Module 4: Critical Thinking Rubric
In Week 2, we looked at multiple definitions of critical thinking. You have been practicing critical thinking in this course in writing about cultural experiences and responding to classmates. We have a sense of what critical thinking is, but how can we assess it in our students?
Rubrics are one of the best ways to assess complex skills. They describe
- areas (skills, competencies) to be assessed, and
- different levels of mastery.
For example, to assess language ability, rubrics are often divided into listening, reading, speaking, and writing; these are the areas (skills) to assess (#1). Then, descriptions are given of the different levels of mastery (#2). For example, The European Common Framework names levels of mastery A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2. Here are some descriptions of some of the different levels of mastery of writing.
A1: "I can write a short, simple postcard."
B1: "I can write simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest."
C1: "I can express myself in clear, well-structured text, expressing points of view at some length." (To read the full rubric, click here.1)
These examples help us see how we can describe the difference between different levels of ability. Now, how can we use a similar process, but to describe critical thinking? Here are two sample rubrics, to help give you some ideas:
This critical thinking rubric was designed for elementary school children 
(Clarity Innovations, 2017)1.
This one is a critical thinking rubric for project-based learning (Buck Institute, 2019)1. It indicates that it is meant for students in grades 6 through 12.
Neither of these will fit your situation exactly. You want to create a rubric that will fit your students, your context, and your ideas about what constitutes critical thinking. As you look over the models, ask yourself, Are the skills that they present important for my students? You may like some ideas but want to word things differently. In other cases, you may feel that there is no need to include an item in your rubric. Either of these are perfectly fine.
You also want to make sure that it is expressed in a way your students can understand. Some common strategies for this are:
- Use simple language, with words your students will understand.
- Words like "Unsatisfactory" and "Competent" or "Below standard" are fine for more mature audiences. For younger learners, you may prefer frequency terms, such as "Still learning," "Sometimes," and "Almost always" or even pictures, such as one smiley face :) for one level, two smiles for the middle level, and three smiles for the highest level (Buck Institute of Education, 2013).
- Use first person "I." For example, "I speak and write in complete sentences." Writing in first person can make the statements easier for the reader to relate to.
If you would like to see some examples of previous participants' work on this assignment, click here: Example 1 and Example 2 . Please remember that these are just two models. Your own work should be original and work for your students, in your teaching context. Therefore, your work might be very different from these models in content and form.
Take some time to look over these examples and think about which aspects of them would and would not work in your teaching context. After you have done that, move on to the next activity, which will walk you through a couple other examples.
1This content is not Public Domain or Creative Commons-licensed. The author has given permission for fair use and adaptation. Please use at your own discretion. Citation information can be found below, in the reference section.
References
(This content is copyrighted, and cannot be adapted in any way, or distributed after the end of this course. It is not Public Domain or Creative Commons-licensed, and therefore not for public use.)
Buck Institute for Education. (2019). 6-12 Critical Thinking Rubric (non-CCSS) | MyPBLWorks. https://my.pblworks.org/resource/document/6_12_critical_thinking_rubric_non_ccss
Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), Self-assessment grid - Table 2 (CEFR 3.3): Common Reference levels. http://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages/table-2-cefr-3.3-common-reference-levels-self-assessment-grid
(This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.)
Clarity Innovations (2017, July 03). Critical Thinking Rubric —Elementary. OER Commons. Retrieved from https://www.oercommons.org/authoring/22972-critical-thinking-rubric-elementary
Suggested Further Reading: Creating Rubrics to Assess Critical Thinking
(This content is licensed under CC BY 4.0 or CC0 and is free for public use.)
Bernstein, A., & Isaac, C. (2018). Critical Thinking Criteria for Evaluating Online Discussion . International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 12(2). Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1763&context=ij-sotl
Lassonde, C. A., Black, A., Miller, J., & Mi, H. (2009). Through rubrics and scaffolded instruction: a programmatic self-study of writing expectations . Brock Education Journal, 29-46. Retrieved from https://brock.scholarsportal.info/journals/brocked/home/article/view/90/91
Reddy, M. Y. (2007). Rubrics and the enhancement of student learning . Educate: The Journal of Doctoral Research in Education, 7(1), 3-17. Retrieved from http://www.educatejournal.org/index.php/educate/article/view/117/148
Želježič, M. (2017). Debate in EFL Classroom. ELOPE: English Language Overseas Perspectives and Enquiries, 14(1), 39–54. Retrieved from https://revije.ff.uni-lj.si/elope/article/view/7290/7097
World Learning. (2018). Rubrics. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/kp3rANE8z6s
World Learning. (2018). How to create a rubric. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/yW7ibkMgz0c
Suggested Further Reading: Assessment of Intercultural Competence in the Foreign Language Classroom
(This content is licensed under CC BY 4.0 or CC0 and is free for public use.)
Çetin Köroğlu, Z. (2016). Measuring English language teacher candidates’ intercultural sensitivity: A key
element to foster intercultural communicative competence . International Online Journal of Education and Teaching (IOJET), 3(1). 43-52. Retrieved from http://iojet.org/index.php/IOJET/article/view/118/121
Dalib, S. (2017). Probing intercultural competence in Malaysia: A Relational Framework. International Conference on Communication and Media, 33, 1-5. Retrieved from http://www.shs-conferences.org/articles/shsconf/pdf/2017/01/shsconf_icome2017_00045.pdf
Galante, A. (2015). Intercultural communicative competence in English language teaching: towards validation of student identity. Brazilian English Language Teaching Journal. 6(1):29-39. Retrieved from http://revistaseletronicas.pucrs.br/ojs/index.php/belt/article/view/20188/13593
Kojour, M. K. (2016). Intercultural communicative competence: A brief review of current thinking and literature. International Journal of English Language and Translation Studies. 4 (4), 12-20. Retrieved from http://www.eltsjournal.org/archive/value4%20issue4/2-4-4-16.pdf
To cite this page:
World Learning. (2018). Critical thinking rubrics. In "Integrating Critical Thinking Skills into the Exploration of Culture in an EFL Setting" [Online course].
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