Department of English/ / Educational psychology/ Master1 (Didactics) / 2020-2021/ Sem 2/Dr.

ARAR

TEACHING CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS

PART 1 Understanding Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
Introduction : Learning is much more than memorizing. According to Bruner (1966), “learning is a
process, not a product”. Learners also need to learn independent problem-solving and critical thinking
skills, because they must discover, analyse, and manipulate information. Discovery learning arouses
students’ curiosity, motivating them to continue to work until they find answers. Overall, critical
thinking and problem-solving skills equip learners with strategies to deal with problems in school and
real-life settings, and so prepare learners for 21st c requirements.
Critical Thinking Defined
- From Greek word meaning “discerning judgment based on standards”.
- It assumes that the capacity for good reasoning.
- It involves analysing, assessing and reconstructing information, and arriving to conclusions, on the basis
of arguments and evidence.
- It is the art of taking charge of our mind, so it pre-supposes self-reflection, monitoring, and self-
evaluation.
- It entails effective communication, problem solving, and decision-making.
- It preserves human thinking from subjectivity, over-generalisations, and narrowness
- It can be nurtured and developed by an educational process.
- It is a necessary skill required in and outside the classroom setting
Qualities of a critical thinker
- Observation: ability to perceive and understand the world around us, and to consider facts and ideas
from different angles; - Being a good listener, and communicating with others to find solutions. -
Curiosity, self-confidence and self-discipline. - Creativity: challenges pre-conceptions and
generating new ideas (ability to think outside the box); - Raising vital questions and formulating
them clearly; - Open-mindedness and empathy; - Flexibility in considering alternatives and opinions.
- Drawing insightful, reasonable conclusions. - Thoroughly explains assumptions and reasons. -
Humility and willingness to reconsider and revise views when necessary.

Problem Solving Defined

- It is the analysis and solutions of tasks/situations that are complex or ambiguous and that pose
difficulties or obstacles of some kind (Mayer & Wittrock, 2006). - It is also needed everywhere.
- In class, the teacher challenges learners with activities for which they are encouraged to use their mental
skills/prior knowledge to arrive to the required answers/solutions.
Qualities of problem-solvers:
- Being critical thinkers. -Having reasonable expectations.
- Exploring their options and finding new and productive ways to deal with new problems as they arise.
- Being socially well developed and finding ways to connect with people.
- Knowing the difference between complex and simple thinking: knowing when to do a systematic and
complex thinking and when to go through short cuts and find an easy solution.
- Applying problem-solving techniques in domains other than learning.

Common obstacles to problem-solving:

functional fixedness : when there is no flexibility in ideas;
problem representation: inability to understand ; for eg. When students understand exam questions in a
wrong way
 Department of English/ / Educational psychology/ Master1 (Didactics) / 2020-2021/ Sem 2/Dr. ARAR

Strategies to assist problem-solving: problem-analysis, working backward, analogical thinking

Problem-analysis:
That is dividing a problem into manageable sub-problems. The solution to each sub-problem contributes
to the solution of the whole problem.(e.g. A learner has difficulties in learning a language. This
difficulty is divided into categories: oral or reading comprehension, communication, and writing skills.
So, every category is dealt with separately for in the end the solution to the sub-parts will contribute in
solving the whole problem)
Working backward:
That is considering a problem from the last phase/ step to the first one. (For example, find out why
students fail at exams: a student failed at exams –he did not revise well – he took bad notes during
lessons—he has bad study habits and weak learning strategies)
Analogical thinking:
That is using knowledge or experience with similar features or structures to help solve the problem at
hand. Teachers can suggest helpful analogies. (e.g. raising a child is like planting a tree. If you put the
seed in a fertile land and you water it regularly, the plant grows; otherwise it fades and dies. Similarly, a
child needs a supportive environment where he receives continuous care)

PART 2 Teaching Critical Thining and Problem Solving

Introduction: Critical thinking is a high priority outcome of higher education – critical thinking skills
are crucial for independent thinking and problem solving in both our learners’ professional and personal
lives. Critical thinking and problem solving can be introduced and promoted in the language classroom
for all ages, through different activities and in the different language skills. Teachers have to be trained
to incorporate thinking, learning and language skills in a harmonious fashion. Critical thinking and
problem-solving can be taught and learned. Thinking and problem-solving skills can be incorporated in
daily lessons and classroom experiences, and instruction has to be student-centred and based on group
interaction.
Principles for teaching critical thinking skills
- Start early: it is important to tailor the activity for the children’s age, but it is possible to have them
use their brains as early as possible;
- Do not answer their questions right away: give them time to find the answers on their own.
Alternatively, have them work in pairs or groups and try to find the answers together.
- Stimulate students’ critical thinking by asking convergent and divergent questions (Convergent
questions seek one or more specific correct answers while Divergent questions seek a variety of
correct answers). Be a model for transforming ideas into well-formulated questions and answers.
Also allow them to ask questions to you and their classmates, to motivate inquisitive students;
Encourage brainstorming and open discussions.

Examples of questions: - Explain why/how …?; - How does … tie in with what we have learned
before?; - Compare … and … with regard to …?; - Do you agree or disagree with this statement?
What evidence is there to support your answer?

- Help students develop their own ideas, by providing scaffolding – techniques/strategies to help them
move progressively towards their goals.
 Department of English/ / Educational psychology/ Master1 (Didactics) / 2020-2021/ Sem 2/Dr. ARAR

- Encourage students to think in new ways: develop their capacity to see associations and relationships
between ideas; by helping them with necessary information, or help them recall related data
(previous lessons/practice activities/homework).
- Avoid over-testing, & encourage learners to experience with different activities in a thought-
provoking way. Emphasis should be on giving reasons for opinions rather than giving correct
answers.
- Encourage self-reflection, independent study and collaborative learning in the form of task-related
group work, peer review, or debates.
- Practice Role Playing (imagining they are someone else) calls upon stretching both their analytical
and creative mind.
- When necessary, use visual aids to help learners use different mental skills.
- Provide feedback, assess and evaluate to what extent critical thinking goals are reached, and make
learners aware of these evaluation criteria. This will help them to reflect on their own work and
improve the quality of their thinking and writing.

Principles for Teaching problem-solving skills:

- Teach within a specific context: Use real-life problems in explanations, examples, and exams. Do not
teach problem solving as an independent, abstract skill.
- Help students understand the problem by first defining the goal. If you succeed at helping students
answer the questions “what?” and “why?”, finding the answer to “how?” will be easier.
- Take enough time. When planning a lesson, devote enough time for understanding the problem and
defining the goal, both individually and as a class
- Link errors to misconceptions. And show learners how to learn from their mistakes.
- Learning has to be directed towards using information and skills to solve problems, and later transfer
their skills and knowledge to solve problems in real-life situations. (the more different kinds of
problems students learn to think about and solve in class, the more likely they will be able to solve
problems in real life situations)
- Encourage Project-Based Learning: This is a skill that's paramount to success in life beyond school.
Projects also promote creativity and collaboration in class, for students will have to put their minds
together and negotiate meaning, solve problems, and create something that will be the end product of
the project.
- Model a useful problem-solving method: Show students by your example how to be patient and
persistent and how to follow a structured method.

Strategies for Teaching Critical Thinking and Problem-solving:

Example 1: A strategy suggested by Bransford & Stein (1993), consists of the following steps:
1- Identify problems and opportunities (resources): List what is known about the problem, and
identify the knowledge needed to understand (and eventually) solve it. Ideally, students will develop
a mental image of the problem at hand during this stage.
2- Define goals and represent the problem: Be sure that students understand what they are expected
to find. Students need to determine by themselves the required background knowledge from
illustrations, examples and problems covered in the course.
3- Explore possible strategies: One key aspect in problem solving is teaching students how to select,
interpret, and use units and symbols. Help students to choose the best strategy by reminding them
again what they are required to find or calculate. Plan a solution. Choose the best strategy.
 Department of English/ / Educational psychology/ Master1 (Didactics) / 2020-2021/ Sem 2/Dr. ARAR

4- Anticipate outcomes: Help students to consider from the beginning what a logical type of answer
would be. What characteristics will it possess? Carry out the plan
5- Look back and learn: Encourage students to reflect. Once a solution has been reached, students
should ask themselves the following questions:
a. Does the answer make sense?
b. Does it fit with the criteria established in step 1?
c. Did I answer the question(s)?
d. What did I learn by doing this?
e. Could I have done the problem another way?

Example 2: Consider the cognitive domain in Bloom’s taxonomy of learning domains (1956 and
revisited by his students in 1990). It involves knowledge and development of intellectual skills. It
comprises 6 categories of cognitive processes. It offers a straightforward way to classify instructional
activities as they advance in difficulty. Each level is related to a different level of cognitive ability.
Teachers can then exploit this taxonomy to plan lessons in a way to introduce activities in the desired
level of difficulty. It is important to note that critical thinking takes place when learners perform higher
mental skills.

 Conclusion: Write an appropriate conclusion for the lesson, making your own synthesis

PART 3 Examples of Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Activities

The following are activities promoting critical thinking and problem-solving. As it may be noticed,
critical thinking and problem-solving can be promoted while teaching any language skill or content.
Teachers can devise or adapt different activities, depending on the level of learners and the objectives of
the course of the lesson.

Language activity: For activities that are about the language, you can have students categorize words
(good for vocabulary learning), make comparisons, memorize or sequence (facts in a story, names),
think of cause and effect, and so on.

Example of a role play activity: Pair students up and have them research a conflict involving an
interaction between two famous historical figures/ political leaders/ philosophers/ story heroes…. Then
lead them to decide which character they each choose to play. They will each have different points of
 Department of English/ / Educational psychology/ Master1 (Didactics) / 2020-2021/ Sem 2/Dr. ARAR

view in this conflict. Have them discuss it until they can mutually explain the other’s point of view.
Their final challenge will be to each suggest a compromise.

Moral dilemma: Create a number of possible moral dilemmas your students might encounter in life.
Write them down, and place each item folded up in a bowl or bag. Have each student draw an item from
the bag one by one, read it aloud, and then tell the class their answer on the spot as to how they would
handle the situation. This can be a good activity in a speaking class.
Critical thinking through writing: Writing requires students to identify issues and formulate
hypotheses and arguments. It requires them to focus and clarify their thoughts before putting them down
on paper, hence taking them through the critical thinking process. Writing requires that students make
important critical choices and ask themselves (Gocsik, 2002):

 What information is most important?

 What might be left out?
 What is it that I think about this subject?
 How did I arrive at what I think?
 What are my assumptions? Are they valid?
 How can I work with facts, observations, and so on, in order to convince others of what I think?
 What do I not yet understand?

Consider providing the above questions to students so that they can evaluate their own writing as well.
Some suggestions for critical thinking writing activities include:

 Give students information/data and ask them to write an argument or analysis based on the data.
 Have students explore and write about unfamiliar points of view or “what if” situations.
 Think of a controversy in your field, and have the students write a dialogue between characters with
different points of view.
 Select important articles in your field and ask the students to write summaries or abstracts of them.
Alternately, you could ask students to write a summary of your lecture.
 Develop a scenario that places students in realistic situations relevant to your discipline, where they must
reach a decision to resolve a conflict.