"(W)e believe that thinking critically is a way of engaging in virtually any task that students undertake in school".
"(C)ritical thinking must be seen as a way of teaching the curriculum".
"(C)ritical thinking is a form of teaching, embedded in every aspect of life in the classroom". (Case, 2005(all)).
I found myself nodding in agreement with the Case article than anything else we've looked at over the course, with the possible exception of the Ken Robinson video last week. I'm thoroughly smitten with the idea of critical thinking as a form or method--a way of teaching, rather than a discrete and "often ignored or marginalized" or adjunct skill. I was particularly enamored with the example of the teacher who had her students create their own exam questions (Case, 2005)--everything about it is utterly brilliant!
The idea of critical thinking as a way/form/system of teaching and learning, completely embedded in every aspect of classroom life, obviously draws immediate comparison with inquiry. Obviously, I haven't had massive amounts of time or energy to explore the subject, but I'm truly wondering why critical thinking hasn't captured the collective imagination of the field as inquiry. Could it possibly be an equally (or even more) powerful paradigm for "transforming teaching and learning in a knowledge society"???
Obviously from my raving, I'm inclined to think and argue that it might well be. I have long argued that there are really only a couple of things I hope the educational system provides my children--those being critical thinking, a broad understanding of the world in which they live, and some civics. I'm blessed (and well aware that it is not typical) with two kids who are both "gifted" and voracious readers, so they can and do acquire "content" incredibly quickly and virtually effortlessly. But learning how to think rigorously--how to frame a question, research it, analyze/summarize/critique/synthesize the information they find, and then report/present/justify/defend (verbally, in writing, or in any other appropriate form of communication) their considered findings/conclusions--that takes considerable time to learn and do well, and excellent teaching to facilitate it.
I have tried to teach my children (and their friends, whenever I have the chance!) ever since they could understand the concept to question everything around them; to always ask why things are the way they are (and whether they could be different or better); to never simply accept the status quo; to challenge insufficient "explanations" such as "that's just the way it or" or "that's the way we've always done it". Obviously, this comes very much from who I am (and what I've done professionally--this is precisely how (good) journalists approach everything they encounter). It would be miraculous and utterly wonderful if the educational system did the same thing!
Of course, some might (and have) accuse me of raising "shit disturbers"--but these are the people who make change in the world. I hate to pick yet again on poor old Connect Charter School--as a family we do truly love so much of what it stands for and does--but I will yet again, to illustrate with an example. The school plays the national anthem at the beginning of every day. In a dinner conversation (initiated, I swear, by my child and not me!), my kids and I started thinking critically about the anthem. They quickly had concerns about the invocation of God, the militaristic tone, "what about people for whom it's not their 'home and native land'"?, gender ("all thy sons command"), and so on. They started to wonder about (unquestioning) "patriotism", and whether it's always a good thing. Then they started wondering why the anthem is played in various contexts. Some (government functions, military ceremonies, and so on) made eminent sense to them. But others such as sporting events made less sense. Inevitably, they turned to school. Playing the anthem was not daily practice at their previous school, and they started to become slightly skeptical or dubious about the practice of doing so at Connect Charter.
I suggested, as innocuously as possible, that they might want to ask teachers and administrators at the school about the practice. Perhaps, I suggested, it might be something they could discuss or explore within the school community. Suffice it to say this particular avenue of critical thinking was not warmly welcomed. They were complimented for their thoughtful inquiries, but any meaningful exploration of the matter was, shall we say, discouraged. They learned an important lesson about social/institutional control and conformity--about which they were able to think critically.
Implications: I will redouble my own efforts to incorporate critical thinking as a way or form of teaching, and strive to embed it as deeply as possible, in my own (adult ESL) practice. I may even try to think of ways to "steal" the idea of having students create their own assessment materials!
Questions/reflection: I will definitely seek out other literature on this fascinating avenue of exploration. Are there schools (or teachers) out there in the big wide world that embed critical thinking or use it as the way they teach the curriculum?
I can't resist one quick comment on the Binkley, et al white paper. I applaud the rigorous, thoughtful, and (overwhelmingly!) comprehensiveness of the 10 skills the authors identify and the extensive "KSAVE" criteria they enumerate within each skill (Binkley, et al, 2010). But I found myself having profound reservations about some of the assessment tools/techniques they explored. I was particularly uncomfortable with the discussion about assessment around collaboration and teamwork. They attempted to draw parallels with the professional world (although I think they had a rather narrow concept of the nature of work) and seemed to endorse tools such as OPQ (Binkley, et al, 2010). It made me extremely uncomfortable to contemplate using such "corporate", "human resources", and "Big Brother-esque" tools to try to assess schoolchildren. It seems, somehow, like a profound invasion of privacy to try to quantify all of these "personality characteristics". It made me envision the most dystopian worlds of science fiction literature and film and is something against which I would fight with all my might if attempts were to be made to introduce it into my own childrens' lives!
CITATIONS:
- Case, R. (2005). Bringing Critical Thinking to the Main Stage. Education Canada, (45)2, pp. 45-49. Retrieved 2014-08-06 from http://tc2.ca/pdf/profresources/Mainstage.pdf
- Binkley, M., Erstad, O., Hereman, J., Raizen, S., Ripley, M., & Rumble, M. (2010). Draft White Paper 1: Defining 21st Century Skills. Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills. Retrieved 2014-08-06 from http://atc21s.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/1-Defining-21st-Century-Skills.pdf
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