This document discusses various tools and techniques for developing critical thinking and reflective practice. It describes mind mapping as a tool to organize information graphically and activate different areas of the brain. Portfolio development encourages self-monitoring and reflection by compiling work over time to demonstrate growth. Assessment schedules involve periodic reviews to facilitate improvement. Mentoring and peer support provide career guidance and new perspectives to enhance development. Overall, the document outlines techniques like mind mapping, portfolios, assessments, and mentoring that can promote critical analysis and self-reflection.

1. TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES OF
CRITICAL THINKING AND
REFLECTIVE PRACTICES
Unit 8

2. What do we need?
 A critical thinker needs
 Observation; curiosity; objectivity; analytical skills; …???
 A Reflective Practitioner needs
 Introspection; self analysis; unbiased approach …???

3. Some useful tools and techniques
 To promote critical thinking and reflective practice
here are some useful tools and techniques
 Mind Mapping
 Portfolio Development
 Assessment Schedules
 Mentoring and Peer Support

4. Mind mapping
 Mind Map is a powerful graphic technique which
provides a universal key to unlock the potential of
the brain.
 It harnesses the full range of cortical skills – word,
image, number, logic, rhythm, colour and spatial
awareness – in a single, uniquely powerful manner.
 Originated in the late 1960s by Tony Buzan, “Mind
Mapping is a graphical technique for visualizing
connections between several ideas or pieces of
information.”

5. How to make mind maps?
Mind Mapping is the easiest way to put information
into your brain and to take information out of your
brain - it's a creative and effective means of note-
taking that literally 'maps out' your thoughts. And it
is so simple.
According to Michael Michalko, a Mind Map:
 activates your whole brain
 clears your mind of mental clutter
 allows you to focus on the subject

6. e.g. Which factors affect student behavior?
Home Environment Classroom Environment
Personality traits Teaching
Student
Behavior

7. What are the sources of each factor?
• Teacher
qualification
• Brought up
• Size of class
and physical
• Socio-
econo
mic
Home Classroom
teaching
personality

8. parents
teachers
Headteacher
Friends/
Siblings
Society
WHO CAN HELP IN CHANGING BEHAVIOR?
• S4
• S3
• S2
• S1
F1 F2
F4
F3

9. Principles of Mind Mapping
 The brain works in different ways. Different people
think in different ways.
 There are certain “programs” loaded in your
consciousness. These programs are your “natural
thinking software”. You get them included with your
mind when you enter this world.
 The brain works according to certain basic
principles, and you can use mind maps to take
advantage of them to improve your creativity and
memory.

10. Techniques to use
 Brain Storming: The map itself is quite similar to what
is going on in your head. It’s all one big mish-mash of
information and nothing seems to be structured.
 The Flow: This is a somewhat different type of mind
map, extremely useful when you need to see the
continuity in a system, the step-by-step plan. It’s easy to
get an overview of the chain of events that you have to
follow, the so called step by-step plan, when you use a
mind map.
 The Big Picture: This is a very interesting and effective
mind mapping technique, which also happens to be my
personal favorite. Actually, this technique is very
personal. The Big Picture is all about – to be able to
combine all the techniques for best effect.

11. Portfolio Development
 The portfolio is intended to encourage the individuals to
become actively involved in monitoring and reflecting on their
own development
 The contents of the portfolio reflect both academic and field
experiences that demonstrate the person’s application of
knowledge and skills.
 The portfolio allows you to demonstrate mastery of the
competencies of the program.
 It provides a more complete picture of the interests, abilities
and accomplishments in tangible evidences.
 It encourages the one’s organizational skills, self-assessment
of growth, and awareness of continuing educational needs.
 It is expected that practitioners will continue to develop their
portfolios and as they reflect on their profession and their
learning.

12. The Working Portfolio
 The working portfolio is a purposeful collection of
student work in progress.
 The collection is assembled based on clear objectives and
guidelines given by the teacher.
 All portfolios begin as working collections, since it is
from these collections that final selections are made for
presentation.
 The advantage of the working collection is that it allows
students to take a second look at what they do, and to
think about how they could improve future work.
 It is a departure from the traditional practice where a
first draft of an assignment was considered as a final
product.

13. The Development Portfolio
 The developmental portfolio represents a completed selection
of student work.
 It contains work that shows the student’s progress towards
mastery of set objectives for a topic, theme, or course of work,
and provides evidence of his/her achievement over a period of
time.
 This type of portfolio enhances learning through the process
of reviewing, revising, and evaluating the final product.
 Diagnosis may be one use for these portfolios since the
feedback obtained at intervals can shape further instruction
and learning for the student.
 This type of portfolio clearly demonstrates the integration
among instruction, learning, and assessment.

14. The Showcase Portfolio
 The showcase portfolio shows the student’s best
work and is used to support and document
accomplishment in a course/subject area or any
learning activity.
 This requires the student to be able to make a
selection from a range of work (working portfolio)
using specific criteria.
 These criteria may be determined by an external
examining body, by the teacher, or may be developed
by the student in collaboration with the teacher.

15. Stages of Portfolio Development
Goal Identification Identifying a vision that will guide the portfolio development.
Collecting Gathering artifacts that demonstrate the student's professional development. Some of these
artifacts will ultimately become the portfolio entries.
Selecting Reflecting and identifying artifacts that are most relevant and meaningful to the student's
purpose, beliefs and philosophy. These become the portfolio entries.
Categorizing Identifying the developing themes of the portfolio.
Connecting Making a linkage between the items selected and the goal of the portfolio. This is the thinking -
through stage that formulates the reflections.
Reflecting Making each entry relevant and meaningful by writing about why the entry is included in the
portfolio. This reflection ties the individual entry to the overall portfolio document
Sharing Presenting and discussing the portfolio to program faculty

16. ASSESSMENT SCHEDULES
 Assessment remains a major concern in developing
programs to enhance students’ critical thinking
skills.
 Until a concept can be defined and assessed,
adequate models for teaching are difficult to develop.
 Despite the lack of a comprehensive theory of critical
thinking, varied efforts have been made to develop
assessment tools.
 Assessment schedules for periodic review and
reflection can be useful way for improvement

18. 1.Commercially available standardized tests
 Instead of using teachers made test a better approach is
considered to be the application of standardized tests
 These instruments have been carefully developed and
tested for reliability and validity, and all have been
widely used as measures for testing people’s ability to
think critically.
 These standardized, commercially available essay test of
general ability provide several advantages over multiple
choice tests or instructor-developed essay tests, including
student-generated responses, carefully established
validity and reliability, and recognition.

19. Researcher or instructor designed assessments
 Researchers have provided examples and criteria for
instructors interested in developing assessment techniques
for such purposes as testing domain-specific critical thinking,
testing for transfer, evaluating a critical thinking program,
formative evaluations, or determining grades.
 While teacher made tests can and should be used within the
classroom to assess critical thinking, their use in educational
research projects examining the effectiveness of various
methods or models to teach for critical thinking has important
limitations.
 Instruments designed for a specific experimental method or
model for critical thinking may best capture its strengths, but
the resulting variety of instruments and assessment
techniques has led to difficulties comparing the results of
educational studies.

20. Teaching students to assess their own thinking
 Perhaps the most appropriate way to assess students’ critical
thinking abilities is to teach them to assess their own thinking.
 Paul has written extensively on teaching students to assess
their own work, and he has argued that to the extent that
students need feedback from instructors, they have not
achieved a high level of critical thinking (Foundation for
Critical Thinking, 1996).
 Angelo and Cross (1993) have also emphasized the
importance of student self-assessment techniques.
 While highly appropriated for classroom use, however, it
requires a deep understanding of critical thinking and a
tremendous commitment from both the instructor and the
students.
 Further, this method of assessment, for many obvious
reasons, does not meet the requirements of rigorous
educational research.

21. METNORING AND PEER SUPPORT
 Last but not the least, mentoring is much useful in
developing critical thinking and reflective practices
 Mentoring is a relationship between two individuals
based on a mutual desire for development towards
career goals and objectives.
 In a mentoring relationship, the two individuals are
referred to as the “mentor” and the “mentee” (the
individual being mentored).
 Mentoring provides development opportunities for both
partners.
 In mentoring, there is no reporting relationship between
the mentor and the mentee (i.e., a manager would not
mentor a direct report).

22. Benefits of Mentoring
A mentoring relationship can provide a mentee with:
 greater clarity on life and career choices and their own career goals
 new insight on the organizational culture different perspectives and
values
 the opportunity to develop new networks of contacts
 access to new resources
 greater career satisfaction and increased likelihood of career
 success development in areas not typically address through training
or on the job
Through the mentoring process mentors have the opportunity to
enhance their leadership skills and expand their perspectives by:
 seeing the business world through different eyes being challenged
on perceived wisdom
 increasing their awareness of issues at other levels of the
organization
 meeting new members of the organization

23. Types of Mentoring
Formal
 Structured programs frequently match
mentors and trainee focused on
specific goals
 Provides accountability based on
formal contracts between mentor and
trainee
Natural
 Initiated by mentor – one person
reaching out to another
 Implicit – usually people with much in
common
Peer
 Individuals in similar positions (e. g.,
have small children) providing
support, empathy, and advice
 Individuals in similar stage of career
mentoring on options and career goals
Situational
 Mentoring for a specific purpose/skill
 Generally short-term
 Common at all stages of the career
Supervisory
 Not all supervisors are comfortable
also being a mentor
 Possibility of conflict of interest
Trainee initiated
 Begins with an interaction with a
chosen mentor – it may develop into a
mentoring relationship: build bridges

24. Phases of Mentoring
Building Rapport- Sharing
perspectives
Scaffolding for professional growth
and providing consultation
Resolving and removing support
for independent growth

25.  There are many other tools and techniques that you
can easily find online.
 You can design and devise your own methods.
Keep exploring!!!

26. The End..