A pedagogical model designed to help students develop strategies for critical thinking within a reading and writing context.

摘要

Critical thinking is essential for promoting literacy in both academia and the workplace, according to emerging research over the last decade. However, this term, slipping from one meaning to another, has come to represent a trend or even a movement. In order to use critical thinking as a means for intellectual growth, it must be rigorously reassessed and redefined, using its own most powerful features. These include inquiry and informed skepticism rather than a basic skills approach.;This investigation argues that reading and writing are integrally related to critical thinking. The synthesis of these elements was demonstrated in the research of cognitive theorists and social constructionists. These divergent groups have contributed greatly to understanding the reading and writing strategies of both novices and experts. Our pedagogies should be directed toward expert strategies, in the service of contributing to real disciplinary work.;I used one of these powerful strategies, metaphorical reasoning, as the method of choice to teach critical thinking through a proposed model. An exemplar of the model includes various ways of reading a group of literary texts through different metaphors. The corresponding series of assignments is based on the most convincing reading, writing, and critical thinking research.;The effects of a similar exemplar (which has been tested) on both students and teachers are reported. The criteria for testing the model, based on features of critical thinking as they relate to literacy, are outlined. The results suggest that, if the model works, it can be adapted to other disciplines. Failure of the model suggests either deficiences in the testing procedures or the inability of students to adapt to college-level work (to think analogically or to develop sophisticated reading and writing strategies).