, students wrote an extensive expository essay explaining their foundational point of view.
