The document discusses critical thinking, defining it as exercising careful judgment or evaluation in problematic situations where one must make a reasonable decision or judgment. It explains that critical thinking involves considering multiple perspectives, making reasoned decisions, and using intellectual tools like background knowledge, thinking strategies, and criteria for judgment. The document provides suggestions for how teachers can develop critical thinking skills in students and ways parents can encourage critical thinking at home.
Important information regarding how kids learn today and why we need to teach them to be critical thinkers… what are the implications for our children if we don’t? This video also presents many statistics – as a critical thinker we ask – where do these numbers come from? Who did the research? Are they reputable?
I would like you to think about these questions and at the end of the presentation we will revisit to see if your reasons changed.
Math – how to solve a problem – justify your answer in pictures and words. Reading: Predict what you think the book is going to be about: Look at the front cover, pictures, title and browse the back of the book. A good reader naturally makes predictions while they are reading any story or text. By encouraging these skills at a younger age help children develop comprehension while reading. The important thing about predictions is that you need to revisit the prediction several times while reading to see if the prediction was right. The next step would be to pause a few pages into the book or a few chapters in a novel in order for your child to think about the new information read. Ask them “ Think back to your first prediction – has it come true – is there anything new that you have read that would have you change or tweak your first prediction?” Continue this process throughout the story. When writing a story or non-fiction piece encourage your child to use a persuasive stance as this will also encourage critical thinking as they have to take a stance on a topic.
Here I would emphasize that we are open to reexamine and change our ideas based on new information learned. I used to think this but after I saw this then …. To clarify the fourth bullet a tolerance of ambuguity – here it is referring to the fact that not all things are explainable – hence the development of theories in our world. There is good and bad to this as well – Good being you are open to hearing new ideas… but bad being that you cannot accept everything you here – hence the critical thinking is so important
So what are these tools?
This image comes directly from Roland Case’s work with teachers in schools as they embark on developing lessons that encompass critical thinking.
Many of the students n my class are encouraged during open – discussion time to share their ideas or thoughts. We brainstorm many sentence frames for them to be able to use “ I agree with ____ because” I disagree with ____ because…. “ I would like to change my thought because when I heard Sally say ___ it made me think of…..
Can you assess which questions lead to use critical thinking vs giving a straight rote answer. Column one questions lead to a very specific one word answer – it is just asking the child to recall information and not use any higher thinking skills. Column two asks the child to make a judgement but does not ask them to justify which is a key component of CT. Column 3 asks questions that put the child in a situation where they must make a reasoned judgment based on previous knowledge and justification. These are good questions for enhancing CT?
At the beginning of my presentation I referred to messages that are conveyed through various media. We are in a digital age where students have to decipher a lot of information in small amounts of time. On the internet there is a constant stream of images, words that students have to think about as being reliable or valid. This is an essential life skills that gives students the chance to think for themselves.
You can see how it will take the students more time to make meaning of the information but because they are using their higher order thinking skills they will retain information longer. Hence the debate of math homework… Is it important that children do pages of math practice at home each night because that is what we remember doing. Or having them do a few problems where they are to justify their thinking in pictures, words, or to show their parents what they have been learning in class. This debate will continue but – again these questions bring us into an awareness of our world, possible biases that we may have and how students learn in today’s classrooms.
Why, How come, Can you tell me more about what you think about….
Here are some examples for young children
This article I found interesting as it shared some ideas about how to use wordless books to enhance critical thinking. Depending on the wordless book you can use this strategy at any age.
Information literacy skills: When children visit a library or are developing research skills they need to take into account: All of these ideas help students avoid plagarism as they are now able to make their own informed thoughts.
Nikolai is a boy who believes that if he can find the answers to his three questions, he will always know how to be a good person. His friends--a heron, a monkey, and a dog--try to help, but to no avail, so he asks Leo, the wise old turtle. "When is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do?" Leo doesn't answer directly, but by the end of Nikolai's visit, the boy has discovered the answers himself.
The Gardener brings us the winsome story of a young flower lover, Lydia Grace Finch. Forced by the hard times of the Depression, Lydia leaves her family to go to the unfamiliar city to stay with her Uncle Jim, an unsmiling baker. While traveling by train, Lydia writes to Uncle Jim, admitting she knows nothing about baking, but a lot about gardening. In Lydia's subsequent letters to her Mama, Papa, and Grandma we discover just what Lydia thinks of the city, subdued Uncle Jim, and learning to bake bread. Read Lydia's charming letters to find out how one determined slip of a girl brightens her city corner of the grim 1930's world.
t all begins innocently enough, when Violet the dog drops a fuzzy green tennis ball down a prairie-dog hole on the title page. When it finally lands deep in the underground tunnels, dozens of little dogs are gazing at it with trepidation. The biggest prairie dog of all, the bully Big Bark, comes to take a look, but before he can get close enough, Pip Squeak runs up to the ball and exclaims, ‘It's fuzzy!' ‘Oooooooh!' gasped the other dogs. This story helps parents and children discover all the different way one can look at green fuzz….
What are some question you have about the person in the picture? Pause - Example: Where is be playing? What song is he singing? As you continue to look at the picture the more in-depth questions you will start to have.. Should the man be playing his drums? Why is he choosing to play – is it for pleasure, work or is he busking? Pictures can be powerful prompts to encourage students to think beyond or justify their thinking.
You can google blooms’ taxonomy and you will get this list…
At this time I would like to read to you a very interesting article I found from scholastic parents online. I will read you the most important parts.