Visibility of eTwinning Projects Group July 2014 Newsletter
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------In eTwinning projects we need qualitative results
like this, considered important in many fields
because it enables one to analyze, evaluate,
explain, and restructure their thinking, thereby
decreasing the risk of adopting, acting on, or
thinking with, a false belief. The phases of critical
thinking are:
- trigger event – an unexpected happening that
prompts a sense of inter-discomfort and perplexity;
- appraisal – a period of self scrutinizing to identify
and clarify the concern;
- exploration – search for ways to explain
discrepancy of to live with them;
- developing alternative perspectives – select those
assumptions and activities that seem the most
satisfactory and congruent;
- integration – becoming comfortable with, and
acting on, new ideas, new assumptions and new
ways of thinking.
This is a Knowledge Model based on Critical
Thinking Skills, from
http://modelupdate.blogspot.gr/2009/07/criticalthinking-skills.html:
figuring out solutions to complex
problems.
eTwinners’ critical thinking “to do” list
How to improve critical thinking skills in eTwinning
projects? Scheffer and Rubenfeld (2000 & 2001)
discuss critical thinking habits and critical thinking
skills. For each of the critical thinking skills shown
below, they give a number of activity statements.
Critical thinking habits and critical thinking skills –
Scheffer and Rubenfeld (2000 & 2001):
Analyzing: Separating or breaking a whole into
parts to discover their nature, functional and
relationships.
-"I studied it piece by piece"
-"I sorted things out"
Applying Standards: Judging according to
established personal, professional, or social rules or
criteria.
-"I judged it according to..."
Discriminating: Recognizing differences and
similarities among things or situations and
distinguishing carefully as to category or rank.
-"I rank ordered the various..."
-"I grouped things together"
Information Seeking: Searching for evidence, facts,
or knowledge by identifying relevant sources and
gathering objective, subjective, historical, and
current data from those sources
-"I knew I needed to lookup/study..."
-"I kept searching for data."
Logical Reasoning: Drawing inferences or
conclusions that are supported in or justified by
evidence
-"I deduced from the information that..."
-"My rationale for the conclusion was..."
A well-cultivated eTwinner is a critical thinker:
Raises vital questions and problems,
formulating them clearly and precisely.
Gathers and assesses relevant
information, using abstract ideas to
interpret it effectively.
Comes to well-reasoned conclusions and
solutions, testing them against relevant
criteria and standards.
Thinks open-mindedly within alternative
systems of thought, recognizing and
assessing, as needs be, their assumptions,
implications, and practical consequences.
Communicates effectively with others in
Predicting: Envisioning a plan and its consequences
-"I envisioned the outcome would be..."
-"I was prepared for..."
Transforming Knowledge: Changing or converting
the condition, nature, form, or function of concepts
among contexts
-"I improved on the basics by..."
-"I wondered if that would fit the situation of ..."
A number of homework problems have been
included that are designed to enhance critical
thinking skills. Critical thinking \