Evaluating critical thinking in the classroom.

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by the Fort Huachuca Quality Assurance Office

Critical thinking is the process of analyzing and evaluating thinking with the idea of improving it and taking it to a higher level. Critical thinking is key to the decisionmaking process and should measure the students' ability to formulate questions clearly, gather information using abstract ideas, develop sound conclusions, think without bias, and communicate effectively to figure out difficult problems. All thinking needs to be assessed for quality and can be accomplished by applying a set of standards: clarity, accuracy, precision, fair-mindedness, objectivity, and logic.

Rather than creating a whole new set of lesson plans and supporting materials, an instructor can incorporate critical thinking into existing materials. The first step in this process is to attend the 111th Military Intelligence Brigade Office of the Dean's pilot Critical Thinking class which discusses theory and provides the instructor with a practical exercise, wherein he/she modifies an existing lesson plan to encourage critical thinking in class. This may be as simple as re-writing existing class checks to challenge the students to solve a problem or do some analysis versus repeating key points the instructor just covered. Then, as more instructors in a particular course attend the Critical Thinking class, more of the course's lesson plans can be modified to engage the students in critical thinking throughout the instruction rather than waiting until an end-of-course practical exercise to help students "connect the dots" of key teaching points.

The evaluators in the Quality Assurance Office (QAO) currently use the 111th MI Brigade's Instructor Performance Evaluation Form and the Classroom Evaluation Checklist during our regular classroom monitoring. Both of these forms were developed using a Brigade-led tiger team of trainers, training developers, education specialists, training specialists, and evaluators. The checklist (see next page) is a separate means of assessing whether the instructor is using effective questioning techniques to encourage critical thinking in the classroom. Pending validation of the Dean's Critical Thinking class, QAO will again participate in the tiger team process with the goal of updating the standardized classroom monitoring forms to reflect an assessment of the incorporation of critical thinking into training.

Instructor Questioning Techniques

Does the instructor use questioning techniques effectively to strengthen student abilities to apply the elements of critical thinking? Effective Questioning leads to the desired student Learning Outcomes. Are the questions engaging students to find insights into their own thought processes? Are the questions asked throughout the lesson in a timely (relevant) and consistent manner? Are the questions presented from simple to a deeper complexity?

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STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR                        N/O
DEMONSTRATING CRITICAL THINKING                      or     See
Effective Questioning?                    Yes   No   N/A   Remarks

1. CLEARLY state the significant          a     a    a     a
problem, its goals/objectives.

Sample Questions: What do you need to
accomplish? What is the main purpose?
What are the concepts involved? Are
you stating it clearly?

2. ACCURATELY assess that sufficient      a     a    a     a
information has been gathered to answer
the problem goals to the correct
breadth, depth, and validity.

Sample Questions: What information do
you need to collect? How much is
enough? Have you checked your sources
adequately and fairly? What new
questions did the information raise?
Are there any other perspectives to
consider? What are the facts pertinent
to making an informed guess/plan? Do
you need to verify your data further?
What is the best way to verify the
data?

3. PRECISELY identify assumptions;        a     a    a     a
determine if they are justifiable.

Sample Questions: What are you taking
for granted? What assumption(s) led you
to that conclusion? What are the
assumptions others have about the
situation?

4. FAIRMINDEDLY identify all points of    a     a    a     a
view (strengths and weaknesses).

Sample Questions: What is your personal
point of view about problem/issues?
What other points of view are there?
How might your point of view color your
decisions?

5. OBJECTIVELY infer only what the        a     a    a     a
data implies.

Sample Questions: How do you know you
have remained objective in your
inferences? Have you used correct
logic in making your inferences?

6. LOGICALLY consider all possible        a     a    a     a
consequences and implications of the
results of reasoning.

Sample Questions: What are the
consequences of your conclusions from
all points of view? Are there multiple
implications from your decisions? Who
will the implications affect and how?
How will possible consequences affect
you and others?

Remarks on Instructor Performance:

Remarks on Student Reactions: