002 - Thinking Critically
Conceptual Question
Why do people move to cities?
Approaches to Learning
Thinking - Critical Thinking Skills - Analysing and evaluating issues and ideas. Evaluate evidence and arguments
Key Terminology
Asylum seeker
Unauthorised/undocumented migrant
Trafficking
Informal Housing or settlement
Define the key terms above by using the useful links below. Write the words and definitions on the hand out that you received in our first lesson.
Useful Links
Activity One - Claim, Support, Question - Visible Thinking Routine
We are going to practice a specific thinking routine called 'Claim Support Question'. It is a routine that has been devised by Harvard Project Zero to help teachers to encourage their students to do the following:
Identify and discuss claims of fact
Look for patterns
Spot generalisations
Identify statements that are often believed to be true (assertion)
To work through the visible thinking routine we divide it into three key steps:
Step One - Claim
Make a claim about an idea or topic (create a statement about what is being examined, for example, the Swiss make the best chocolate.
Step Two - Support
Identify support or evidence to illustrate your claim, for example, Ms. Mart always has to take Swiss chocolate back home for her parents.
Step Three - Question
Create questions about your claim. Is there anything that might make you doubt the claim? What is missing? What needs to be explored further.
Task
Your task is to practice this routine by answering the following question:
Why did Cezar Cilberto leave Venezuela?
You will be using the grid on the hand out to practice the routine while answering the question above. You will need to use the information you have read on the hexagons from last lesson to answer the question. Remember evidence is key for the 'Support' section.
Useful Resource
Activity Two - Thinking Critically
For this assignment you will be using your notes from the card sort exercise, the mind map information about Venezuela, and your own knowledge. The aim is not to answer every single question in the list below but to choose ones that when you answer them you can show evidence of critical thinking. What does critical thinking mean?
Thinking Critically
"Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication..." taken from criticalthinking.org
Formal Requirements
You will have 45 minutes to complete this activity.
You can type your answers on a Google Doc or you can hand write.
Typed - size 12 font
Tahoma, New Times Roman or Verdana font
Create a header and write in it your name, the year, and I&S
There is no word limit for this activity.
You will need to write in full sentences and create paragraphs to discuss your answers.
Choose at least three questions to answer.
Use the format of the Thinking Routine of Claim, Support and Question to interrogate the questions you have chosen.
Communicate using the PEEL structure - point, explain, evidence, link.
Submit your typed work onto ManageBac at the end of the lesson or hand in your written work.
Remember that will not be answering all of the questions. In the time available you may only get chance to answer two or three!
Structure for your Paragraphs
P = point - what is your main idea for the paragraph?
E = explain - say why your main point occurs
E = exemplify - give an example of place with data to illustrate your point
L = link back to the question - to show the relationship between your point and what the essay is asking of you
How will I be assessed?
You will be assessed using Criteria D - Thinking Critically i, ii and iv.