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CRITICAL THINKING AND

REFLECTIVE PRACTICES

Unit 1-9 Course Code: 8611

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FACULTY OF EDUCATION
ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY

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DISCLAIMER
The materials for the content development of this course were initially collected and
prepared from several sources. A substantial amount of effort has been made to review
and edit the materials and convert them into this courseware. References and
acknowledgements are given as required. Care has been taken to avoid errors, but errors
are possible. Please let us know of errors or failed links you discover.

(All Rights are Reserved with the Publisher)

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Edition........................................ First

First Printing .............................. 2017

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Quantity ..................................... 40,000
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Price ........................................... Rs.
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Layout ........................................ Muhammad Javed

Printer ........................................ Printing Press Operations Committee

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Publisher......................................... Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad

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COURSE TEAM

Course Development Coordinator Dr. Afshan Huma

Course Writers Dr. Afshan Huma

Ms Khushbakht Alya
Ms Saima Afzal
Ms Uzma Tariq

Course Reviewers Dr. Afshan Huma

Dr. Fazal ur Rehman
Dr. M. Athar Husain

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Editor Ms. Humera Ejaz

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PREFACE
With the turn of new century it was palpable that new skills and capabilities are required
to meet the needs of rapidly changing and challenging world around us. It has been
realized that the teachers and learners of our education system around the country will
need to develop these promising skills and capabilities for the purpose of their own
personal and professional development. Critical thinking and reflective practices are of
those desired skills and abilities that every classroom now demands from teachers as well
as learners, no matter at what level we are teaching or learning. Critical thinking is one of
the basic skills that help us to effectively utilize those elements of cognitive process that
usually remain implicit. As a result we are enabled to apply various forms of thinking in
the process of attaining, understanding and analyzing the information. Once we receive
the knowledge we do not merely store it in our memory rather before doing that we
critically analyze the content being presented to us. We also learn to critically review the

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social phenomenon around us. Teachers need to become thinkers and researchers to play

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a vital role in not just educating but also in improving the field of education.

For the purpose of improving their own practices and for the larger goal of educational

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development in a country, teachers need to become reflective practitioners. Reflective
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practice is associated with learning from experience, and is viewed as an important
strategy for professionals who embrace lifelong learning. Reflective practices appear in
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many forms and some of these are reflective writing and research. The kind of research
that leads to bring action oriented change is the best mode adopted by the reflective
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practitioners. Critical thinking and reflective practices both aim at decisions about what
to do. As a professional one has to decide how best to achieve the professional goals.
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Usually we decide what to do on the basis of what we already value or on what we

already think makes for a good life. Critical thinking and reflective practice is valuable
for two main reasons. First, thinking critically increases our chances of gaining
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knowledge, and knowledge is valuable. Second, reflective practice is essential to making

up one's own mind about what to believe or what to do, which is essential for self-audit
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and accountability.

There are certain tools and techniques which are used to acquire critical thinking as well
as to become reflective practitioner. This course is being offered as a compulsory course
for all prospective teachers. The major goal of offering this course is to enable the future
teachers to become critical thinkers and reflective practitioners as well as to ensure that
they shall be able to develop these twenty first century thinking skills and practices
among their students.
I wish you all the best in this course and throughout this program of study that you have
chosen for the purpose of learning to teach.

Prof. Dr. Nasir Mehmood

Dean, Faculty of Education

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INTRODUCTION
This course is designed for teacher preparation programs at Allama Iqbal Open
University. It is expected that the teachers of twenty first century should be able to not
only learn and review the current literature, policies and practices in education but may
also have the ability to think critically and reflect upon the current practices to bring
positive changes. This course will introduce the prospective teachers to critical theory,
help them becoming reflective practitioners, initiate action research culture within
education, guide them towards critical discourse in verbal, and written form as well as
strengthen the community of practice in the profession of teaching. I am sure that this
course will help the prospective teachers in their personal and professional development.

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Dr. Afshan Huma

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Course Coordinator

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OBJECTIVESPr
After completing this course you will be able to:
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1. apply critical thinking and critical pedagogy in teaching
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2. analyze the content and design classroom instruction in innovative manner

3. review and reflect upon their own teaching practices for further
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improvement
4. conduct action research within classroom settings
5. become a cautious and active member of community of teaching and
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learning
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COURSE CONTENTS
Unit title Page No.
Unit 1 Introduction to critical thinking ........................................................................... 07
Unit 2 Critical Theory and pedagogy.............................................................................. 27
Unit 3 Teaching Strategies to help promote critical thinking ........................................ 51
Unit 4 Reflective Practice ............................................................................................... 79
Unit 5 Reflective cycle.................................................................................................... 97
Unit 6 Action Research ................................................................................................. 115
Unit 7 Reflective and Critical Writing .......................................................................... 133

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Unit 8 Tools and Techniques of Critical Thinking and Reflective Practices ................ 157
Unit 9 Communities of Practice and Knowledge ......................................................... 179

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