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
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- 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.
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!
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.
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.
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."
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.
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>.
Nadya: I think you've stumbled upon a real golden nugget here, and its wrapped in this phrase: "awakening students to the existence of problems all around them." If you could define critical thinking to just one phrase, this is it. And, this might need to become the new CORE of your ISearch, as I think it points you in a direction where students have agency and power and voice and where their learning has relevance and meaning to their actual lives. Also, isn't it cool to think of teaching as "awakening?" Like, we're not dummies waiting to get smart. We are asleep, sleepwalking, waiting to be awakened by someone dynamic and engaging and smart enough to know how. Cool, huh? Finally, I want to urge you to think beyond the essay, think beyond what you already know of school writing. Start with what you don't know and what you've never done. How is writing found poems on a fieldtrip to an art museum also teaching critical thinking? How is making greeting cards for the elderly residents of the nearby nursing home and delivering the cards to them teaching critical thinking? Now that you've lived in the box--essay after essay after essay--use your time in this class to imagine life beyond it. What does critical thinking and teaching writing look like beyond the walls of the box (school)? (Writing 25 word stories on homemade postcards, from the perspective of Lakshmi, after reading Patricia McCormick's novel Sold or making a scrapbook of significant items from the point of view of Holden in Catcher in the Rye and writing a journal reflection on the scrapbook.) Use literature and films and comics and narrative writing to build a foundation for your understanding of teaching critical writing. There's plenty of room in the curriculum for writing narratives and descriptions and explanations and captions and reflections. Don't worry!
ReplyDeleteSome texts to investigate, if you choose:
1. "Critical thinking in college writing." A chapter from a book called Writing Spaces. http://wac.colostate.edu/books/writingspaces2/dasbender--critical-thinking.pdf
2. "Teaching Argument for Critical Writing..." http://www.ncte.org/library/nctefiles/ej0996focus.pdf
I think it would be good for you to read both of these if you have time. Also, be sure to cite any and all ideas/words that you get from others' websites and articles, so that you can keep all the info you find in order and attributed to the right folks. Thanks!