Friday, January 22, 2010

Thinking about Critical Thinking in Instructional Technology Research

Prior to reviewing the required materials for Critical Thinking in Instructional Technology Research, I spent some time actually “thinking” about Critical Thinking. I realized as I was reading that I really did not know much about it at all. The application of critical thinking is an essential concept when it comes to instructional technology research. The Universal Intellectual Standards and Critical Thinking Skills provide key components of Critical Thinking aptitudes when it comes to decision making, composing an argument, and researching purposes.

I found particularly interesting during the reading assignment is that in several areas of the Universal Intellectual Standards and Critical Thinking Skills set was the overlap of concepts. For instance, two areas that seems to overlap to some extent is the Universal Intelligent Standard of Depth and the Critical Thinking Skill of "Questioning Questions". If a student is just grazing the top of a concept, are they actually thinking critically? No, they're not. To better utilitize what they already know, teaching them to push beyond the surface and answer a question with a different question is one way to help them think more critically. To become a better critical thinker acquiring the skill of questioning what they do not already know is perhaps one means of discovering an alternative answer or solution from a different perspective. Acknowledging this overlap is as an essential tool when it comes to making grounded decisions based around instructional technology research as well as helping our students focus in on thinking critically.

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