Critical Thinking: an introductory course for Logic | Lecture notes Logic

Oklahoma State University – Oklahoma City

Critical Thinking

Lecture Notes Seven

PHIL 1313

Fall 2022

Contents: Developing critical and creative thinkers

Lecture Notes Seven

If we think about a major goal of schooling as preparation for the world of work, “we need to be

concerned about whether schooling requires and develops creative thinking, because for [students] to

stay competitive in most jobs, it is and will be necessary for them to come up with their own ideas”

(Sternberg & Spear-Swerling, 1996, p. 8). However, in their study of student abilities, Sternberg and

Spear-Swerling concluded that while the students were “excellent at remembering and analyzing other

people’s ideas, [they were] not very good at coming up with ideas of their own” (p. 8). In a recent report

on skills of the American workforce, the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) stressed

the importance of students gaining skills beyond mere content knowledge. They state:

…strong skills in English, mathematics, technology, and science, as well as literature, history, and

the arts will be essential for many; beyond this, candidates will have to be comfortable with

ideas and abstractions, good at both analysis and synthesis, creative and innovative, self-

disciplined and well organized, able to learn very quickly and work well as a member of a team

and have the flexibility to adapt quickly to frequent changes in the labor markets as the shifts in

the economy become ever faster and more dramatic. (NCEE, 2007, pp. xxiv-xxv)

Thus, the challenge among schools is to develop within students the ability to engage as 21st century

thinkers.

To meet this challenge, critical thinking and creative thinking have surfaced as essential skills for all

students, regardless of level or ability, to possess in order to position them to address the complex

needs of the 21st century. These priorities are evidenced in changing educational standards, such as

those defined by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). The new, revised version

of the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) for students, teachers, and administrators

“define what students need to know and be able to do with technology to learn effectively and live

productively in an increasingly digital world” (ISTE, 2003a, inset). As such, the National Educational

Technology Standards for Students emphasize (1) creativity and innovation; (2) communication and

collaboration; (3) research and information fluency; (4) critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-

making; (5) digital citizenship; and (6) technology operations and concepts (ISTE, 2003a, inset). These

standards are quite different than those established in 1998, which had an emphasis on (1) basic

operations and concepts; (2) social, ethical, and human issues; (3) technology productivity tools; (4)

technology communication tools; (5) technology research tools; and (6) technology problem-solving and

decision-making tools (ISTE, 2003b, paragraph 1).

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Oklahoma State University – Oklahoma City Critical Thinking Lecture Notes Seven PHIL 1313 Fall 2022 Contents: Developing critical and creative thinkers Lecture Notes Seven If we think about a major goal of schooling as preparation for the world of work, “we need to be concerned about whether schooling requires and develops creative thinking, because for [students] to stay competitive in most jobs, it is and will be necessary for them to come up with their own ideas” (Sternberg & Spear-Swerling, 1996, p. 8). However, in their study of student abilities, Sternberg and Spear-Swerling concluded that while the students were “excellent at remembering and analyzing other people’s ideas, [they were] not very good at coming up with ideas of their own” (p. 8). In a recent report on skills of the American workforce, the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) stressed the importance of students gaining skills beyond mere content knowledge. They state: …strong skills in English, mathematics, technology, and science, as well as literature, history, and the arts will be essential for many; beyond this, candidates will have to be comfortable with ideas and abstractions, good at both analysis and synthesis, creative and innovative, self- disciplined and well organized, able to learn very quickly and work well as a member of a team and have the flexibility to adapt quickly to frequent changes in the labor markets as the shifts in the economy become ever faster and more dramatic. (NCEE, 2007, pp. xxiv-xxv) Thus, the challenge among schools is to develop within students the ability to engage as 21st century thinkers. To meet this challenge, critical thinking and creative thinking have surfaced as essential skills for all students, regardless of level or ability, to possess in order to position them to address the complex needs of the 21st century. These priorities are evidenced in changing educational standards, such as those defined by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). The new, revised version of the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) for students, teachers, and administrators “define what students need to know and be able to do with technology to learn effectively and live productively in an increasingly digital world” (ISTE, 2003a, inset). As such, the National Educational Technology Standards for Students emphasize (1) creativity and innovation; (2) communication and collaboration; (3) research and information fluency; (4) critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision- making; (5) digital citizenship; and (6) technology operations and concepts (ISTE, 2003a, inset). These standards are quite different than those established in 1998, which had an emphasis on (1) basic operations and concepts; (2) social, ethical, and human issues; (3) technology productivity tools; (4) technology communication tools; (5) technology research tools; and (6) technology problem-solving and decision-making tools (ISTE, 2003b, paragraph 1).

Oklahoma State University – Oklahoma City Critical Thinking Lecture Notes Seven PHIL 1313 Fall 2022 Contents: Developing critical and creative thinkers In comparing the two versions of the technology standards, it is clear that the shift has been made from simply teaching students how to operate technology to using technology to encourage problem-solving, innovation, and collaboration. But how do we develop students who are critical and creative thinkers, able to meet the challenges of 21st century thinking, learning, and doing? To reach these goals, we began with an extensive review of over 200 research articles and books written on critical thinking and creativity. As we reviewed the literature, we found that critical thinking and creativity were often defined and explained as complicated or vague concepts. For example, we understood that to be creative, one must be clever; but what does it mean to be clever, and how can you teach someone to be clever? If we simply listed clever as a characteristic of a critical and creative thinker, what could an educator do with that information? Recognizing this issue, the goal of our research is to practically define critical and creative thinking by identifying a set of specific skills that contribute to such thinking and are teachable within any classroom. Further, we set out to develop a set of instructional guidelines to help teachers transition their classrooms into ones that foster the development of critical and creative thinking skills among all their students.

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