Introduction to Critical Thinking Unit / 11 lessons

CURRICULUM DOCUMENTATION

Term 1,2,3 or 4

Topic / Content description:
strands, sub-strands / Student Learning Questions / Learning Activities/Teaching and Learning Programme / Differentiation-Extension/
Support / Resources / Assessment
Homework
1 / Introduction
What is Philosophy?
What is Critical Thinking? / What is Philosophy?
What is an Argument?
What is a Reason? /
  • Watch what is Philosophy -You Tube Video
  • Use Booklets- Get students to distinguish Philosophical Questions into different areas- Metaphysics/Epistemology and Axiological questions? (See FAPSA Kit)
  • Get students to distinguish arguments from non-arguments- - use Critical Thinking revision game link.
  • Break down an argument into different parts before getting the students to complete a Kahoot
/ Extension students- Design their own examples of arguments and non-arguments.
Support students- Use the Revision Games online. / Booklet
What is Philosophy?
Critical Thinking Exercises
FAPSA Level 2 Training Kit / Get students to use the revision game for HW.
Kahoot
2 / What is Critical Thinking? / What is induction and deduction?
What is validity and soundness? /
  • Use booklet and ask students to answer questions in booklet while you go through the power-point.
  • Use power-point titled “Critical Thinking” to get students to identify when an argument is deductive/sound and valid.
  • Get the students to complete a Kahoot
/ Support Students – Give them the online link and revise Kahoot
Extension Students – Can design their own examples and share with the class. / Booklet
Critical Thinking Power-point-See Matthew / Kahoot
3 / What is a Philosophical Community of Inquiry? / What is a Community of Inquiry?
How do we run one in class?
What is Peer assessment? /
  • Show video of Community of Inquiry
  • Discuss the Guidelines for a COI & Explore Marking Key
  • Talk about the difference between Open and closed questions.
  • Hand out homework exercise- Get students to design an open ended question.
/ Support Students- Students can best prepare for a COI by formulating clarification questions
Extension Students- Students can watch a Philosothon video online to see best practice. / Booklet
Guidelines for a COI
Marking Key for COI
Question Quadrant- Phil Cam / Homework- Hand out homework exercise- Get students to design an open ended question.
4 / Axiology
Ethics in Sport / What is Ethics?
What are the two main ways in which people argue for an ethical issue?
Is it OK to take performance enhancing drugs? /
  • Distinguish between deontological and consequential arguments.
  • Show Top 10 Worst Cheaters in Sport
  • List open ethical questions that relate to sport.
  • Hand out COI stimulus for tomorrow. The principle of Double Effect.
/ Support- Students who are not clear on the difference between deontological and consequential approaches.
Extension- Students interested in Philosophy of Sport can watch Bigger faster stronger. / Booklet
Top 10 Worst Cheaters in Sport
Bigger Faster Stronger- Ethics in Sport
PowerPoint- Ethics in Sport
PowerPoint – Science Ethic and Sport- Vardy / Homework; Read the stimulus and design an open ended question.
5 / Ethics in sport
Philosophical Community of Inquiry / COI-Double Trouble (The Pig that wants to be eaten-Page 157) The principle of Double effect. /
  • Run a COI with half the class with the other half of the class marking.
/ Support- Students can judge in the first instance which will provide them with a chance to observe.
Extension- Students should be encouraged to draw on broad reading and examples from their experience to contribute to the COI. / Booklet
Marking Key / Research in depth a case of unethical behaviour in sport.
eg Lance Armstrong
6 / Epistemology
Pseudo-Science / What is a Conspiracy Theory?
The Moon Landings /
  • Get students to define ‘conspiracy theory’.
  • Read through some of the arguments suggesting that the moon landings
/ Support- Students can put together a glossary of terms.
Extension- Students can address the epistemological question “What is truth?” and apply it to a conspiracy theory. / Booklet
Apollo Moon Landings / Homework; Read the stimulus and design an open ended question.
7 / Epistemology
Philosophical Community of inquiry / Mozzarella Moon (The Pig that wants to be Eaten-Page 181). / Run a COI with half the class with the other half of the class marking. / Support- Students should be encouraged to enter into the discussion by asking questions of clarification.
Extension- Students should reflect carefully on the marking key to develop strategies for the next COI. / Booklet
Marking Key / Research some interesting conspiracy theories and report back to class.
8 / Metaphysics.
Free Will / Do we have free will? / Hand out the booklets and get students to answer the questions.
Show Whi Phi video on The problem of Free Will
Students to research the argument put forward by Pierre Laplace. / Support- students can play the game Hoopshoot- “Determinism”
Extension-Students put together an argument supporting determinism or free will. / Booklet
Hoopshoot game- Determinism
The Problem of Free Will- Whi Phi You Tube Video / Homework; Read the stimulus and design an open ended question.
9 / Free Will
Philosophical Community of Inquiry / COI-Bigger Brother (The Pig that wants to be eaten-Pge 25) / Run a COI with half the class with the other half of the class marking. Select students based on the marks given in the previous two COI’s include any student that previously missed out.
Tell students that they have an assessment task tomorrow on critical thinking and one of the three topics. / Support- Students can reread and summarize the COI Stimulus material.
Extension- Students can create a counter argument opposing the position they previously took. / Booklet
Marking key / Prepare for the assessment next lesson.
10 / Assessment / What have we learnt? / Give students the assessment task. / Support-Students on IUD will need to be assistance.
Extension- / Booklet
11 / Bad Arguments / What is a bad argument?
How can we spot a bad argument? / Give students some examples of bad arguments and ask them to explain whether the problem is relevance or insufficient relevance. / Support- Students can read through the booklet and identify fallacies in the booklet
Extension- Students can come up with their own examples of fallacies. / Bull Hunt Booklet
Notes:
Aims
This course works within a range of philosophical questions such as How do we know? (Epistemology) What is real? (Metaphysics) and What is Good? (Axiology) Underlying these areas is the study of logic and the skills of critical and creative thinking. Students will also be introduced to the practice of Community of Inquiry.
Content
The topics covered in this course will include:
• Philosophy in Sport (Axiology)
  • Conspiracy theories (Epistemology)
  • Free Will (Metaphysics)
Assessment
During the term, students will be assessed on their skills in Community of Inquiry and on their understanding of the different areas. A written assignment will be completed at the end of the unit.