This document summarizes a workshop on developing critical thinking skills. The workshop was held at Bramson ORT College on October 2nd, 2015 from 3-5 PM in Room 5&6. The workshop objectives were to introduce critical thinking, have participants articulate their understanding of it, construct critical thinking questions, and explore teaching strategies. Participants were asked what they hoped to learn. The workshop defined critical thinking and discussed why developing these skills is important for students. It compared traditional research paper assignments to assignments designed to promote critical thinking.

1. Bramson ORT College
Developing Students’ Critical Thinking
By Kristina Deda
In-Service Training Workshop
October 2nd, 2015
Location: Room 5&6
Time: 3-5 PM

2. Session Objectives
 Introduction: Why Considering Critical
Thinking Skills -DEDA
 Challenging Participants in Articulating Their
Understanding of “Critical Thinking”-DEDA
 Constructing Critical Thinking Questions-
Diffley
 Exploring Teaching Strategy that Promote
Critical Thinking in Classroom-Ghimisian

3. Question
 What is the one thing you hope to learn from
today’s workshop?

4. Where the “Critical” Word Comes
From?
 “Critical” comes from two Greek roots…
 ….does anyone know?

5. Etymology & dictionary definition
 From “kriticos” –discerning juddment and
“kriterion’ – standards
 Therefore, in etymological context, critical
means discerning judgment based on
standards

6. What is Critical Thinking?
 Is Not Critical as in judging others to find fault.
 Is Critical as in careful, exact evaluation and
judgment.
 “Critical Thinking” is a set of skills relating to
the recognition, analysis, evaluation, and
construction of arguments.
 “Critical thinking describes the process we
use to uncover and check our assumptions.
Stephen Brookfield, (2006, Developing Critical Thinkers, p. 11)

7. What is Critical Thinking and
What the Critical Thinker Does?
 Critical thinking is the art of analyzing and
evaluating thinking with a view to improving
it. (Paul and Elder, 2006, p.4)
 A critical thinker : Poses questions, gathers
and assesses relevant information, uses
abstract ideas to interpret the information
effectively, comes to well-reasoned
conclusions based on facts or relevant
criteria and standards.

8. What a Critical Thinker Does?
 Goes “deeper” than memorizing and recalling
of factual information
 Reflects on the information
 Shifts away from viewing learning as “fasts
food”
 Does not think that critical thinking means to
“ Critique”

9. Why Considering Developing
Critical Thinking Skills
 The need to go far from basics
 The need to discern what is worthy
 Experts of the field disagree
 The need to comply with written assignments’
requirements at Bramson ORT college

10. Why Considering Developing
Critical Thinking Skills

11. Traditional Assignment
 Freedom of an open-topic research paper
fuel plagiarism
- Students wander, instructor is loaded
- Does not supply guide
- Does not stimulate the complex thinking
- Does not focus on course concepts or issues
- Lacks clear specification of audience and
purpose

12. Critical Thinking Based Assignment
versus Traditional Assignment
 Avoids plagiarism
 Focus directly on course concepts
 Teaches thesis-governed argumentation in
the discipline
 Allows understanding of the discipline as an
arena for inquiry and argument
 Allows rework and transfer of ideas

13. Challenge: Work in Pairs
to discern the given variations in research paper
assignment design
1-What differences in thinking process are apt
to be encouraged by each option/variation?
2-What are the advantages and disadvantages
of each option/variation?
3- Which assignment or sequence of
assignments would you choose as a professor?

14. References
 Bean, John C.(2011) Engaging Ideas: The
Professor's Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical
Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom (2nd
edition) Jossey-Bass
 Pohl, M. Website re Bloom’s Taxonomy,
http://www.odu.edu/educ/roverbau/Bloom/blo
oms_taxonomy.htm)

15. References
 Brookfield, S. (2006). Developing Critical
Thinkers, from “Workshop Materials,
PowerPoints, Book Extracts,”
www.StephenBrookfield.com.
 Paul, R. and Elder, L. ((2006). The Miniature
Guide to Critical Thinking: Concepts and
Tools, The Foundation for CriticalThinking,
www.criticalthinking.org.

16. Fall 2015-Workshop
Kristina Deda
Science Professor
Bramson ORT College
16
Thank you for your attention.
 Kristina Deda, Science Professor, Chair of the
Academic and Curriculum Committee
 Bramson ORT College
 kdeda@bramsonort.edu
 718-261-5800
 http://www.bramsonort.edu
 Thank you for attending.