Twenty-fifth International Conference on Learning

Abstract

Employability research shows that the primary expectation both academics and employers have of students is to demonstrate critical thinking and a positive attitude to professional growth. We discuss student-focused findings mapped against Kuhn’s (2000) theory of meta-knowing abilities. The study tested the effectiveness of implicit vs explicit pedagogical approaches to critical thinking across three different levels of Psychology courses at two institutions. Findings show that explicit rather than implicit instruction and assessment significantly contributes to the development of critical thinking across all levels. Students in our approaches were instructed and assessed, while discussing and sharing a common aim with the lecturer: to become more accomplished critical thinkers. Therefore, they improved by actively reorganising their own mind, as they deliberately focused on their own thinking, integrated motivation and intentions, strategized and made long-term behavioural plans about how to develop critical thinking skills. We will be sharing the teaching material with colleagues and discussing the instruction and assessment in detail. We will demonstrate how the experiment was conducted, give colleagues the critical thinking test to attempt for themselves, and we will discuss in detail the setting up of a journal peer-review assignment aimed at promoting explicit critical thinking. We will share a copy of this assignment, the instructions students were given, examples of student work and how it was graded.