{"id":112,"date":"2025-03-05T14:01:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-05T14:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/commons.bellevuecollege.edu\/gened\/?p=112"},"modified":"2026-03-04T17:15:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T17:15:30","slug":"articulating-our-ilos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/commons.bellevuecollege.edu\/gened\/2025\/03\/05\/articulating-our-ilos\/","title":{"rendered":"Articulating Critical Thinking:"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Proposed Bellevue College definition:<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Careful assessment of any position by clarifying and evaluating reasons for and against the position.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Becoming a critical thinker is the long and arduous process of learning to yield to the better reason. There are excellent and well-established methods for evaluating reasons on their own merits. We will outline some of these skills in terms of the SEE (State, Explain, Evaluate) model. Developing these skills will be the central focus of any developed critical thinking curriculum. Less directly, developing some of these skills will be among the aims of much of the rest of a good education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inquiry aimed at understanding and knowledge proceeds by clarifying and examining the available reasons for holding one view or another. Along the way, we aim to surface unstated assumptions, clarify concepts, appreciate inferential relationships and evaluate the arguments under consideration. That is, our thinking proceeds by making arguments. An argument, in the context of critical thinking, is not an instrument of persuasion, it is a data point in a process of inquiry aimed at better understanding, better justified belief, or better planning and action. An argument consists of premises, our starting points, and an inference which leads us to a conclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In practicing the reasoning skills central to the critical thinking curriculum, we cultivate a familiar set of intellectual character traits including intellectual humility, open mindedness, intellectual courage, persistence and thoroughness. As with virtues generally, these are not measurable outcomes that can be directly taught, but they can be instilled through mindful practice of reasoning skills. So, for instance, practicing intellectual humility and open-mindedness is implicit in evaluating arguments on their own merits, treating them as data points rather than mere assertions of one’s point of view or as instruments of persuasion. The qualities of mind we cultivate through critical thinking are essential not just to problem solving and truth-oriented inquiry (where truth here is understood in its primary literal sense of accuracy, or correspondence with the way things are), but also to fostering understanding across differing perspectives, engaging in productive disagreement, and sustaining democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether we aim to clarify a concept, understand a view or a person, inquire into what is the case, or solve a problem, arguments are the basic units of our thinking processes. The central kernel of a typical robust critical thinking curriculum focuses on examining and evaluating the arguments we make. Core critical thinking skills can be organized in terms of the SEE model:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

State the Argument:<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • Identify premises and conclusion.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Fill in missing premises if necessary to build the strongest version of the argument.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Map out the structure of complex arguments.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
    Explain the Argument<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    • Clarify the elements of the argument (aiming for understanding).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Analyze any concepts that might be unclear.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Explain how the premises are intended to support the conclusion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
      Evaluate the Argument<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      • Determine whether the premises support the conclusion.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Determine whether the premises are true.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        We are ill equipped to evaluate an argument we haven’t worked to understand. There remains much to be said about each of the skills identified in this model, how developing the skills operative in this model cultivate the intellectual character traits of critical thinkers, and how inquiry aimed at understanding and truth (understood as accuracy, or correspondence to the ways things are) is carried out through SEEing arguments. The SEE model provides a framework for organizing the various critical thinking skills that will be central to a robust meaningful critical thinking curriculum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Some Critical Thinking resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        David Morrow: Giving Reasons<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Parker and Moore: Critical Thinking<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        ThinkArguments<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Jonathan Haber, Critical Thinking<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Interview with Aidan Kestigian<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Critical Thinking Rubric:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Criteria<\/td>Examplary (4)<\/td>Proficient (3)<\/td>Developing (2)<\/td>Beginning (1)<\/td><\/tr>
        State the Argument<\/strong><\/td>Accurately identifies all premises and conclusion; fills in missing premises; clearly maps complex argument structures.<\/td>Identifies most premises and conclusion; attempts to fill in missing premises; maps argument with minor gaps<\/td>Identifies some premises and conclusion but misses key elements; mapping is incomplete or unclear.<\/td>Fails to identify premises\/conclusion; no attempt to map argument.<\/td><\/tr>
        Explain the Argument<\/strong><\/td>Clarifies all elements; defines unclear concepts precisely; clearly explains how premises support the conclusion.<\/td>Clarifies most elements; defines some unclear concepts; explains premise\u2013conclusion link with minor omissions.<\/td>Provides partial clarification; leaves key concepts undefined; weak explanation of premise\u2013conclusion link.<\/td>Offers little or no clarification; concepts remain unclear; no explanation of how premises support conclusion<\/td><\/tr>
        Evaluate the Argument<\/strong><\/td>Thoroughly assesses whether premises support the conclusion and whether premises are true (accurate); considers unstated assumptions; evaluates inferential strength.<\/td>Assesses support and truth (accuracy) of premises with some depth; notes some assumptions; evaluates inference with minor gaps.<\/td>Limited assessment of support\/truth (accuracy); overlooks key assumptions; weak evaluation of inference.<\/td>No meaningful evaluation of support, truth (accuracy), or inference.<\/td><\/tr>
        Context Awareness<\/strong><\/td>Consistently frames arguments within inquiry aimed at understanding, truth, or problem-solving; shows awareness of broader implications (e.g., democratic discourse).<\/td>Often frames arguments within inquiry; shows some awareness of broader implications.<\/td>Sometimes frames arguments within inquiry; limited awareness of broader implications.<\/td>Does not frame arguments within inquiry; no awareness of broader implication<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

        <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Proposed Bellevue College definition:\u00a0 Careful assessment of any position by clarifying and evaluating reasons for and against the position.  Becoming a critical thinker is the long and arduous process of learning to yield to the better reason. There are excellent and well-established methods for evaluating reasons on their own merits. We will outline some of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":73,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ilo-articulations"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.bellevuecollege.edu\/gened\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.bellevuecollege.edu\/gened\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.bellevuecollege.edu\/gened\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.bellevuecollege.edu\/gened\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/73"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.bellevuecollege.edu\/gened\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=112"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/commons.bellevuecollege.edu\/gened\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":183,"href":"https:\/\/commons.bellevuecollege.edu\/gened\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112\/revisions\/183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.bellevuecollege.edu\/gened\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.bellevuecollege.edu\/gened\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.bellevuecollege.edu\/gened\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}