| 4.1
INTRODUCTION
|
| In
this section the tasks which were identified as requiring critical
thinking and, consequently having the potential to assess this skill,
are presented and discussed. The working definition of critical thinking
in this research is that it is: |
| Thinking
which involves evaluation and, perhaps, challenge |
| |
|
|
| 4.2
THE CRITICAL THINKING TASKS |
| In
the table below the tasks the task judged to require critical thinking
skills are identified. The information given is: |
| |
• |
The assessment report |
| |
• |
The location of the item |
| |
• |
If the marking criteria for the item were considered. Indicated by
* |
| |
• |
The title of the item o The year group assessed |
| |
• |
The task approach |
| |
• |
If the item appeared in the assessment of Maori students |
| |
• |
A brief description of the thinking aspect of the item |
| |
|
|
| Art
1995 |
| Page
43* |
Two
sculptures |
Y4/8
|
1
- 1 |
| |
|
What
do you think these sculptures are about? How do they make you feel?
|
| |
|
|
| Technology
1996 |
| Page
27 |
* Space game
|
Y4/8 |
Team |
| |
|
Play
a game and think about ways to improve it. Think of ideas for making
it more fun. |
| Page
28 |
Coloured
sheep |
Y4 |
Team |
| Page
29 |
Green sheep |
Y8 |
Team
|
| |
|
Think
up good points, bad points and interesting points about an idea. Discuss. |
| |
|
|
| Listening
and Viewing 1998 |
| Page
26* |
Looking around |
Y4/8 |
1
- 1 |
| |
|
Choose
a sign or poster which you think is very good and another which is
not very good. Explain why. What could be done to improve the poor
one? |
| |
|
|
| Science
1999 |
| Page
53* |
Environmental
issues |
Y4/8 |
1
- 1 |
| |
|
Judge
the relative importance of seven environmental threats and justify
your decisions. |
| Page
56 |
Vege peelings
|
Y4/8 |
1
- 1 |
| |
|
Maori
Evaluate and justify different approaches to organic waste disposal. |
| |
|
|
| Art
1999 |
| Page
38* |
Two paintings |
Y4/8 |
1
- 1 |
| |
|
Describe
and interpret two paintings. Explain differences. Give preference
and explain choice. |
| |
|
|
|
Graphs, Tables and Maps 1999 |
| Page
19* |
Best value |
Y8 |
1
- 1 |
| |
|
Choose
a brand of battery using a complex table of information. Justify the
choice. |
| |
|
|
| Aspects
of Technology 2000 |
| Page
22 |
Nut cracker
|
Y4/8 |
1
- 1 |
Maori
|
| |
|
Describe
the features of two different nut crackers and evaluate them. Which
is the best? Why? |
| Page
42* |
Timber factory |
Y8 |
1
- 1 |
Maori |
| |
|
State
the good and bad things about building a factory. Give reasons. |
| |
|
|
| Listening
and Viewing 2002 |
| Page
27* |
It's good
to read |
Y4/8 |
1
- 1 |
Maori
|
| |
|
Choose
two pictures from 9 to put on a poster. Justify your choice. |
| Page
35 |
Sweet stall
|
Y4/8 |
1
- 1 |
Maori
|
| |
|
Find
good points and not so good point about a video. What needs to be
improved? How could it be improved? |
| Page
36 |
Weet-bix
card |
Y4/8 |
1
- 1 |
Maori
|
| |
|
Think
critically about an advert. What are the messages? Do you think they
are true? Why is the advertiser giving these messages? |
| Page
38 |
Minties moments
|
Y8 |
1 - 1 |
|
| |
|
Think
critically about an advert. What are they telling you? Do you agree?
Why do you say that? |
| |
|
|
| Health
and Physical Education 2002 |
| Page
46* |
Options |
Y4/8 |
1
- 1 |
Maori
|
| |
|
Think
about problems and ways of solving them. Indicate good idea, bad idea,
not sure, to a number of possible solutions. Explain your choice. |
| |
|
|
| Writing
2002 |
| Page
29* |
Kids these
days… |
Y4/8 |
Independent
|
Maori |
| |
|
Listen
to two viewpoints about teenagers. Which do you agree with? Why? |
| Page
55 |
Really good
writing |
Y4/8 |
Team |
|
| |
|
Think
of all the things you can which make a really well written story.
Identify them in a given story. |
| |
|
|
| Visual
Arts 2003 |
| Page
38 |
Portrait
pairs |
Y4/8 |
1
- 1 |
|
| |
|
Identify
and explain similarities and differences in styles of painting. |
| Page
40 |
Wearable
arts |
Y4/8 |
1
- 1 |
|
| |
|
Form
and explain a personal response to artists work. |
| Page
41 |
George Street
|
Y4/8 |
1
- 1 |
|
| |
|
Identify
and evaluate relative merits of two artistic depictions of a scene.
|
| |
|
|
| 4.3
MARKING CRITERIA FOR CRITICAL THINKING TASKS |
| In
this section the marking criteria used in the NEMP assessments are
considered for a number of the tasks which were judged to involve
critical thinking. The intention is to examine the extent to which
the criteria capture the critical thinking aspect of the tasks. In
the table below the tasks selected are given together with those parts
of the marking criteria which relate to the critical thinking aspects
of the tasks. The coding categories for the responses are also given.
|
| |
|
|
|
4.3.1
Science |
1999 |
Task: |
| Page
53 |
Environmental
issues |
Y4/8 |
1
- 1 |
|
| |
|
Judge
the relative importance of seven environmental threats and justify
your decisions. |
| Marking
Criteria: |
| |
R15 |
Global rating of judgements
very strong
strong
moderate
weak
very weak |
| Comment: |
| The
other 14 marking criteria are directed to providing an overall view
of students' views on environmental issues. The results of the global
rating of students' judgements were not reported in the assessment
report, but do, to some extent, reflect the students' critical thinking.
|
| |
|
|
|
4.3.2
Art |
| 1995 |
| Task: |
| Page
43 |
Two
sculptures |
Y4/8 |
1
- 1 |
|
| |
|
What
do you think these sculptures are about? How do they make you feel? |
| Marking
Criteria: |
| |
Interpretation (naming, why painted this way, similarities / differences,…)
accounting for detail
narrative - tells a story
relevant use of art vocabulary
fluency of ideas
backing opinions with reasons
use of metaphor |
| |
|
undeveloped |
slightly
developed |
moderately
developed |
highlydeveloped |
| |
|
|
| 1999 |
|
| Task:
|
|
| Page
38 |
Two paintings |
Y4/8 |
1
- 1 |
|
| |
|
Describe
and interpret two paintings. Explain differences. Give preference
and explain choice. |
| Marking
Criteria: |
| |
R3 |
Interpretation
accounting for detail
narrative - tells a story
relevant use of art vocabulary
fluency of ideas
backing opinions with reasons
use of metaphor
|
| |
|
undeveloped |
slightly
developed |
moderately
developed |
highly developed |
| Comment: |
| |
|
These two tasks are very similar although the task presentation was
not the same. The evaluative nature of critical thinking is captured
in the marking criteria. |
| |
|
|
|
4.3.3
Graphs, Tables and Maps |
| |
|
|
| 1999 |
|
| Task: |
|
| Page
19 |
Best value |
Y8 |
1
– 1 |
|
| |
|
Choose
a brand of battery using a complex table of information. Justify the
choice. |
|
Marking Criteria: |
| R2 |
Explanation
of choice
Indicates consideration of ranking batteries for all 4 appliances
Has used battery data but less thoroughly
Any other response |
| Comment: |
| |
|
The marking criteria are too prescriptive to capture the critical
thinking behind the student response particularly well. |
| |
|
|
|
4.3.4
Technology |
| |
|
|
| 1996 |
|
| Task: |
|
| Page
27 |
Space game
|
Y4/8 |
Team |
|
| |
|
Play
a game and think about ways to improve it. Think of ideas for making
it more fun. |
| Marking
Criteria: |
| |
1. |
Quality
of ideas selected for making the game more fun. |
| |
|
Weak
|
Moderate |
Strong |
|
| Comment: |
| |
|
It
was felt that the critical thinking aspect of the task came from the
need to evaluate the game as it was played originally. This was not
captured in the marking criteria. |
| |
|
|
| 2000 |
|
| Task: |
|
| Page
42 |
Timber
factory |
Y8
|
1
– 1 |
Maori |
| |
|
State
the good and bad things about building a factory. Give reasons. |
| Marking
Criteria: |
| |
|
The
marking criteria are directed towards providing an overall picture
of student thinking on the issue rather than evaluating the thinking
of individual students. The criteria consisted of 18 possible responses
to the questions. For example:
Q1 and Q3: Good things about having a new factory:
R1 Creates employment, (directly)
R3 Makes town more lively, interesting |
| Comment: |
| |
|
The
assessment report gives the percentage of students who gave a particular
response and the marking criteria do not capture the critical thinking
of individual students. |
| |
|
|
|
4.3.5
Listening and Viewing |
| |
|
|
| 1998 |
|
| Task: |
|
| Page
26 |
Looking around |
Y4/8 |
1
– 1 |
|
| |
|
Choose
a sign or poster which you think is very good and another which is
not very good. Explain why. What could be done to improve the poor
one? |
| Marking
Criteria: |
| |
R2 |
Explanation
of features of picture chosen (Q2)
Ability to pick out features, colour, images, symbolism
Clear with multiple ideas
Relevant but not fully developed
On right track but vague
Any other response
|
| |
R4 |
Explanation of features of picture chosen (Q4)
Ability to pick out features for comment, and justify why picture
is not very good
Clear with multiple ideas
Relevant but not fully developed
On right track but vague
Any other response |
| |
|
|
| 2002 |
|
| Task: |
|
| Page
27 |
It’s
good to read |
Y4/8 |
1
– 1 |
Maori |
| |
|
Choose
two pictures from 9 to put on a poster. Justify your choice. |
| Marking
Criteria: |
| |
R3
|
Strength
of justification for choosing first picture
Strong
Moderate
Weak |
| |
R4 |
Strength
of justification for choosing second picture
Strong
Moderate
Weak |
| |
R6 |
Strength of justification for not choosing the picture you would not
use
Strong
Moderate
Weak |
| Comment: |
| |
|
The
marking criteria of both tasks seem to capture the critical thinking
of the students very well. |
| |
|
|
|
4.3.6
Health and Physical Education |
| |
|
|
| 2002 |
|
| Task: |
|
| Page
46 |
Options |
Y4/8 |
1
- 1 |
Maori
|
| |
|
Think
about problems and ways of solving them. Indicate good idea, bad idea,
not sure, to a number of possible solutions. Explain your choice. |
| Marking
Criteria: |
| |
|
For each of the 4 problems presented:
Strength of explanation given
Strong
Moderate
Weak |
| Comment:
|
| |
|
Again,
asking students to explain their choices is likely to capture the
nature of their critical thinking. |
| |
|
|
|
4.3.7
Writing |
| |
|
|
| 2002 |
|
| Task: |
|
| Page
29 |
Kids these
days… |
Y4/8 |
Independent |
Maori |
| |
|
Listen to two viewpoints about teenagers. Which do you agree with?
Why?
|
| Marking
Criteria: |
| |
R5 |
Overall, how persuasive are the reasons for the position chosen?
Strongly persuasive
Quite strongly persuasive
Moderately persuasive
Weakly or not persuasive
|
| Comment: |
| |
|
The
criteria are likely to capture the students’ critical thinking. |
| |
|
|
| 4.4
COMMENTS |
| • |
Tasks involving critical thinking skills were found in 7 of the
12 curriculum assessment areas. |
| • |
Art,
Technology, and Listening and Viewing contributed the most tasks. |
| • |
All
of the tasks are evaluative. |
| • |
Most of the tasks require students to explain, justify, or discuss
their responses and, consequently, have the potential to assess
the critical thinking of the students. It was felt that this potential
was realised very well in some, but not all, of the marking criteria
for the tasks. |
| • |
16(76%)
of the 21 tasks used the 1 - 1 interview task approach in which
the student works individually with a teacher, the whole session
being recorded on videotape. It seems likely that further examination
of the videotapes, looking particularly for evidence of critical
thinking, would be worthwhile. |
| • |
The
contexts of the tasks were quite varied. Students were asked to
make judgements about:
|
| |
paintings,
sculptures
posters
games
environmental issues
products
advertisements
social problems
stories |
| • |
It seems that a list of tasks of this nature would be a useful teacher
resource. |
