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Developing critical thinking
with WebQuests
Presenter: Philip Saxon

What is critical thinking?
O A buzzword?
O A skill, with a
language of its
own?
O Something
computers cannot
(yet) do?
Arguably, it covers all
of this, and more!

On the Internet
It covers:
O Questioning what
we read;
O Judging the
reliability of a
source;
O Identifying an
author’s stance.

At work
O It’s vital! Computers
execute rules, that’s
all (today, anyhow).
O In advanced
economies, humans
must process rules
cognitively and solve
problems not
anticipated by the
“rule writers”.

In education
“Education must enable
one to sift and weigh
evidence, to discern the
true from the false, the
real from the unreal, and
the facts from the fiction.
The function of education,
therefore, is to teach one
to think intensively and to
think critically.”
(Martin Luther King Jr)

Or to put it another way…
“The important
thing is never to
stop
questioning.”
(Albert Einstein)

6 critical questions
Someone had something to say.
1) Who said it? How credible are they?
2) What did they say? Did they state facts, or an opinion?
Did they give all the facts or just
some of them?
3) Where did they say it? Did they say it in public or in
private? Was discussion possible?
4) When did they say it? Before, during, or after an important
event?
5) Why did they say it? Did they explain themselves? Were
they trying to make someone look
good/bad?
6) How did they say it? Were they happy/sad/angry, or did
they not care? Did they write or
speak? Could you understand it?

Our role as educators
This means we must help young people to:
O develop their communication and
problem-solving skills;
O and encourage them to think critically
(see previous slide).
So what is a WebQuest, and how can it
help?

WebQuests: a definition
Dr Bernie Dodge (first with the idea), says a
WebQuest:
O is a constructivist lesson format;
O is wrapped around a doable or interesting task
that is a scaled-down version of something adults
do;
O derives most (though not necessarily all) of its
source material from the web;
O utilizes information pre-selected by the teacher;
O often involves students assuming roles;
O critically, involves higher-order thinking skills.

Or to put it another way:
Longitudinal studies* suggest the defining
features of a WebQuest are:
O Constructivist problem solving;
O Social interaction;
O Scaffolded learning.
In essence: “good teaching, using the Web”.
* e.g. Zheng, Perez, Williamson & Flygare (2008)

A four-stage approach
Stage What happens
1 – Introduction Orients students and captures their
interest.
2 – Task Describes the activity's end product.
3 – Process Explains strategies students should
use to complete the task.
4 – Evaluation Measures the results of the activity.

A six-stage approach
Stage What happens
1 – Introduction Orients students and captures their
interest.
2 – Task Describes the activity's end product.
3 – Process Explains strategies students should
4 – Resources Introduces web sites students will
5 – Evaluation Measures the results of the activity.
6 – Conclusion Sums up the activity and
encourages students to reflect on its
process and results.

Success Criteria
These need to be explicit!
“Can do” statements are one way. There should
also be evidence of success.
For example:
O Level 4: thorough evidence
O Level 3: significant evidence
O Level 2: some evidence
O Level 1: little evidence

A War Poetry WebQuest
We will now examine a WebQuest centring
on the life and works of the World War I
poet, Wilfred Owen.
Two texts will be provided. In small groups,
do the activities and assess what learners
might gain from the WebQuest as a whole.

So why use WebQuests?
There are several benefits. WebQuests can:
O Foster higher order thinking skills;
O Draw attention to valuable content online;
O Serve to motivate learners;
O Scaffold critical thinking;
O Require learners to engage with sources,
and not simply regurgitate them.
So why not give them a try?

Ready-made WebQuests
http://webquest.org - a useful library
http://www.onestopenglish.com/teenagers/to
pic-based-materials/webquests/ - lessons
on festivals for teenagers
http://www.theconsultants-
e.com/resources/webquests/repository.aspx
- another good repository

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Developing critical thinking with WebQuests

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