Seeking the Ox: Developing Critical Thinkers at LFCC

Quality Enhancement Plan

For SACS-COC

May 2007

What is a QEP?

Q…Quality

E… Enhancement

P… Plan

The LFCC QEP: Purpose

The Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) of Lord Fairfax Community College aims to create a culture of critical thinking (CT) which permeates all aspects of the College community.

What is Critical Thinking?

Explain, analyze, and synthesize what we see, hear, and read Use creativity to discover multiple and diverse approaches to

issues Find relevant information to address tasks and problems Evaluate claims and evidence to draw reasonable conclusions Justify conclusions and solutions Apply concepts to real-world problems See connections and patterns both within a discipline and across

disciplines Reflect on our own thinking and learning.

Seeking The Ox

Seeking the Ox

Recognize…

That you don’t know

That you aren’t certain

That there is a problem

That things could be different

Discovering the Footprints

Seeking the Footprints

Begin…

to ask questions

to think about the issue or problem

to consider possibilities

to research, read, study

Perceiving the Ox

Perceiving the Ox

Catching the Ox

Catching the Ox

Do the Work

Practice!

Repeat!

Try (maybe fail)

Try again!

Study more!

Try again!

Taming the Ox

Taming the Ox

Get it under control

Build confidence

Practice (with a different focus)

Have a little more fun with it

Riding the Ox Home

Riding the Ox Home

Make it work for me…

Discover useful tricks

Be creative

Accomplish meaningful tasks

Establish a new comfort zone

The Ox Transcended

The Ox Transcended

Focus on other things…

What I know is there

I can get it if I need it

I don’t have to think about it

Move in the new comfort zone

The Ox and the Self Transcended

The Ox and Self Transcended

Recognize:

It’s not about me

Knowledge is not independent

I’m part of a much larger whole

There are connections and relationships

Reaching the Source

Reaching the Source

Go back to the beginning

Does the situation seem different?

How am I different?

How will I view the next problem, in light of my thinking on this one?

In the World

In the World

Thinkers…

give back

teach others

learn continuously

grow and change

make a difference