Presented by Jozefien De Keyzer and Lai Liang (KU Leuven, Belgium) during the 1st European Summit for Critical Thinking Education

1. Critical Thinking in
STEM: problem solving
by modeling and
practice
Jozefien De Keyzer , KU Leuven, Faculty of Engineering Technology
Lai Jiang, KU Leuven, KU Leuven, Educational Development Unit

2. CT skills and CT dispositions
Facione, P. A. (2001)

3. Step 1:calculate N, IF
x<y use this formula;
IF y<x use that
formula
Step 2: now
calculate M using
another formula
Step 3: combine M
and N using yet
another formula
Critical thinking in STEM: solving ‘exercises/
problems’
What we want STEM students to do:
• Interpret problems and results
• Analyze data
• Justify calculating procedures
• Make and assess assumptions
• Conjecture alternatives
• Draw conclusions
• Be sensitive for signs that the result
is correct/erroneous
• ‘Look critically at results’
• …

4. Step 1:calculate N, IF
x<y use this formula;
IF y<x use that
formula
Step 2: now
calculate M using
another formula
Step 3: combine M
and N using yet
another formula
Critical thinking in STEM: solving ‘exercises/
problems’
What we want STEM students to do:
Learn procedures
• Interpret problems and results
• Analyze data
• Justify calculating procedures
• Make and assess assumptions
• Conjecture alternatives
• Draw conclusions
• Be sensitive for signs that the result
is correct/erroneous
• ‘Look critically at results’
• …
• Interpretation
• Analysis
• Evaluation
• Inference
• Explanation
• Self-regulation
⇒Critical thinking
Facione, P. A. (2001).

5. Critical thinking in STEM: solving ‘exercises/
problems’
What we see students doing:
Learn
procedures
Guess
‘Why do you solve this problem like this?’
‘Because it looks like that example’
Critical
thinking

6. Critical thinking in STEM: solving ‘exercise problems’
What we show to students
A heat transfer textbook, John H. Lienhard IV and
John H. Lienhard V, Phlogiston Press (2012)
Chemical Process Design and Integration, Robin
Smith, Wiley (2014)

7. Critical thinking in STEM: solving ‘exercise problems’
What we quote on exams

8. Critical thinking in STEM: solving ‘exercise problems’
No wonder students act as they do!

9. Using assessment to declare critical thinking
“If you want to change student learning then change the methods of
assessment”.
— Brown et al., 1997, p. 9

10. Making critical thinking visible
In evaluation => evaluation criteria that explicitly ask to explain the thinking
process
Criteria Not
OK
An attempt
was made
OK
A clear interpretation is made e.g. with a
sketch.
It is shown on which theory a solution is
based.
Different alternative solutions are
considered.
Decisions are motivated.
The result is discussed: is it as expected,
what might lead to deviations,..
…
To declare

11. Results from CRITHINKEDU
Two major claims:
Students will develop their critical thinking by
• explicitly engaging in appropriate learning activities, and
• becoming stronger in critical thinking requires repeated engagement in
critical thinking processes.

12. Supportive interventions
To declare To induce

13. • offering ill-structured problems;
• provide authentic tasks;
• use prompts to make students think deeper;
• interpreting and discussing project results;
• provide tools that orient students thinking and reflections;
• ask why-questions;
• provide autonomy;
• have students make their thinking explicit / open for feedback and discussion;
• have students argue from different perspectives;
• foster self-regulation, by asking what is the next step, how far are you in the process, how
are you performing, how could you improve yourself, ...
To induce
Critical thinking on concepts

14. • Polls (think-pair-share):
• discuss from different perspectives
• make thinking explicit
- - Use authentic problems
- Use difficult concepts
- Use common misconceptions
To induce
- Let them take a stand
(prof. Eric Mazur)

15. • offering ill-structured problems;
• provide authentic tasks;
• use prompts to make students think deeper;
• interpreting and discussing project results;
• provide tools that orient students thinking and reflections;
• ask why-questions;
• provide autonomy;
• have students make their thinking explicit / open for feedback and discussion;
• have students argue from different perspectives;
• foster self-regulation, by asking what is the next step, how far are you in the process,
how are you performing, how could you improve yourself, ...
To induce
Critical thinking in problem solving

16. • Include authentic/ill-structured problems
To induce
You are at the grocery store. The parking lot
is completely occupied. How long will it take
on average until you find a parking spot?
Courtesy example: prof. Eric Mazus
https://blogs.lt.vt.edu/erinleighvt/2017/10/09/higher-
education-hierarchy-and-parking/

17. • Include authentic/ill-structured problems
To induce
You are at a small grocery store. The parking lot is
completely occupied. There are 20 spots in total and
you are the only one waiting. On average people are
in the store for 20 minutes. How long will it take on
average until you find a parking spot ?
https://blogs.lt.vt.edu/erinleighvt/2017/10/09/higher-
education-hierarchy-and-parking/

18. To induce
Observations:
It is Saturday 2 p.m.
You are in a hurry because you need to be in
time for your child’s soccer game at four.
There are 9 other cars in the parking lot. One
of them is a blue Opel Corsa that looks like the
one your best friend has.
There are 10 rows, each holding 20 parking
spots: ten on each side of the row.
In row 5 there is a stand for shopping carts.
The stand is empty.
https://www.fivestarhomefoods.com/blog/grocery-
shopping-facts

19. To induce
Observations:
It is Saturday 2 p.m.
You are in a hurry because you need to be in
time for your child’s soccer game at four.
There are 9 other cars in the parking lot. One
of them is a blue Opel Corsa that looks like the
one your best friend has.
There are 10 rows, each holding 20 parking
spots: ten on each side of the row.
In row 5 there is a stand for shopping carts.
The stand is empty.
Data are missing/hidden
Assumptions need to be made
There is room for discussion (another assumption
might lead to another conclusion)

20. ⇒This might make students insecure
⇒ Build confidence
⇒ Start with easy exercises
⇒ Evaluation criteria
⇒ Modeling of the thinking process

21. Supportive interventions
To declare To induce
To model

22. Faculteit, departement, dienst …22
To model An example from primary school
https://www.computermeester.be/optellen-met-
getalbeelden.htm
6+7 =

23. From cognitive modeling
= modeled explanation and demonstration with verbalization of the model’s
thoughts and reasons for performing given actions (Meichenbaum, 1977)
…
To self-instruction
= refers to establishing discriminative stimuli that set the occasion for self-
regulatory responses leading to reinforcement (Mace et al., 1989)
= the student gives instruction to him/herself on what to do or how to do it
To model

24. • Procedure
Highlight the thinking processes (not merely the procedure/operations)
• Decision
Provide enough information about the ‘how’, ‘why’ and ‘when’ of the
reasoning for students to activate and apply similar reasoning (e.g.
interpret, analysis, evaluation).
There are multiple right ways to reach an answer
To model

25. Faculteit, departement, dienst …25
To model An example from primary school
https://www.stedelijkonderwijs.be/villastuivenberg/tweede-leerjaar-1

26. https://blogs.lt.vt.edu/erinleighvt/2017/10/09/higher-
education-hierarchy-and-parking/
• Include authentic/ill-structured problems
You are at the grocery store. The parking lot
is completely occupied. How long will it take
on average until you find a parking spot?
To model
What do we know?
What do we need to know?
Can we simplify this?
What can we assume? Why can we assume this?
What do we expect that the answer will be?
Look for data (everywhere).
Is the answer as we expected? If not: why?
What is the influence of assumptions on our result?

27. Making critical thinking visible
Explicitly stating thoughts while solving examples and writing them down
• When I read this, I think of..
• Because we read this and this, it is…
• We could assume that... because…
• Now let’s make another assumption..
• So if we change this value to that, then..
• …
To model
What is on the
blackboard =
what is
important

28. Making critical thinking visible
In the textbook/manual
….
To model

29. Making critical thinking visible
In the assessment criteria
To model
Criteria Not
OK
An attempt
was made
OK
A clear interpretation is made e.g. with a
sketch.
It is shown on which theory a solution is
based.
Different alternative solutions are
considered.
Decisions are motivated.
The result is discussed: is it as expected,
what might lead to deviations,..
…

30. Making critical thinking visible
In classroom: emphasis on thinking procedure in exercises
To model
A solution is given
Students need to write the
thinking process

31. Making critical thinking visible
In classroom
• Ask to write down thinking process (according to evaluation criteria)
• What theory did you use?
• Why can you use it?
• What is the consequence of using this?
• Explain every step: why can you do it?
• Let students model to each other
“if you can explain it, you really get it”
To model
Self -
instruction

32. Making critical thinking visible
Prompt to think deeper / ask why
• In the classroom
• Online
To induce
To surveil

33. Supportive interventions
To declare
To surveil
(monitoring)
To induce
To model

34. First experiences
• It takes time. Time. Time.
• Students are not used to this => they do not have the skills/dispositions
• Some students do not see the need
• Students want ‘correct answers’ and ‘procedures’
• Danger to create confusion
• Modeling helps students (100 % positive feedback)
It is crucial that students are convinced of the necessity ànd their
ability to do critical thinking.

35. Faculteit, departement, dienst …35
Questions?

36. Discussion
In groups of 5 people discuss about following question: (15 minutes)
‘Do you in any way explain to your students your internal thinking process in
solving a problem in your domain?
How did you do it? What works and what not? ‘
Select
• 2 Best practices’
• Remaining questions

37. • Share with all people
Faculteit, departement, dienst …37
Discussion round table

38. References
• Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
• Facione, P. A. (2001). Critical thinking: A Statement of Expert Consensus for Purposes of
Educational Assessment and Instruction. Retrieved
from https://assessment.trinity.duke.edu/documents/Delphi_Report.pdf
• Schunk, D. H. (2012). Learning theories: An educational perspective (6th ed.). Pearson
Education, Inc., publishing as Allyn & Bacon, 501 Boylston Street, Boston, MA, 02116.
• Meichenbaum, D. (1977). Cognitive behavior modification: An integrative approach. New York:
Plenum.
• Brown, G. J. B., & Pendlebury, M. (1997). Assessing Student Learning in Higher Education.
London: Routledge.
• Fourth Intellectual Output Published: Promoting Critical Thinking in European Higher
Education Institutions – towards an educational protocol from
http://crithinkedu.utad.pt/news/fourth-intellectual-output-published-promoting-critical-thinking-
in-european-higher-education-institutions-towards-an-educational-protocol/