The session will feature an introduction to using online tools to teach creative and critical thinking skills for enhanced cross cultural communication and collaboration. Participants will participate in activities designed to teach critical thinking strategies called ‘Habits of Mind’ that encourage students to confront challenging problems by developing thinking habits including listening with empathy and thinking flexibly.
A ‘Habit of Mind’ means having a disposition toward behaving in an intelligent and reflective way when faced with a problem, the answer to which is not immediately evident. In other words, these habits encourage us to be thoughtful rather than reactive, creative rather than rote. As thinking educators of diverse learners, we are interested in providing a wealth of valuable learning experiences that will prepare our students to become capable and skilled problem solvers and communicators. We want them to be able to meet challenging conditions that demand strategic reasoning, perseverance, creativity and flexibility to resolve complex problems. We want them to know how to behave sensibly and collaboratively in any situation they may encounter and, most importantly, how not to behave. This is especially true when they are navigating the online world and using social media to communicate.
Research indicates that there are certain characteristics of effective thinkers and problem solvers that can be taught; these are the ‘Habits of Mind’ (HoM) as described by Costa & Kallick (2008). Although sixteen of these thinking habits are identified, that does not mean that there are only sixteen. These HoM are actually umbrella terms that are helpful in categorizing the kinds of dispositions we need to be adept at problem solving and the behaviors we require in order to put our problem solving skills to work. They may be employed face to face or in online contexts, but they must be practiced frequently to be internalized. When these habits are taught and practiced in a multitude of contexts, including through the use of online tools, and with culturally diverse interactors, students become better thinkers and communicators across cultures.