Lancet- 2nd Mobility

1. Critical Thinking
and Digital Education
a brief analysis and reflection on critical thinking in the
digital age

2. Topics
01
02
03
04
Origin of Critical Thinking
The importance of critical thinking
The Digital age
How to use and learn the critical thinking today

3. Origin of the concept
I know that I know nothing
The origin of critical Thinking can be identified in the Socratic method described by Plato, for
example, in the Theaetetus. This method, which makes use of the dialogue between teacher
and student, consists in helping the student to reason correctly, to identify his own point of
view and to recognize its fallibility.
In this way the teacher helps the pupil to recognize that his own truth is only an opinion that
must be verified.
“
“
Socrates

4. Maieutic
Method
In the Socratic maieutics he compares the
philosopher to the "midwife of knowledge" which
does not fill the mind of the student with
information imparted a priori, but helps him
gradually bring his knowledge to light, using
dialogue as a dialectical tool. The Socratic
method "forces" the interlocutor to have to
refute himself

5. Definition of Critical Thinking
Robert H. Ennis defined critical thinking as "a rational and reflective thought focused on
deciding what to think or do".
“
“
Robert H. Ennis

6. Two
types of
thinking
In recent decades cognitive psychology has made it clear that it is impossible to
adopt an exclusively rational thought because the human mind has incorporated,
during evolution, a series of intuitive behaviors that have allowed homo sapiens to
survive in hostile environments by taking heuristic decisions.
Today the human being is immersed in a less hostile environment from the
physical point of view (personal safety is protected by laws in a large part of the
world and wild animals are found only in natural parks), but more hostile from the
psychic point of view (information overload and media manipulation are now the
basis of everyday life). It therefore becomes important to know the functioning of
both mental systems (rational and intuitive) that govern our mind. One of the most
important psychologists who have studied the differences between rational
thought and intuitive thinking is Daniel Kahneman.
Evolution of the environment and thought

7. Two types of thinking
Autonomous (no trigger
required)
Parallel (processes can take
place simultaneously)
Suitable for benign
environments
Not Autonomous
(requires trigger)
Serial (processes are
consequential)
Suitable for hostile
environments
01
02
03
01
02
03
INTUITIVE THINKING CRITICAL THINKING

8. The Elephant and
the Rider
A metaphor that attempts to represent our interiority
on a symbolic level has been transmitted by the
Buddha.
The Buddha compared the interiority of the human
being to the couple made up of a wild elephant and
its bearer.
The brain has two independent systems at work at
all times. First, there’s what we call the emotional
side. It’s the part of you that is instinctive, that feels
pain and pleasure. Second, there’s the rational side,
also known as the reflective or conscious system.
It’s the part of you that deliberates and analyzes and
looks into the future*.
Dan Heath and Chip Heath
*Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

9. The
Elephant
and the
Rider
The Rider holds the reins, and pulling
them tells the elephant to turn around,
stop or continue. Normally the Rider
directs things, but only as long as the
elephant does not manifest his own
desires: when the elephant really wants
to do something, the bearer can do
nothing but be carried around by the
elephant.
Under ordinary conditions the Rider is
very far from taming the large elephant
he is sitting on.
Conscious and controlled thinking often
has the impression of directing the
elephant with will, but in reality, it has
been seen that most of the time the
opposite occurs.
The elephant feels, the Rider justifies
The Rider
The elephant represents our
evolutionarily oldest part. W can call it
"primitive", instinctive.
The immediate little pleasure is
available immediately. The danger to
be avoided (real or imaginary) must
be faced immediately because it can
potentially compromise survival.
The great future pleasure is a
hypothesis, a promise of the bearer, it
is not certain that there will be. The
elephant does not have this
connection with the future, its
reactions are immediate and
instinctive.
the elephant follows the heuristic
patterns
The Elephant

10. The Elephant and
the Rider
• The elephant and the driver should be seen as an
inseparable whole, they are a couple that travels
together. The bearer cannot leave the elephant,
he can only direct him.
• The bearer, in this couple, is indispensable
because he has the ability to plan: he has a long-
term vision, he sees and analyzes obstacles, he
can recognize and manage a situation from many
points of view. Its function is therefore
fundamental to send the elephant in the correct
direction.
• At the same time it has a tendency to get lost in
the details, so it could stand still and not act for a
long time until it has a sufficient clarity of the
situation.
• He also has limited control, he can give the
direction, but to go in that direction he has to
move the elephant.

11. Definition
Critical thinking consists in knowing how to analyze information, situations and
experiences in an objective way, distinguishing reality from one's own subjective
impressions and prejudices, it means recognizing the factors that influence one's own
and others' thoughts and behaviors and therefore helps to remain clear in the choices.
It is the ability to examine a situation and to take a personal position on it. This capacity
constitutes the foundation of a responsible attitude towards experiences and relatively
autonomous with respect to environmental conditioning

12. Critical Thinking
Analyze information and situations in an objective
way, evaluating advantages and disadvantages
Distinguish the reality of the facts from their own
subjective impressions and personal prejudices and
interpretations
Recognize external factors that influence one's own
and others' thoughts and behavior
01
02
03

13. The digital
tools on daily
life
• Home Banking
• Shopping online (e-commerce)
• Communications (email, social
network, ecc.)
• IOT (Internet of Things)
• E-Learning

14. The digital
tools on daily
life
• AWARENESS
• SKILLS
• READING CHANGES

15. Digital citizenship
The development of full digital citizenship
also and above all depends on the ability of
students to appropriate digital media,
moving from passive consumers to critical
consumers and producers responsible for
content and new architectures
Contents
Critical thinking: it is a necessary
condition to "govern" technological change
and to direct it towards sustainable goals
for our society.
Responsibility: because digital media, in
their characteristic of devices not only for
fruition but also for the production and
publication of messages, attract those who
use them to consider the effects of what
they are doing through

16. European
level
• Digicom frame Network promoted by the European Parliament, where 21
digital skills are classified into 5 groups, with exhaustive descriptors and a
precise evaluation framework, which can represent a valid point of reference to
"hook" the attempt to bring digital civic education to school clarifying common
goals.
• Piano Nazionale Scuola Digitale 2015 (point 14)
• PON (National Operational Program) for Cittadinanza digitale 2014-2020
• Generazioni connesse (Related generations)
Europe and Italy

17. Individual actions
1 2 3 4
Recognize
complexity
Develop awareness
and skills
Don't indulge in fear
Starting from what you
should not do makes it
difficult to explain what
can be done
Opportunities and
advantages of digital
skills
work, networking,
information,
Enhance the
specificity of the
individual teacher
Transit period, some
teacher are not ready

18. Computational Thinking
Computational Thinking and Critical
Thinking
Computational thinking is essentially critical thinking; that is, it teaches us not to stop at the
appearance of the phenomena we encounter but forces us to ask ourselves what is "behind", what
hidden but founding processes produce what we freely and comfortably exploit. Because a
conscious use of what comes to us as a ready effect starts from an indispensable knowledge of
the causes.

19. Thank you