Day 14: The Pre-Research Process: Critical Thinking

Today in class we will continue our discussion of the pre-research process by dedicating our time together to a discussion of "critical thinking". Critical thinking can be loosely defined as "thinking about the way we think". If we apply the concept of critical thinking to our own writing, then it becomes, "thinking about the way we think about writing". A nice technical term for critical thinking is "metacognition". Hopefully our in-class discussion today will make these somewhat confusing definitions clearer for you. The outline for today's class can be found below: 

Critical Thinking and the Pre-Research Process

I. Brainstorming: What does the idea of "critical thinking" mean to you? What are some different components of the concept? Can you think of any related ideas? Synonyms? Why do you think we are talking about "critical thinking" at this point in the semester? 

II. Critical Thinking and the Demo Topic

Click here to view the "Pre-Research Portfolio" I've created for our class demo topic. I'll be updating this along with you as we progress through the various steps of our "pre-research journey", so feel free to consult with the doc for an example of the kind of work I expect of you. Also, don't forget to check here for a general overview and definitions for each step of the process. 

III. Critical Thinking: A Review

Now, let's take a look at this short presentation on the basics of critical thinking. The vocabulary should look familiar. After the review, we will look at this short guide to analyzing the solutions proposed by our organizations through various "lenses". 

IV. Application: A Critical Review of the Proposed Demo Topic Solutions

Now, with a partner (or in a group of three), take a few minutes to fill out this chart that asks you to critically examine the solutions proposed by the organization for our demo topic. Below are the links to the different pages for each solution:

1). Three Year Bachelor Degrees: CCAP_3 Year Degrees

2). Ending the "Athletics Arms Race": CCAP_Athletics

3). Move More Classes Online: CCAP_Online Classes

Once you finish your group discussion, take a couple of minutes to add your thoughts to the class wide GoogleDoc here. Please be sure to use a different color from the other groups. Once everyone has had a chance to post, we'll finish with a short class discussion about the comments and insights you've shared. 

Housekeeping Details and Homework for Tuesday

-By Tuesday, you must have parts 1-4 of the Pre-Research Portfolio completed. That means that this weekend will be your last chance to change your topic and/or organization. I will check what you have completed tonight and give you points for trying parts 1-4. By Tuesday, those sections of the document will be "locked". 

-Complete part 5 of the "Pre-Research Portfolio". This part asks you to analyze the solutions you've chosen. It is it's own sheet, so make sure to go to "Sheet 3" of the pre-research doc to fill it out. This will require a decent amount of time to do well, so be sure to account for that. 

As always, if you have any questions (or want a second opinion) on something, feel free to send me an email or come to office hours on Monday (3-4pm, FLB 4106).