#critical-thinking

Facilitate a Socratic seminar for deep discussion. Structure: 1. Select complex text or question. 2. Students prepare with annotations and questions. 3. Arrange in inner circle (discussants) and outer circle (observers). 4. Teacher poses opening question. 5. Students lead discussion, building on each other's ideas. 6. Teacher facilitates minimally, asks probing questions. 7. Debrief and reflect on process. Ground rules: speak to each other, use evidence, listen actively. Assess participation and thinking. Rotate roles. Develop critical thinking and communication skills.

Teach students to analyze primary sources like a historian. Framework: Sourcing, Contextualizing, Close Reading, Corroborating (Stanford History Education Group - SHEG). Activity: Give students two primary source documents about the Boston Massacre—one from a British officer, one from a colonial patriot. Analysis Steps: 1. Sourcing: Who wrote this? When? Why? Is it reliable? 2. Contextualizing: What was happening at the time that might influence this account? 3. Close Reading: What claims does the author make? What words do they use to persuade the reader? 4. Corroborating: How do the two accounts differ? Where do they agree? Which account is more believable and why? This moves students from memorizing facts to interpreting evidence.

Design a 4-level rubric to assess critical thinking in student essays. Criteria: 1. Identifies and summarizes the problem/question. 2. Considers and evaluates multiple perspectives/sources. 3. Analyzes assumptions and evidence. 4. Develops a well-reasoned conclusion or hypothesis. Levels: 4-Exemplary (sophisticated analysis, questions assumptions, synthesizes info). 3-Proficient (clearly explains, considers other views, logical conclusion). 2-Developing (identifies problem superficially, relies on limited sources, conclusion is weak). 1-Beginning (misunderstands problem, uses personal opinion over evidence). Use clear, observable language. Share rubric with students before the assignment.