ICT and Critical Thinking
Thinking is an
internal mental process which may occur at any time, and is used to make sense
of experiences as it enables us to integrate new experiences into our existing
schema to make sense of the world around us. This is supported by Kizlik (2012)
when he asserts that thinking is a process of arranging a series of
transactions between items that are perceived to be information. All students
know how to think but as educators we need to teach the students to develop a
higher level of thinking which would allow then to learn more from their
experiences and make better use of their intelligence.
The central aim of education is to develop critical thinkers. Teaching critical thinking skills helps the students to become better thinkers which will not only enable them to be more successful at learning but will also equip them for life, thus enabling them to realize their own potential and to contribute to the development of their society and the world at large.
Through the use of ICT –mediated instruction students can develop higher-order thinking skills. Critical thinking is an intellectual process that questions information and examines facts. Barak and Dori (2009) also pointed out that critical thinking is a skill that requires the ability to think independently, clearly, reflectively, logically and rationally in an effort to take responsibility and to control one’s own mind. Barak and Dori (2009) further explained that when one engages in critical thinking it requires the ability to recall and reorganize information, thereby making the produced reorganized knowledge more meaningful.
Categorization and classification is one of the higher-order skills which can be developed through the use of ICT – mediated instruction. Categorization and classification plays a pivotal role in the development of humans from early childhood to adulthood. According to Hunter (2009) classification is the “grouping together of like things according to some common quality or characteristic” (p.1). We are surrounded by many objects, organism and ideas within the environment which we need to organize into categories. As posited by Ruhnke (2005) categorization is a cognitive process in which we assemble things according to their differences or similarities. One way in which the skill of classification and categorization can be taught using ICT is through the activity below.
Using ICT to Build the Critical Thinking Skill of Classification and Categorization
Critical thinking – Classification and Categorization
Grade level – Grade 3
Topic: Plane shapes
Children will listen to podcast in which plane shapes are mentioned as well as their properties.
They will watch short videos on You-tube about plane shapes.
Students will go out (school and the community) and take photos of shapes in the environment.
These photos will be downloaded onto the school computer where the entire class can benefit from identifying the various shapes, evaluating the properties of the shape(s) in each picture and then classify them into the different categories.
Students will be engaged in activities on the computer where they will be required to drag the different shapes into the correct category.
Children will construct a model using plain shape cut-outs. They will take a photo of the model with any appropriate ICT tool and present it to the class. The child must indicate the number of each shape that is used in the model. Teacher and the rest of the class must verify.
All pictures presented from the activities will be saved for future referencing.
Reference
Barak, M. & Dori, Y. J. (2009). Enhancing higher order thinking skills among in service
science teachers via embedded assessment. Journal of science Teacher Education,
20, 459-474.
EDTK2030. Information and Communication Technologies in Education. (2013). Unit 5
: Developing Higher order Skills with ICT Mediated Instruction. [Essential reading].
UWI Open Campus.
Hunter, E. J. (2009). Classification Made Simple: An introduction to knowledge organization
and information retrieval. Surrey, England, Ashgate Publishing Limited.
Kizlik, R. (2012). Thinking skills vocabulary and definitions. Retrieved from: http://www.
Adprima.com/thinkskl.html.
Ruhnke, S. (2005). An analysis of the relevance of categorization and the prominence of
basic level categories in written texts. A seminar paper for the seminar “Discursive
Linguistics”
The central aim of education is to develop critical thinkers. Teaching critical thinking skills helps the students to become better thinkers which will not only enable them to be more successful at learning but will also equip them for life, thus enabling them to realize their own potential and to contribute to the development of their society and the world at large.
Through the use of ICT –mediated instruction students can develop higher-order thinking skills. Critical thinking is an intellectual process that questions information and examines facts. Barak and Dori (2009) also pointed out that critical thinking is a skill that requires the ability to think independently, clearly, reflectively, logically and rationally in an effort to take responsibility and to control one’s own mind. Barak and Dori (2009) further explained that when one engages in critical thinking it requires the ability to recall and reorganize information, thereby making the produced reorganized knowledge more meaningful.
Categorization and classification is one of the higher-order skills which can be developed through the use of ICT – mediated instruction. Categorization and classification plays a pivotal role in the development of humans from early childhood to adulthood. According to Hunter (2009) classification is the “grouping together of like things according to some common quality or characteristic” (p.1). We are surrounded by many objects, organism and ideas within the environment which we need to organize into categories. As posited by Ruhnke (2005) categorization is a cognitive process in which we assemble things according to their differences or similarities. One way in which the skill of classification and categorization can be taught using ICT is through the activity below.
Using ICT to Build the Critical Thinking Skill of Classification and Categorization
Critical thinking – Classification and Categorization
Grade level – Grade 3
Topic: Plane shapes
Children will listen to podcast in which plane shapes are mentioned as well as their properties.
They will watch short videos on You-tube about plane shapes.
Students will go out (school and the community) and take photos of shapes in the environment.
These photos will be downloaded onto the school computer where the entire class can benefit from identifying the various shapes, evaluating the properties of the shape(s) in each picture and then classify them into the different categories.
Students will be engaged in activities on the computer where they will be required to drag the different shapes into the correct category.
Children will construct a model using plain shape cut-outs. They will take a photo of the model with any appropriate ICT tool and present it to the class. The child must indicate the number of each shape that is used in the model. Teacher and the rest of the class must verify.
All pictures presented from the activities will be saved for future referencing.
Reference
Barak, M. & Dori, Y. J. (2009). Enhancing higher order thinking skills among in service
science teachers via embedded assessment. Journal of science Teacher Education,
20, 459-474.
EDTK2030. Information and Communication Technologies in Education. (2013). Unit 5
: Developing Higher order Skills with ICT Mediated Instruction. [Essential reading].
UWI Open Campus.
Hunter, E. J. (2009). Classification Made Simple: An introduction to knowledge organization
and information retrieval. Surrey, England, Ashgate Publishing Limited.
Kizlik, R. (2012). Thinking skills vocabulary and definitions. Retrieved from: http://www.
Adprima.com/thinkskl.html.
Ruhnke, S. (2005). An analysis of the relevance of categorization and the prominence of
basic level categories in written texts. A seminar paper for the seminar “Discursive
Linguistics”