Psychologists Teach Critical Thinking: A Special Issue of teaching of Psychology

This special issue presents some important ways of thinking about teaching critical thinking -- well-grounded in an understanding of what research has told us about how students learn. It focuses on how to design the instructional process to enhance critical thinking across the curriculum, and describes innovative ways in which questioning strategies, conference-style learning, negotiation, and writing can be used to promote critical thinking. Individual authors examine specific critical thinking skills of problem solving and argument analysis as taught within psychology courses, as well as critical thinking in psychology courses and in courses that are specifically designed to teach critical thinking.

The articles go beyond those typically found in Teaching of Psychology, describing techniques designed to achieve critical thinking as an instructional outcome. They characterize much more precisely those aspects of critical thinking that are the target of instruction, be it distinguishing between correlational and causal reasoning or enhancing metacognitive skills. They strive to make clear the reasons for selecting these particular aspects of critical thinking and particular instructional strategies for specific instructional contexts.


Table of Contents:
Volume 22, Number 1, 1995. Contents: S.G. Nummedal, D.F. Halpern, Introduction: Making the Case for "Psychologists Teach Critical Thinking." Part I:Beginning the Dialogue: Thoughts on Promoting Critical Thinking. T.A. Angelo, Classroom Assessment for Critical Thinking. J.L. Cooper, Cooperative Learning and Critical Thinking. S.A. McDade, Case Study Pedagogy to Advance Critical Thinking. J.W. Pellegrino, Technology in Support of Critical Thinking. Part II:Designing the Instructional Process to Enhance Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum. A. King, Inquiring Minds Really Do Want to Know: Using Questioning to Teach Critical Thinking. M.K. Underwood, R.L. Wald, Conference-Style Learning: A Method for Fostering Critical Thinking With Heart. D.A. Bernstein, A Negotiation Model for Teaching Critical Thinking. C. Wade, Using Writing to Develop and Assess Critical Thinking. Part III:Focusing on Critical-Thinking Skills: Problem Solving and Argument Analysis. C.R. Wolfe, Homespun Hypertext: Student-Constructed Hypertext as a Tool for Teaching Critical Thinking. J.H. Doolittle, Using Riddles and Interactive Computer Games to Teach Problem-Solving Skills. D.H. McBurney, The Problem Method of Teaching Research Methods. E.R. Carlson, Evaluating the Credibility of Sources: A Missing Link in the Teaching of Critical Thinking. D.A. Bensley, C. Haynes, The Acquisition of General Purpose Strategic Knowledge for Argumentation. C.L. Allegretti, J.N. Frederick, A Model for Thinking Critically About Ethical Issues. Part IV:Developing Critical Thinking in Psychology Courses. P.C. Smith, Assessing Writing and Statistical Competence in Probability and Statistics. S. Derry, J.R. Levin, L. Schauble, Stimulating Statistical Thinking Through Situated Simulations. J. Jakoubek, Developing Critical-Thinking Skills in Psychology Content Courses. B.B. Henderson, Critical-Thinking Exercises for the History of Psychology Course. R.W. Hubbard, K.L. Ritchie, The Human Subjects Review Procedure: An Exercise in Critical Thinking for Undergraduate Experimental Psychology Students. Part V:Teaching Critical-Thinking Courses. K.M. Galotti, Reasoning About Reasoning: A Course Project. G.L. Hanley, Teaching Critical Thinking: Focusing on Metacognitive Skills and Problem Solving. M.A. de Sánchez, Using Critical-Thinking Principles as a Guide to College-Level Instruction. J.S. Halonen, Demystifying Critical Thinking. D.F. Halpern, S.G. Nummedal, Closing Thoughts About Helping Students Improve How They Think.