Analysis of Teaching Methods Designed to Create Critical Thinking.

The Impact of the Methods will be Measured by the Level of Reflection in each Studentís Philosophy of Teaching

 

Submitted by

Carolyn Barnhart, EdD

 

Back to Scholarship of Teaching: 2003-04 Participants and Their Projects

 

 

Project Summary

Research Question. Analyze the level of learning based on critical thinking evidenced by the philosophy statement of each student. Determine which teaching method resulted in higher critical thinking skills.

 

Critical thinking is the ability to take the information generated by the first philosophy assignment and then formulate a value and belief statement that can be logically defended in reference to classical theories and the world of facts.

 

A team of OPID researchers at UW-Parkside under Research Director, Jonathan Shailor stated, ìIn order to be meaningful and beneficial, critical thinking needs to be conducted purposely, with an awareness of how it addresses the needs of self, others and the situation.

 

UW-Parkside (Shailor) Critical Thinking competencies include:

 

  1. Engaging in purposeful, sustained inquiry, generating effective questions.
  2. Applying ethical standards to oneís own and othersí thinking.
  3. Identifying and assessing arguments, claims, evidence and reasoning.
  4. Developing and working with concepts.
  5. Applying knowledge to novel situations.
  6. Appreciating multiple viewpoints and perspectives.
  7. Understanding, applying and evaluating humanistic and scientific methods of inquiry.
  8. Defining, analyzing and solving problems.
  9. Cultivating the habits of independent thinking, intellectual honesty, and self awareness (knowledge of oneís own limits).
  10. Engaging in discriminating awareness and judgment (connoisseurship).î

 

The Researcher (Barnhart) analyzed the level of critical thinking of students writing their philosophy statements in four sections of EDUC-326 Foundations of Education (Fall 2003, Sections 4 and 5; Spring 2004, Sections 1 and 2). Each semester one section was asked to write a Philosophy of Education (assignment #2) after they had answered the questions delineated on the Rubric (assignment #1). The other section was asked to write a Philosophy of Teaching (assignment #2) after they had answered the same questions as delineated on the Rubric (assignment #1). The researcher carefully used methods and terms appropriate to the assignments. The two sections writing the Philosophy of Education were challenged to think about their role as a teacher. While the students completing the Philosophy of Teaching were encouraged to think in terms of the learner and how to create moments of learning through the eyes of the student learner. Students in all sections were given the choice of writing their philosophies in first or second person. Whichever they chose, they were asked to remain consistent throughout the philosophy.

 

Course Context

EDUC-326 Foundations of Education is a course designed to assist students in defining the legal, historical, economical and political underpinnings of education. It is a required core course for education majors. A required artifact for the education portfolio is a philosophy statement. EDUC-326 can be taken by students prior to completing the Pre Professional Skills Test (PPST). Due to the fact that it is the first class in the educational core students representing several majors enroll in the course to determine if they would like a career in teaching. Students from the following programs have completed the Philosophy assignment:

 

  • Early Childhood Education
  • Family and Consumer Education
  • Dietetics
  • Hotel and Restaurant Management
  • Marketing and Business Education
  • Technology Education
  • Special Education
  • Any students in graduate programs in Counseling and Education

 

Students enrolled vary from freshman to graduate students.

 

Key Learning Activity

Students were asked to write their philosophy statement as an assignment (value 50 points out of 250 points for the course). The first assignment answered the questions on the rubric. The second assignment required the students to expand on their ìvalues and beliefsî about education or teaching. They could anchor their values and beliefs in prior responses from Assignment #1.

 

Key Findings

Research Question. Analyze the level of learning evidenced by the philosophy statement of each student. Reflect on the methods used for each section of students.

 

Finding #1:     The philosophy assignment did provide a format to measure critical thinking levels and compare methodologies.

 

Finding #2:     The works of Grow (1991) and W. Perry (1999) provided a framework to analyze the level of critical thinking related to a personís intellectual development (Perry) and stage of independence (Grow). The higher the independence and the higher the intellectual development resulted in higher reflective thought and analysis based on critical thinking.

 

Finding #3:     Students writing the Philosophy of Teaching were pushed to higher levels of critical thinking related to their relationship to the learner and the process of learning.

 

Finding #4:     Students writing the Philosophy of Education struggled with their level of critical thinking because most of the philosophies were written in second person. The writing was a statement of position as opposed to a reflective, personal commitment to a profession. There were exceptions.

 

Finding #5:       The researcher plans to continue the assignment. The first assignment will be a Philosophy of Education (using the rubric) and this will be followed four weeks later with the Philosophy of Teaching. Based on the results of the Philosophy of Education the researcher can include methods to encourage all learners to higher levels of critical thinking.

 

Evidence of Student Learning

Using the works of Perry (1999) and Grow (1991) as reviewed in Weimer (2002) the researcher determined if the student had continued the journey of learning between the first paper (assignment #1) and the second paper stating oneís values and beliefs (assignment #2). The researcher also used the work of  Jonathan Shailor from UW-Parkside on Competencies of Critical Thinking. The ten competencies were displayed at a poster session at the OPID Conference in Madison in March 2004.  Qualitative methods were used on the analysis after the grades had been submitted for the students. The researcher read all the IRB approved papers again and recorded patterns and key words to determine levels of intellectual development, independence and critical thinking.

 

Helpful resources

Grow. (1991) Teaching learners to be self-directed. Adult Education Quarterly, 41(3), 125-149.

 

Kloss. (1994). A nudge is best: Helping students through the Perry scheme of intellectual

development. College Teaching, 42(4), 151-158.

 

Shailor, J. (2004). Critical thinking competencies from an OPID critical thinking project at UW-Parkside. Poster at OPID in Madison, Wisconsin , March 2004.

 

Weimer, M. E. (2002). Learner-centered teaching. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

 

 

 

Links

www.criticalthinking.org

 

 

 

Back to Scholarship of Teaching: 2003-04 Participants and Their Projects