Abstracts

Critical thinking dispositions are the habits of mind developed from real-lifeexperiences and deliberate practice of specialized thinking routines. Students mustlearn to independently employ the appropriate thinking dispositions to specific criticalthinking problems that they are faced with in order to be successful in the collegiatesetting and in the workforce. The product of this project is a unit of study focused onWorld War II taught in an uncommon way. Instead of reading The Diary of AnneFrank, this unit of study puts a spotlight on a group of hidden figures, the MonumentsMen. By teaching students about some of the most famous art pieces recovered bythe Monuments Men, teachers will be able to facilitate the development of criticalthinking dispositions in their students. The unit is broken up into Art Focuses, whichtarget specific critical thinking dispositions. The Art Focuses include thinkingroutines and activities to encourage the development of the target critical thinkingdisposition. Each Focus is set up in an overview format in order to allow the teacherflexibility in planning and lesson delivery. There are three appendixes at the end ofthis project. Appendix A is the teacher edition, which is dedicated to how the unit isdesigned and how to use its components. Appendix B is the student edition, which isthe student workbook that includes the readings and art pieces. Appendix C is theresource book, which includes all of the critical thinking routine graphic organizers,directions for assessments, rubrics, and an MLA guide. The Art Focuses are designedto help the busy teacher with one of the most overlooked, but critical educationalproblem, teaching students how to think.Advisors/Committee Members: Neufeld, Susan M (advisor).