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| Critical Analysis and Thinking Skills (CATS). A program which teaches students how to apply critical thinking skills to problems and issues so that they will learn how to make more rational decisions and write persuasive essays. |
Audience CATS has been approved by the JDRP as a program for high school students (grades 9-12) of all ability levels. CATS has been used with students in the lower grades.
Description The goals of the Critical Analysis and Thinking Skills (CATS) program are: (1) to help students learn and correctly use basic critical thinking skills so they can analyze issues and problems more effectively; (2) to help students learn and correctly use a decision-making process so they can make more rational decisions; (3) to help students become critical readers so they can decode and encode information more effectively; (4) to help students learn the composing process so they can write persuasive essays of high quality; and (5) to provide a way for gifted students to realize their intellectual and creative potential. CATS projects, which fall into two distinct phases, were developed to provide teachers with a practical and tested way for implementing CATS in the real world of the classroom. Phase 1 (Defining and Evaluating). Students learn how to precisely define the issue at hand, evaluate the issue (i.e., how to obtain a wide range of relevant information), and then how to prioritize and assess the information for credibility. Students use the CATS six-step, decision-making process to define and evaluate the issue using specially formatted worksheets to complete the process. Phase 2 (Writing and Revising). Students have on worksheets a highly organized version of the issue from which it is a relatively simple matter to write and revise a persuasive essay.
Students learn critical-thinking skills and how to apply these skills to issue analysis. These skills include: conceptual analysis, deductive and inductive reasoning, and priority analysis. Students are constantly called upon to analyze and synthesize their thinking. Students function at the evaluation level which most taxonomies identify as the highest of the higher order thinking skills. In addition, students are learning the important skills of critical reading and persuasive essay writing. In order to obtain benefits, students complete five CATS projects per semester. Since CATS is used as another teaching method in place of such things as lecturing and giving quizzes five times per semester, students do not suffer as far as acquisition of course content is concerned. However, with CATS, students gain an extra dimension for their education. CATS has been used in social studies, language arts, and related classes. Other adaptations are in progress at this time. CATS has developed special Advanced CATS Projects for the gifted student.
Evidence of Effectiveness CATS students make significant (p<.01) and large (greater then .8 standard deviations) gains as measured by the Critical Thinking Test (CTT) and the Essay. CATS students score significantly (p<.01) higher than comparison students as measured by the CTT and Essay. The magnitude of these differences was greater that .7 standard deviations.
Requirements Teachers receive CATS training in a one-day workshop. During the workshop, teachers complete a CATS Project (small-group work) and then learn how to use CATS in their classrooms. Follow-up can be accomplished in several ways; phone, mail, or on-site visit. CATS training requires no special equipment or facilities.
Services CATS staff and trainers certified by CATS can provide a variety of services to educators. Training, except in rare instances, is accomplished at the adopter site. Visitors are welcome at the program site by appointment. CATS staff will conduct awareness sessions anywhere in the U.S. or possessions (cost to be negotiated). Follow-up services as described above are provided (costs to be negotiated). Costs of a one-day workshop are: trainer=$250; travel, lodging, meals and other expenses=actual cost; materials=$45 per teacher. Included in the materials cost is the CATS Instructional Package, Making Rational Decisions, which is used both for the workshop and for classroom implementation.
Development Funding: USOE ESEA Title III.
JDRP No. 77-106 (1/11/77)
Recertified (3/29/91)
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[Davis County Indian Homework Centers Program (IHC)]