Class Info: Critical Thinking

Using SEXI to define critical thinking:

State
"Critical thinking consists of mental processes of discernment, analyzing and evaluating. It includes all possible processes of reflecting upon a tangible or intangible item in order to form a solid judgment that reconciles scientific evidence with common sense.

Critical thinkers gather information from all senses, verbal and/or written expressions, reflection, observation, experience and reasoning. Critical thinking has its basis in intellectual criteria that go beyond subject-matter divisions and which include: clarity, credibility, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breadth, logic, significance and fairness."
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_thinking

Elaborate
There is another definition of critical thinking called Bloom's Taxonomy. In Bloom's Taxonomy, critical think skills are ordered from least complex to most complex. The list from least complex to most complex is:
Knowledge
Comprehension
Application
Analysis
Synthesis
Evaluation

From http://www.officeport.com/edu/blooms.htm, here are brief descriptions of each:
Knowledge: arrange, define, duplicate, label, list, memorize, name, order, recognize, relate, recall, repeat, reproduce state.
Comprehension: classify, describe, discuss, explain, express, identify, indicate, locate, recognize, report, restate, review, select, translate,
Application: apply, choose, demonstrate, dramatize, employ, illustrate, interpret, operate, practice, schedule, sketch, solve, use, write.
Analysis: analyze, appraise, calculate, categorize, compare, contrast, criticize, differentiate, discriminate, distinguish, examine, experiment, question, test.
Synthesis: arrange, assemble, collect, compose, construct, create, design, develop, formulate, manage, organize, plan, prepare, propose, set up, write.
Evaluation: appraise, argue, assess, attach, choose compare, defend estimate, judge, predict, rate, core, select, support, value, evaluate.

Analysis and synthesis are considered to be higher order critical thinking skills in Bloom's Taxonomy. In computer programming, we use the higher order critical thinking skills to design and code new Java programs. So, our class goal is to be able to analyze projects and problems and then to synthesize new designs and solutions in our Java programs.

So, the Wikipedia definition of critical thinking describes the higher order critical thinking skills in Bloom's Taxonomy.

eXemplify:
Being able to transfer knowledge of cell phone operation from one brand, say Motorola, to another, like Nokia, is one example. We know that all cell phones have certain capabilities like dialing a phone number, receiving a phone call, and sending or receiving a text message. The buttons we push to answer the phone or send a text message are different between a Mototola and Nokia cell phone, but we are usually able to figure out the differences and call or text message someone. This is an example of Analysis.

If, in addition, we want to experiment by creating then downloading new ringtones to our cell phone, that's an example of Synthesis. If we write new programs and download them to our cell phone, that's Evaluation and Synthesis.

Illustrate
In the Analects of Confucius, there is an illustration of higher order critical thinking skills. For Confucius, a student being "given three corners of a square and coming up with the fourth" herself is an analogy to critical thinking. Our goal in the Computer Programming class is to be able to be able to find the "fourth corner."