Presented by Gonçalo Cruz, Helena Silva, José Lopes, and Caroline Dominguez (University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Portugal) during the 1st European Summit for Critical Thinking Education

2. Enhance students’ critical
thinking skills and dispositions
through cooperative learning
Gonçalo Cruz1, Helena Silva12, José Lopes12 and Caroline Dominguez13
1University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal
2CIIE – Centre for Research and Intervention in Education, Porto, Portugal
3CIDTFF – Research Centre on Didactics and Technology in the Education of Trainers, Aveiro, Portugal
1st European Summit for Critical Thinking Education, 3rd of June, 2019, Leuven, Belgium

3. What are we doing here?

4. Goals
At the end of this session participants should be able to:
• Define critical thinking and cooperative learning;
• Understand the importance of cooperative learning for critical thinking
development;
• Describe the essential characteristics of cooperative learning groups;
• Distinguish between cooperative learning, individualistic learning and
competitive learning;
• Know basic principles to implement cooperative learning methods in their
classroom;
• Know different cooperative learning methods (e.g., Jigsaw, Think – Pair – Share,
Constructive Controversy).

5. Let’s start with critical thinking.
How we understand it?

6. System 2 – Slow Thinking
Involves effort
Conscious
Deliberate
Based on criteria
Analytical
Reflective
Explicit
Verbal
Less prone to errors
For the most curious: http://bit.ly/2VRBXs0
System 1 – Fast Thinking
Does not involve effort
Non-conscious
Automatic
Not based on criteria
Heuristic
Intuitive
Implicit
Non-verbal
Prone to errors

7. Intelectual Honesty
Intelectual Curiosity
Truth-seeking
Open-mindedness
Sistematicity
Analiticity
Self-confidence
...
Interpretation
Analysis
Evaluation
Self-regulation
...

8. What about cooperative learning?

9. “Cooperation is the thorough conviction that nobody can get there unless
everybody gets there.”
Virginia Burden
“A teaching method consisting on the use of small groups of students working
together to maximize their own (and their peers’) learning. In cooperative learning
groups, students debate with their peers about the subject-matter to be learnt,
helping and motivating each other to work towards a better understanding.”
Johnson, Johnson, & Holubec

10. 5 essentials components of cooperative learning
• Positive interdependence;
• ….
• ….
• ….
• ….

11. Cooperative learning and critical thinking
development – do they match?

12. Morais, T., Silva, H., Lopes, J., & Dominguez, C. (2017). Argumentative skills
development in teaching philosophy to secondary school students through constructive
controversy: an exploratory study case. The Curriculum Journal, 28(2), 249-265.
Silva, H., Lopes, J., & Dominguez, C. (2019). Enhancing College Students’ Critical Thinking
Skills in Cooperative Groups. In M. Tsitouridou, J. Diniz and T. Mikropoulos (Eds.),
Proocedings of the 1st International Conference on Technology and Innovation in Learning,
Teaching and Education (TECH-EDU 2018), Tessaloniki, Greece, June 20-22, pp. 181-192.

13. ...
• Requires students’ to analyze, synthesize, and confront their different
perspectives, within a negotiation process towards agreement (Paul &
Elder, 2001; Ten Dam & Volman, 2004);
• Triggers the ‘sociocognitive conflict’ (Fransen, Weinberger & Kirschner,
2013) and the ‘epistemic unfreezing’ (Kruglanski & Freund, 1983),
motivating epistemic curiosity and truth-seeking (Litman, 2008);
• However, cooperative learning per se does not enhance critical thinking.
Both need to be modeled, induced, declared and surveilled.

14. So, how teachers can adopt cooperative
learning methods in their pratice?

15. ...
• There are more than 100 cooperative learning methods!!
• Each one (might) target the development of different learning goals (e.g.,
skills and dispositions);
• Each one have a formal syntax to be followed (e.g., constitution of the
groups - size, duration, profile, roles)

16. Let’s see one example.

17. Group B
Against
Both groups achieve a consensus
and write an essay or report.
Implies a specific
syntax and
assessment criteria.
CONSTRUCTIVE CONTROVERSY
CONTROVERSIAL TOPIC/SITUATION

20. Let’s see another example, but now experience it.

21. 1. Constitution of the main groups and delivery of the resources..... 5m
a) Clarification of the learning goals, expectations and roles; self-study.
2. Constitution of the groups of experts and groupwork.................... 20m
3. Return to the main groups and groupwork....................................... 20m
4. Individual and group assessment...................................................... 20m
5. Individual and group reflection concerning the activity.................. 15m
“To teach is to learn twice.”
Joseph Joubert

22. 2. Constitution of the groups of experts and groupwork.................... 20m
a) worksheet 1;

23. 3. Return to the main groups and groupwork....................................... 20m
a) worksheet 2;

24. 4. Individual and group assessment...................................................... 20m
“To teach is to learn twice.”
Joseph Joubert

25. 5. Individual and group reflection concerning the activity.................. 15m
a) Answer individually and in group to a set of reflective questions;
“To teach is to learn twice.”
Joseph Joubert

26. Based on the learning activity, what
critical thinking skills and dispositions
you pontentially developed? How can
you improve them next time?
Reflective questions #1

27. How this (or other) cooperative
learning method can be adopted
within the context of your course?
Reflective questions #2

28. Using the four categories of
intervention from the CRITHINKEDU
protocol (i.e. Model, Induce, Declare,
Surveil), how can we enhance
students’ critical thinking through
cooperative learning?
Reflective questions #3

29. References
Johnson, D., Johnson, R., & Holubec, E. (1994). New Circles of Learning: Cooperation in the
Classroom and School. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development
Jacobs, G. M., & Hall, S. (2002). Implementing cooperative learning. In J. C. Richards & W. A.
Renandya (Eds.), Methodology in language teaching: An anthology of current practice (pp.
52-58). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Aronson, E., & Patnoe, S. (1997). The jigsaw classroom: Building cooperation in the
classroom (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Addison Wesley Longman.
Millis, B. J., & Cottell, P. G., Jr. (1998). Cooperative learning for higher education faculty.
Phoenix, AZ: The Oryx Press.