Paul-Elder Critical Thinking Framework — University of Louisville Ideas To Action Critical thinking is that mode of thinking – about any subject, content, or problem — in which the thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking by skillfully taking charge of the structures inherent in thinking and imposing intellectual standards upon them. (Paul and Elder, 2001). The Paul-Elder framework has three components: The elements of thought (reasoning)The intellectual standards that should be applied to the elements of reasoningThe intellectual traits associated with a cultivated critical thinker that result from the consistent and disciplined application of the intellectual standards to the elements of thought According to Paul and Elder (1997), there are two essential dimensions of thinking that students need to master in order to learn how to upgrade their thinking. Elements of Thought (reasoning) The "parts" or elements of thinking are as follows: Universal Intellectual Standards Clarity Could you elaborate? Could you illustrate what you mean? Could you give me an example?
Home - Team-Based Learning Collaborative Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction for the Thinking Classroom - H. Lynn Erickson - Google Books 40 Alternative Assessment Ideas for Learning When people think of assessment, pencils and bubble sheets may be the first things that come to mind. Assessment does not always have to involve paper and pencil, but can instead be a project, an observation, or a task that shows a student has learned the material. In the end, all we really want to know is that the skill was mastered, right? Why not make it fun and engaging for students as well? Many teachers shy away from alternative assessments because they take extra time and effort to create and to grade. On the other hand, once the assessment guidelines and grading rubric are created, it can be filed away and used year after year. The project card and rubric can be run on card stock (one on each side of the page), laminated, and hole punched with other alternative assessment ideas. Here are 40 alternative assessment ideas to get you started! Alternative Reading Assessments 1. Create a bookmark to match the theme of the last book read. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Alternative Writing Assessments
ch7think Brown Bag Exams: A Creative Way to Assess Learning | Unlocking the Past: Reading, Writing, and History for Adolescents & Teens Denise Ousley-Exum, PhD developed the Brown Bag Exam to address the disconnect that she and her students were experiencing between instruction and assessment. She had strategies that engaged students in reading and writing and used instruction to connect the literature to students' lives. However, she lacked assessments that matched the activities students had enjoyed. She knew that the majority of students had gotten the reading, but that same majority of students were failing the test. Her tests showed what students didn't know, not what they had read, learned, or gained. About Brown Bag Exams A Brown Bag Exam uses found objects and images to help students activate prior knowledge and creates a framework for students to express their understanding. A typical Brown Bag Exam follows five steps: First, students open their bags, puzzle for a few seconds over the item(s), and then brainstorm a list of the connections they see among their Brown Bag item(s) and the reading. Back to Top Dr.
Metacognition Thinking about One’s Thinking | Putting Metacognition into Practice Thinking about One’s Thinking Metacognition is, put simply, thinking about one’s thinking. Initially studied for its development in young children (Baker & Brown, 1984; Flavell, 1985), researchers soon began to look at how experts display metacognitive thinking and how, then, these thought processes can be taught to novices to improve their learning (Hatano & Inagaki, 1986). Metacognitive practices increase students’ abilities to transfer or adapt their learning to new contexts and tasks (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, p. 12; Palincsar & Brown, 1984; Scardamalia et al., 1984; Schoenfeld, 1983, 1985, 1991). Metacognitive practices help students become aware of their strengths and weaknesses as learners, writers, readers, test-takers, group members, etc. The absence of metacognition connects to the research by Dunning, Johnson, Ehrlinger, and Kruger on “Why People Fail to Recognize Their Own Incompetence” (2003). References
Criterion- vs. Norm-Referenced Tests Source: Huitt, W. (1996). Measurement and evaluation: Criterion- versus norm-referenced testing. Educational Psychology Interactive. Return to: | Measurement & Evaluation | EdPsyc Interactive: Courses | Many educators and members of the public fail to grasp the distinctions between criterion-referenced and norm-referenced testing. The following is adapted from: Popham, J. The differences outlined are discussed in many texts on testing. Additional resources: Bond, L. (1996). Return to: | Measurement & Evaluation | EdPsycInteractive: Courses | Home Page | All materials on this website [ are, unless otherwise stated, the property of William G.
CriticalThinking.org - Critical Thinking Model 1 To Analyze Thinking We Must Identify and Question its Elemental Structures Standard: Clarityunderstandable, the meaning can be grasped Could you elaborate further? Could you give me an example? Standard: Accuracyfree from errors or distortions, true How could we check on that? Standard: Precisionexact to the necessary level of detail Could you be more specific? Standard: Relevancerelating to the matter at hand How does that relate to the problem? Standard: Depthcontaining complexities and multiple interrelationships What factors make this a difficult problem? Standard: Breadthencompassing multiple viewpoints Do we need to look at this from another perspective? Standard: Logicthe parts make sense together, no contradictions Does all this make sense together? Standard: Significancefocusing on the important, not trivial Is this the most important problem to consider? Standard: FairnessJustifiable, not self-serving or one-sided Do I have any vested interest in this issue? Think About... Gather...
Anxious About Tests? Tips to Ease Angst Apprehension over tests can be especially common among minority and female students. That’s because the prospect of evaluation poses for them what psychologists call “stereotype threat”—the possibility that a poor performance will confirm negative assumptions about the group to which they belong (among the specious, anxiety-inducing tropes: girls can’t excel in math and science; blacks and Latinos aren’t college material). This additional layer of anxiety can lead such students to perform below the level they are capable of. [Related: Girls and Math: Busting the Stereotype?] Walton’s colleague at Stanford, psychology professor Geoffrey Cohen, devised an intervention aimed at reducing stereotype threat. Younger kids aren’t immune from test anxiety. [Related: How to Deal With Kids' Math Anxiety] Larson designed an intervention especially for younger students, involving breathing and relaxation exercises, and examined its effectiveness on a group of third-graders.
Examples of Rubrics - University of Wisconsin Stout Examples of Rubrics Grading rubrics precisely describe performance expectations. Rubrics offer explicit criteria to help students meet learning objectives. Rubrics also make meaningful feedback and evaluation more efficient. The sample rubrics below address discussion, eportfolios, group projects, blogs, wikis, and more! Learn more about rubrics and alternative assessments in our Online Courses, Online Certificate Programs, and Graduate Degree Presentation Rubrics Podcast RubricAnn Bell's rubric helps students assess what makes a good podcast. PowerPoint Rubric10 performance categories Oral Presentation Rubric (Word doc) VoiceThread Participation Rubric (pdf)Michelle Pacansky-Brock's general formative assessment is used when students view a mini video lecture/presentation. Oral Presentation Checklist4Teachers.org provides an online tool to customize the checklist for your grade level Oral PresentationMidlink Magazine's assessment of 6 performance areas (middle school) Poster Rubric Quick Rubric
Rubrics - Teaching Excellence What are Rubrics? A rubric is a scoring tool that explicitly represents the performance expectations for an assignment or piece of work. A rubric divides the assigned work into component parts and provides clear descriptions of the characteristics of the work associated with each component, at varying levels of mastery. Rubrics can be used for a wide array of assignments: papers, projects, oral presentations, artistic performances, group projects, etc. Rubrics can be used as scoring or grading guides, to provide formative feedback to support and guide ongoing learning efforts, or both. Advantages of Using Rubrics Using a rubric provides several advantages to both instructors and students. Used more formatively, rubrics can help instructors get a clearer picture of the strengths and weaknesses of their class. Grading rubrics are also valuable to students. Examples of Rubrics Here are links to a diverse set of rubrics designed by Carnegie Mellon faculty and faculty at other institutions.
Part 1: Over 35 Formative Assessment Tools To Enhance Formative Learning Opportunities I have often reflected on the idea of formative assessment. In my reflection I have come up with several main ideas. First, this is a practice that has always been a part of good teaching. Second, it may be better stated as formative learning since I view assessment as a part of the overall learning experience. Booking Info – It is time to think about your school or conference needs. Quick Note – You are invited to join myself along with others at PBS Learning Media For a Free Webinar entitled, How to Leverage Digital Media in 1:1 Classrooms, on Wednesday August 19 at 7 PM EDT. Part 1: Over 35 Formative Assessment Tools To Enhance Formative Learning Opportunities What really is formative assessment? This causes me to reflect on the idea of digging deeper into the idea of what formative assessment really is. Yes… let’s look at the whole definition… one that cannot be read just half way through. Remember that technology does not provide the facilitation, people do.
Should I teach problem-, project- or inquiry-based learning? Lately, there have been a bunch of buzzwords floating around the education world that all seem to mean the same thing. You’ve probably heard them: problem-based learning, project-based learning and inquiry-based learning. Is there a difference? First, let’s start with what they have in common. So you know you want to try one of these teaching methods, but how do you decide which one? Project-based learning Definition: Students create a written, oral, visual or multimedia project with an authentic audience and purpose. Problem-based learning Definition: Students investigate and solve a real-world problem. Inquiry-based learning Definition: Students explore a question in-depth and ask further questions to gather knowledge. How are you doing these types of learning experiences in your classroom? Lauren Davis is a former English teacher.