Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking

Agenda

• Discuss critical thinking

• Hoax test

• Rebus

• What would happen if ... ?

You don't necessarily need online apps to keep students engaged.

Critical Thinking activities are a terrific way to engage students and inspire creative thought.

But what exactly is Critical Thinking? Write your thoughts in the chat box.

What Do Critical Thinkers Do?

• They argue a point.

• They justify their reasoning.

• They look for interrelationships.

• They explore multiple perspectives.

• They evaluate.

• They adopt the most reasonable point of view.

What Do Critical Thinkers Know?

• That text is a construction, not a transparent window on reality.

• That by being both a composer and a reader of texts, they will develop a rhetorical awareness.

• That they must be active communicators and readers rather than passive consumers of texts.

Let's try out an example ...

Using Visual Texts for Critical Thinking

Why Use Visual Texts to Develop Critical Thinking?

• What we create and compose is increasingly multimodal, not neutral at all.

• Using material that students find accessible and engaging allows teachers to focus on skills beyond comprehension—skills that develop critical thinking.

For example:

Reading Photos

• What do you observe?

• Do you trust your observations?

• Why or why not?

• Let's play!

Hoax Photo Test

• On the following slides, you will find 10 photographs.

• Test your photo literacy by trying to guess which are the hoax photos (i.e. those that have been manipulated in some way) and which are real.

• Then click the button to see if your guess is correct.

Pres. Bush doesn't realize his book is upside down.

Real ... or a Hoax?

A man is kissing a big bear.

Real ... or a Hoax?

A car loaded-down with lumber. Note the person asleep in the front.

Real ... or a Hoax?

Senator Daschle pledges allegiance backwards.

Real ... or a Hoax?

A jet plane caught in the instant that it breaks through the sound barrier and causes a sonic boom.

Real ... or a Hoax?

A deer crashes through a windshield.

Real ... or a Hoax?

Image taken from a camera found in the rubble of the World Trade Center. A tourist poses for the camera, unaware that a hijacked plane approaches from behind.

Real ... or a Hoax?

A man shows off his 87-pound cat.

Real ... or a Hoax?

Shark Attack!

10

Real ... or a Hoax?

Michael Jackson's nose disintegrating .

Real ... or a Hoax?

So you can see how fake news can easily be spread if we don't think critically and do a little research.

Now let's take a 5-10 minute break.

When we come back, I'll send you into Breakout Rooms to work together on another Critical Thinking game.

Time to...

This is a stop-gap page to remind me to switch to the Rebus genially without the answers.

So let's play a little game called:

Rebus Roundup

Rebus puzzles use visuals that put a different spin on words or parts of words that are well known.

On the next slides, you'll find 20 rebus puzzles.

Figure out the word or phrase for each of these rebus puzzles.

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One last time to...

This is a stop-gap page to remind me to switch to the What if ... genially without the answers.

One more exercise. Thinking laterally.

What would happen if...?

This exercise is designed to help you think laterally and discover new ways of looking at the world.

Answer these questions using creative and constructive thinking.

You can use as much detail as you like.

If you have time, try to think of your own “What Would Happen?” questions!

What would happen if...?

1) ... there were suddenly no computers, tablets, or phones of any kind anywhere on Earth?

2) … we had to live in a world without electricity?

3) ... you woke up one morning to discover you had changed into a cartoon character?

4) ... all the animals in the world could suddenly communicate with us in our own language?

5) ... … you discovered your best friend was a superhero?