Critical Thinking Toolkit

Curricular Ideas (General)

Approaches and Strategies

• 8 Ways to Develop Critical Thinking Skills with EdTech, Global Digital Citizen Foundation
• 36 Thinking Strategies to Help Students Wrestle With Complexity, by Terry Heick, TeachThought
• Contemporary Issues Journal, a video provided by The K. Patricia Cross Academy
• Critical Thinking: Teaching Methods & Strategies, Mark Jon Snyder, Elon University
• Teaching Critical Thinking: Some practical points, by Linda Nilson in Faculty Focus
• Teaching Strategies to Promote Critical Thinking, Janelle Cox, TeachHub
• Variations, The K. Patricia Cross Academy

Discussion

• 5 Ways to Help Students Ask Better Questions, by Terry Heick, TeachThought
• Paper Seminar, a video provided by The K. Patricia Cross Academy
• The Role of Questions in Teaching, Thinking, and Learning,The Critical Thinking Community
• Three Categories of Questions: Crucial Distinctions, The Critical Thinking Community
• Two Professors, One Valuable Lesson: How to respectfully disagree, by Seesholtz & Polk in Chronicle of Higher Education
• Why Questions Are More Important Than Answers, TeachThought

Evaluating Sources

• Evaluating Sources: Know What's Credible on the Web, Winston Sieck
• Evaluating Sources - Critical Sources, YouTube video from Empire State College Online Library
• Evaluating Sources for Credibility, YouTube video from North Carolina State University Libraries
• Evaluating Information Sources, University of Louisville Libraries

Deep Reading

• The Art of Close Reading (Three Part Series), The Critical Thinking Community
• Close Reading, Odegaard Writing & Research Center, University of Washington
• Reading Assignment Strategies that Encourage Deep Learning, Faculty Focus
• Reading Difficult Texts, John C. Bean, Engaging Ideas
• Strategies to Promote a Deep Approach to Reading, Rick Reis, Tomorrow's Professor, Standord Center for Teaching and Learning

Resources for Students

• Becoming a Critic of Your Thinking, Critical Thinking Community
• Critical Thinking in Everyday Life: 9 Strategies, The Critical Thinking Community
• How to Study and Learn (Four Part Series), The Critical Thinking Community
• Introduction to Critical Thinking (Video), by Geoff Pynn, Northern Illinois University

Socratic Method

• Examples of Socratic Seminar-Style Questions, from changingmminds.org
• Socratic Seminars: Guidelines, Grant Wiggins, Authentic Education
• Socratic Teaching, The Critical Thinking Community
• The Role of Socractic Questioning in Thinking, Teaching and Learning, The Critical Thinking Community
• The Socratic Method: Fostering Critical Thinking, Colorado State University

Disciplinary Ideas

General Assignments

• A Sample Assignment Format, The Critical Thinking Community
• Critical Thinking Unmasked: How to infuse it into a discipline-based course, supplementary materials prepared Dr. Linda Nilson, Clemson University
• Critical Thinking - Faculty Resources, Florida State University Libraries, discipline-specific articles and resources

Arts & Humanities

• Critical Thinking About the Humanities, Michael Delahoyde and Collin Hughes,Washington State University
• Critical Thinking and the Liberal Arts, Jeffrey Scheuer, American Association of University Professors
• Diversity: Making Sense of It Through Critical Thinking, The Critical Thinking Community
• Enhancing Critical Thinking in Foreign Language Learners, Servat Shirkhani and Mansour Fahim, International Conference on Education and Educational Psychology
• Enhancing Critical Thinking Skills for Humanities Students: An Art History Model, Michael Reese, Johns Hopkins University
• Ethics Without Indoctrination, by Richard Paul in Educational Leadership
• Sample Course: American History (1600-1800), The Critical Thinking Community

Business

• 18 Examples of Using Critical Thinking In Business, Insight Assessment
• Creative & Critical Thinking in Business: Importance & Examples, College of Business, Illinois State
• Critical Thinking in Business Education, Brian Critchley, London Metropolitan Business School
• Critical Thinking Faculty Resources - Teaching Critical Thinking in Business, Florida State University Libraries
• Critical Thinking Means Business, Pearson
• Using Technology to Teach Critical Thinking in Higher Education – A Look at an Undergraduate Business Course, Mak Khojasteh and Janice Witt Smith, Winston-Salem University

Education

• 12 Strong Strategies for Effectively Teaching Critical Thinking Skills, Lee Watanabe Crockett, Global Digital Citizen
• Training Teachers to Teach Critical Thinking, Edutopia

Social Sciences

• Syllabus: Psychology 1, The Critical Thinking Community
• Critical Reading in the Social Sciences, Manuel Vallee, Berkeley
• Critical Thinking in the Social Sciences, Tom Byrnes, Valencia College
• Critical Thinking in Social Sciences: 6 Tips, Prezi presentation by Jermaine Walker

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics)

• Applied Disciplines: A Critical Thinking Model for Engineering, The Critical Thinking Community
• Critical thinking in Earth Science: Using the Model-Evidence Link Diagram, Temple University
• Critical Thinking Faculty Resources - Teaching Critical Thinking in STEM, Florida State University Libraries
• Assessing Critical Thinking in STEM and Beyond, Barry Stein et al, Tennessee Technological University

 

Objectives & Assessment

Active Verbs for Writing Outcomes

• Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain, EdPsychInteractive.org
• Revised Bloom's Taxonomy, CELT
• List of Measurable Verbs Used to Assess Learning Outcomes, SUNY Clinton
• Writing Course Learning Objectives (CIIA Teaching Handbook)

Assessing Critical Thinking Outcomes

• A Brief Guide for Teaching and Assessing Critical Thinking in Psychology, D. Alan Bensley, Association for Psychological Science
• Critical Thinking Class: Grading Policies, by Richared Paul, The Critical Thinking Community
• Promoting and Assessing Critical Thinking, Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of Waterloo
• Structures for Student Self-Assessment, The Critical Thinking Community

Creating Rubrics

• Grade Profiles, The Critical Thinking Community

Sample Rubrics: Holistic

• Critical & Integrative Thinking Rubric, Washington State University
• Critical Thinking VALUE Rubric, AACU
• General Education Critical Thinking Rubric, Northeastern Illinois University
• Holistic Critical Thinking Scoring Rubric, Facione & Facione
• QEP Critical Thinking Rubric, St. Philip's College

Sample Rubrics: Paper Assignments

• Critical Thinking Rubric for a Paper, NEIU
• Critical Thinking Rubric for General Ed Paper,University of Rhode Island - general ed critical thinking paper
• First Draft of Critical Thinking Paper, University of Rhode Island- high-level, highly-detailed rubric for a critical thinking paper

Sample Rubrics: Projects

• Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking (ARC) Scenarios, St. Petersburg College
• Sample Items from the California Critical Thinking Skills Test® (CCTST®)
• Quantitative Reasoning Scoring Rubric, University of Rhode Island

Books

Critical Thinking Guides

• Critical Thinking by Richard Epstein (424 pages)
• Critical Thinking: A Beginner's Guide by Sharon M. Kaye (174 pages)
• Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking: Concepts & Tools by Richard Paul & Linda Elder (print*)
• Pocket Guide to Critical Thinking by Richard Epstein (133 pages) (abridged version of author's longer book)

Cultural & Social Implications of Critical Thinking

• Intellectual Empathy: Critical Thinking for Social Justice by Maureen Linker (220 pages)
• Practical Media Literacy: An Essential Guide to the Critical Thinking Skills for Our Digital World by Nick Pernisco
• Weaponized Lies: How to Think Critically in the Post-Truth Era by Daniel Levitin (320 pages)

Developing Critical Thinking Skills

• Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking by M. Neil Browne (176 pages, print*)
• Critical Thinking: A Beginner's Guide to Critical Thinking, Better Decision Making, and Problem Solving by Jennifer Wilson (110 pages)
• Critical Thinking: A Powerful Critical Thinking Guide: 20 Effective Strategies to Improve Critical Thinking and Decision Making Skills by Mark Williams (a mini-book, just 54 pages)
• Critical Thinking Skills: Developing Effective Analysis and Argument by Stella Cottrell (282 pages)
• The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking by Edward B. Burger & ichael Starbird (157 pages)
• Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills by Michael Kallet (238 pages, eBook*)

Teaching Critical Thinking

• Critical Thinking: How to Prepare Students for a Rapidly Changing World by Richard Paul, Jane Willsen, and A.J.A. Binker (print*)
• Critical Thinking Development: A Stage Theory by Richard Paul (print*)
• Engaging Ideas: The Professor's Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom (2nd ed.) by John C. Bean (eBook*, print*)
• Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners by Ron Ritchhart, Mark Church, and Karin Morrison (eBook*)
• Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom by bell hooks (cBook*)
• Teaching for Critical Thinking: Tools and Techniques to Help Students Question Their Assumptions by Stephen D. Brookfield (eBook*, print*)

Discipline Specific Books

• Critical Thinking for Helping Professionals: A Skills-Based Workbook by Eileen Gambrill & Leonard Gibbs
• Critical Thinking TACTICS for Nurses: Achieving the IOM Competencies (3rd ed.) by M. Gaie Rubenfeld & Barbara Scheffer
• How to Think Like a Psychologist: Critical Thinking in Psychology by Donald H. McBurney
• Science Stories: Using Case Studies to Teach Critical Thinking by Clyde Freeman Herreid, Nancy A. Schiller, and Ky F. Herreid
• Teaching Critical Thinking in Psychology: A Handbook of Best Practices by Dana Dunn, Jane S. Halonen, & Randolph A. Smith (eBook*)

Textbooks about Critical Thinking

• Critical Thinking: Tools for Taking Charge of your Professional and Personal Life (2nd ed.) by Richard Paul
• Critical Thinking, Science and Pseudoscience: Why We Can't Trust Our Brains by Caleb Lack, PhD., and Jacques Rousseau, M.A. (284 pages)
• Becoming a Critical Thinker: A User-Friendly Manual (6th ed.) by Sherry Diestler (Pearson, 512 pages)
• Beyond Feelings: A Guide to Critical Thinking (9th ed.) by Vincent Ryan Ruggiero (McGraw-Hill, 190 pages) (print*)
• Critical Thinking (11th ed.) by Brooke Moore & Richard Parker (McGraw-Hill, 512 pages)
• Critical Thinking: A Concise Guide (4th ed.) by Tracy Bowell & Gary Kemp (Routledge, 328 pages)
• Critical Thinking: A User's Manual (2nd ed.) by Debra Jackson & Paul Newberry (Wadsworth Publishing, 368 pages)
• Critical Thinking: Learn the Tools the Best Thinkers Use by Richard Paul & Linda Elder (Pearson, 368 pages)
• Critical Thinking: The Art of Argument (2nd ed.) by George Rainbolt and Sandra Dwyer (Wadsworth, 496 pages)
• From Critical Thinking to Argument: A Portable Guide (4th ed.) by Sylvan Barnet & Hugo Bedau (Bedord/St. Martin's, 416 pges)
• Thinking Critically (11th ed.) by John Chaffee (Wadsworth, 608 pages)

Books for K-12 Teachers

• Moving from What to What If?: Teaching Critical Thinking with Authentic Inquiry and Assessments by John Barrell (eBook*)
• Socratic Circles: Fostering Critical and Creative Thinking in Middle and High School by Matt Copeland (print*)
• Teaching Controversial Issues: The Case for Critical Thinking and Moral Commitment in the Classroom by Nel Noddings and Laurie Brooks (print*)

* = available at CIIA or WWU Libraries