Memo 5: tying the loose ends...

Well, after conducting a great amount of research on critical thinking and its connection(s) to the writing, it seems that all it comes down to that term "critical" thinking can be defined as "good thinking", whereas  the ideal critical thinker as someone who is inquisitive in nature, open-minded, flexible, fair-minded, has a desire to be well-informed, understands diverse viewpoints, and is willing to both suspend judgment and to consider other perspectives (Pearson, Facione, 1990).

On the other hand, critical thinking can be also defined as "awakening students to the existence of problems all around them". The problems, though, need to be geared towards real world application. It is part of a human's nature to look for solutions for authentic problems, and our job, as teachers, help our students to get armed with real-life strategies for solving these problems.

Academic writing begins with the posing of a problem, a “solution” that must be supported with the kinds of reasons and evidence that are valued in the discipline. Writers produce multiple drafts because the act of writing is itself an act of discovery or, in Dewey’s terms, of “wrestling with the conditions of the problem” at hand.  

Speaking of connections to writing....

Since the essay is the most common form of writing in the secondary school, the following strategies would help the students write critically:

1 -Identify the basics of the topic (introductions)

2-  Analyze the material
Analysis may be employed in different ways using different methods. Students need to define their concepts and discuss their method, always questioning content and relevance!

3 - Address different perspectives
Students need to consider different viewpoints on the material; never assuming a certain perspective to be self-evident and obvious.

4 - Examine contexts
Students need to identify and assess assumptions and ideological perspectives to be found in historical and social contexts. Interpretation is also conditioned by their own assumptions, cultural, and ideological bias. Analysis and interpretation is ultimately about disclosing and examining such contextually determined points of view.

5- Identify own position
6- Conclusion

Here students consider the importance of their findings and their implications, tying all strings together in an overview and  emphasizing the qualities and importance of their investigation, and briefly outlining directions of further study.

How can students write critically?

All-in-all, writing turns out to be a tool for critical thinking, besides being a tool for communication. The very act of writing creates new thinking; in fact it assists new learning (isn't a part of Critical Thinking?). To me it seems, that even starting each class with a prompt on the board to let students engage into 10-minute free writing, can enhance their critical thinking skills.

Different kinds of writing activities (such as story dice, sentence starters, and a lot other ones) also lead students to focus on different kinds of information, to think about that information in different ways (diverse thinking, or CT?).
Since writing is a process when new ideas are generated, so it is a generator of a deeper thinking (!). Thus simple reading comprehension can be deepened by writing down the ideas about the text ("being asked to commit the words to the page generated new thinking").

To cope it with, CT-is fundamental to all disciplines, in fact,, it is cross-disciplinary. Really, no matter what area of study you are dealing with, "the application of critical thinking skills leads to clear and flexible thinking and a better understanding of the subject at hand".

Works Cited:

  

1) http://images.pearsonassessments.com/images/tmrs/CriticalThinkingReviewFINAL.pdf

2) Sachs, Andrew. "Course Design:  Critical ThinkingTasks for Students to Address." Lecture.The Link Between Writing and Critical Thinking. Web. 05 Nov. 2013. <http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~asachs2/English 102 Honors.htm>.

3) Some Guidelines for Critical Thinking and Writing: Analysis-contexts-discussion-conclusions. N.d. MS. Guidelines for Critical Thinking. Web. 05 Nov. 2013. <http://public.wsu.edu/~kimander/criticalthinking.htm>.

Memo 4: critical reading/thinking leads to effective communication/writing

The best way to develop a mind that thinks critically is through writing. 

(Anonymous)

This week I am looking for more connections between critical thinking (CT) and the process of writing. So, during my research on this topic I have found the actual program that teaches THESE skills , its name is "Write to the Point". Please feel free to check out the link, and I am going to go over the essence of the course here as well,as I have found it pretty daunting.
Therefore, here we go.

The name of the course speaks for itself, i.e "Write to the Point". According to the developers of the course "writing is critical thinking in its simplest form because, when you write, you draw from what you know (your experiences), seek relevant information (ask questions and research), and develop new concepts.

Good writing is also based on the universal intellectual values of clarify, accuracy, relevance and consistency, skills that are needed more than ever in the 21st century business world. It is refreshing to see the actual program that connects the idea of critical thinking to evolving of necessary communication skills that can be developed through critical writing.

Further,the program promises to develop the following skills upon the completion of the course: 

Paraphrasing: expressing the text, sentence by sentence, in your own words;

Explicating: stating the main point in one sentence and elaborating on this point, using examples and analogies/metaphors to clarity and explain.

Analysing: identifying the purpose, main question, most significant information, basic conclusion, assumptions, concepts and points of view contained in the text.

Synthesising: taking what you have summarized and analysed and connecting to your own experience, creating a new whole that reflects your newly acquired knowledge and insights.
Evaluating: checking for clarity, accuracy, precision, relevance, logic etc.

What I also liked about this program is that it lets one customize one's particular needs he or she is looking to fullfill during the course:

"Today, being able to write clearly is the key to personal and professional development. At Write to the Point, we will help anyone to improve their writing. We do not use off-the-shelf courses or buy courses from third parties and can customize our courses to meet your specific needs."

The course runs six weeks and includes the following steps:

Week 1: 

Critical reading  - starting point where one is learning what s/he is going to write about. Therefore, this module focuses on critical reading identifying tone, prejudice/bias, fact vs opinion, and logical fallacies (hasty generalizations, false analogy, circular reasoning etc.) and summarizing what one reads.

Week 2: Pre-writing.  The next stage is to generate ideas, based on one's reading and existing knowledge, that are appropriate for the purpose and reader of the document. This module introduces the tools of free writing and clustering, and the concepts of purpose and audience.

Week 3: Organizing. This module expands on the concepts of purpose and audience and looks at three ways of organizing your ideas and information logically: argument, outline and inverted pyramid.

Week 4: Powerful paragraphs. This module focuses on 

understanding how to write logical, well-developed paragraphs. The focus is on creating a coherent flow, using transitions and writing effective topic sentences.

Week 5: Sentences . Sentences are the building blocks of writing. This module looks at how to write clear sentences, recognize three common sentence errors, and understand how to make strong linking sentences/transitions.

Week 6: Consolidation: This module brings everything together and focuses on the importance of peer learning, through critiquing each other’s work.

To sum it up, critical thinking evolves through effective writing. Critical reading is an important and vital part of critical thinking and writing, and, in fact, anticipates any writing.To make the latter more effective, it is important to organize the ideas logically, keeping in mind both the purpose and the audience  for whom the piece of writing is intended. Coherence, transitions are the the keys for the powerful paragraphs. Finally, peer learning (peer editing, for instance) is a part of critical thinking which happens through critiquing each other's work.

More on critical thinking and writing is yet to come. Stay tuned)))

Works Cited:

"Write to the Point." Lecture. Write to the Point RSS2. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. <http://writetothepoint.co.za/>.

PhotoBlitz

Blitz: Photoblitz is the photo session where in 20 minutes one needs to find shots that represent different ideas (abstract, human emotions etc). According to the conception, under the rush of adrenalin (20 minute constraint) one can come up with some brilliant, or at the minimum, productive ideas. For my session I have chosen the surroundings of my home and so, here you have it!

Start Time

Abstract:

...an animal print, but guess what it is...

Unusual Angle:

...this one is good size vase; however, at a different angle it turned into just a glass...hm.. 

Dominated by a Single Color:

here..I loved the dominating white color of the plant 

Openness:

nothing represents to me more openness than the endless horizon of the ocean...

Human Emotions:

no comments..

~The End!~

All in all, photoblitz has been an interesting experience! Having to take pictures with a particular goal in mind and having to do it under 20 minutes (which was definitely enough time) was certainly adrenalin-driven. I also felt being in the shoes of a professional photographer who needs to meet the deadline.

Since I was doing my photo session inside, it was hard to think of a subject that represents "openness", therefore I did shortcut and took a picture of the ocean picture using Google Image.

Memo 3B: Continuing Down the Path

So... as I am digging into more research on critical thinking and its connections to writing, I have inadvertently found more information.
My prompt to Gita DesBender's Critical Thinking in College Writing: From the Personal to the Academic had discovered the following:

1) criticism is the process of responding to and evaluating ideas, argument, and style so that readers understand how and why you value these items;
2) CT-is fundamental to all disciplines.Really, no matter what area of study you are dealing with, "the application of critical thinking skills leads to clear and flexible thinking and a better understanding of the subject at hand";
3) be an attentive reader.To be a critical thinker you need to pay a close attention to WHAT you are reading, in other words, to put your "thinking" hat on: . "Instead of simply glossing over this important passage, you have actually stopped to think about what the writer means and what she expects you to get from it" (Des Bender 39);
4) stop and reflect. A critical thinker usually stops ever so often ans ask him/herself questions to check her/his understanding (metacognitive function);
5) pay attention to the language. Critical thinker pays attention to the language, idioms, key words being used;
6) list main Ideas. When reading a text, it is a good idea to jot down a list of  ideas or quotations in the notebook: this way you keep a track of all most important points of the reading. "These quotations give you a cumulative sense of what [author] is trying to get at in her essay, that is, they lay out the elements with which she builds her argument." (Des Bender 40).
7) Create personal response. "[...] if you have some clear thoughts about how you feel about the essay this is the time to write them down. As you look at the quotes you have selected and your explanation of their meaning, begin to create your personal response to the essay" (Des Bender 42).

Some writing strategies for personal response:

1) tell a story. Has the essay reminded you of an experience 

you have had? Write a story in which you illustrate a point that 

[the author] makes or hint at an idea that is connected to her/his essay.

2) focus on the idea that is personally important to you. Write down your thoughts about this idea in a 

first person narrative and explain your perspective on the issue.

3)If you are uncomfortable writing a personal narrative or using 

“I” (you should not be), reflect on some of the author's ideas that seem 

important and meaningful in general. Why were you struck 

by these ideas?

4) Write a short letter to the author in which you speak to her/him about 

the essay. You may compliment her/him on some of the ideas by 

explaining why you like them, ask the author a question related to the essay and what came up to you, start a conversation with the author.

Works Cited:

DesBender, Gita. "Critical Thinking in College Writing: From the Personal to the Academic."Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing. Vol. 2. N.p.: Parlor, n.d. 38-51. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. <http://wac.colostate.edu/books/writingspaces2/dasbender--critical-thinking.pdf>.

Memo 3a: Connection to the Course Texts

American education will never realize its potential as an engine of opportunity and economic growth until a writing revolution puts language and communication in their proper place in the classroom.  Writing is how students connect the dots in their knowledge.

The National Commission on Writing

             I had some hard time finding a great piece of relevant to my I-Search project information, but I was glad when I did. Hence, Gallagher's Write Like This has confirmed for the millionth time to be an awesome wealth of really useful info.
 Chapter 5, for instance, not only does provide an explanation for why writing is important, but it also suggests some easy-to-implement writing activities to try in the classroom. I, thus, found some great connections to my I-Search project and here they are:
1) the very act of writing creates new thinking; in fact it assists new learning (isn't a part of Critical Thinking?);
2) different kinds of writing activities lead students to focus on different kinds of information, to think about that information in different ways (diverse thinking, or CT?);
3) writing is a process when new ideas are generated, so it is a generator of a deeper thinking (!). Thus simple reading comprehension can be deepened by writing down the ideas about the text ("being asked to commit the words to the page generated new thinking");
4) in fact, writing evokes deeper thinking, it evokes understanding: when we just read or hear the text , our comprehension is just superficial, it is only after we write it down does it become clear and ready to be vocalized. So, I understood this process as critical thinking being born during the digesting phase of the reading, or at least its comprehension. Or, in other words, it seems that we are ready to efficiently discuss a certain topic we have just heard about only after we had put it on the paper and it is verbatim confirmation of our thinking and we tend to rely on it, therefore, we are more confident to go ahead and dive into the discussion about the topic. Thus:

Reading - Evaluating-Writing-Comprehension -Discovery of Thinking

Among the writing activities that the author suggests and the one I think supports my I Search topic is "I'd Like To Know More About..." strategy which provides students with sentence starters, like: "I wonder why ...", "What might happen if ..." and an inquiry on the topic that the students need to conduct. Therefore, while the latter invites them for inquiry and research (that  means the grounds of critical thinking), the former (the sentence starters) steer students into deeper thinking through writing. Loved this one and cant wait to try it out with my students.

                                                                         

Memo 2: From Critical Thinking to Writing...

At this time I have decided to make a move towards the question: what is the connection between being able to think critically and the writing process itself?

I have found few more great scientific insights on the issue I am researching and thought it would be great to share:

•  John Dewey (1916):  critical thinking lies in the student’s engagement with a problem.  Only by wrestling with the conditions of the problem first hand (evaluating), seeking and finding his [or her} way out (analyzing), does [the student] think" (makes inference).

  Critical Thinking Diagram

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

•  Meyers (1986): teachers ought to begin every class with “something that is a problem and a cause for wonder”.  Presenting students with problems, then, taps into something natural and self-fulfilling in our beings.  
• Brookfield (1987): critical thinking is “a productive and positive” activity. Critical thinkers are actively engaged with life.” 

Therefore.... Part of the difficulty of teaching critical thinking, therefore is awakening students to the existence of problems all around them. The problems, though, need to be geared towards real world application. It is part of a human's nature to look for solutions for authentic problems, and our job, as teachers, help our students to get armed with real-life strategies for solving these problems. So, what is the connection between Ct and writing process, anyway? Well, according to some internet research that I was able to do, writing seems to be a tool that helps to guide, form and synthesize our thinking.

Writing is a tool for Critical Thinking

The Link Between Writing and Critical Thinking. 

 Given the above view of critical thinking, what is the connection with writing?

 - writing is both a process of doing critical thinking and a product communicating the results of critical thinking.  

  If writing is merely a communication skill, then we primarily ask of it, “Is the writing clear?”   But if writing is critical thinking, we ask, “Is the writing interesting?  Does it show a mind actively engaged with a problem?  Does it bring something new to readers?  Does it make an argument?”  Academic writing[...] begins with the posing of a problem, a “solution” that must be supported with the kinds of reasons and evidence that are valued in the discipline. Writers produce multiple drafts because the act of writing is itself an act of discovery or, in Dewey’s terms, of “wrestling with the conditions of the problem” at hand.  Behind the scenes of a finished product is a messy process of exploratory writing, conversation, discarded drafts, and midnight agony.

Writing in Secondary School

Thinking of writing as a process and the forms that the writing can take, the essay tends to be number one in secondary education setting.

Th author of one of the scientific articles, thus, suggests six (6) strategies in order to ensure that your students write critically:

I Identify the basics of the topic
This is the introduction to your paper. Present the importance of the issue, outline context and potential ramifications. End your intro with a paragraph providing an overview of the following paper.

II Analyze the material
Analysis may be employed in different ways using different methods. Define your concepts and discuss your method. Analysis is about examination and synthesis: investigating components, identifying their qualities, strengths, and weaknesses, and connecting those in a coherent manner, demonstrating their relevance and importance for the whole. Always question content and relevance!

III Address different perspectives
Consider different viewpoints on the material. Never assume a certain perspective to be self-evident and obvious. Different analytical perspectives may reveal different ideas and understandings of the same event or idea. This analytical dimension requires examination and critique of scholarly opinions on your material.

IV Examine contexts
Identify and assess assumptions and ideological perspectives to be found in historical and social contexts. Interpretation is also conditioned by your own assumptions, cultural, and ideological bias. Analysis and interpretation is ultimately about disclosing and examining such contextually determined points of view.

V Identify own position
Your own opinion on the material in opposition to those of other sources, may be presented in a particular section, for instance after your objective analysis of the material and your discussion of different perspectives. You may also choose to inject your voice as a discussant throughout your paper. This is most effectively done in an objectifying manner without continuous use of the pronouns "I" and "my."

VI Conclusion
Consider the importance of your findings and their implications. Tie all strings together in an overview. Emphasize the qualities and importance of your investigation, and briefly outline directions of further study.

Works Cited:

1) Sachs, Andrew. "Course Design:  Critical ThinkingTasks for Students to Address." Lecture.The Link Between Writing and Critical Thinking. Web. 05 Nov. 2013. <http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~asachs2/English 102 Honors.htm>.

2) Some Guidelines for Critical Thinking and Writing: Analysis-contexts-discussion-conclusions. N.d. MS. Guidelines for Critical Thinking. Web. 05 Nov. 2013. <http://public.wsu.edu/~kimander/criticalthinking.htm>.