Critical Thinking

Second graders often shy away from the critical thinking questions.  When challenged with analyzing a topic or explaining their answers, they want the teacher or another student to share the answer.   In the past we have focused so much on students learning facts and skills to pass the standardized test, that the critical thinking part of the curriculum was saved until after the test.  However, recently we have decided that developmentally, K-2 students are not ready for standardized tests.  We are doing our best to move toward helping students use their higher order thinking skills more effectively. 

The Everyday Math program challenges students to be engaged in critical thinking.  Students enjoy being able to  think of different strategies to solve a particular problem.  When students work in groups, they are able to analyze and make decisions about problems.   They explain their decisions to the other groups.  This creates a great dialogue among the students.

Last week, our assistant principal was sharing with my students how to program a LEGO robot.  The questions that arose as he was sharing showed that the students were thinking critically.  The students have now been challenged to explore so that they can answer those questions.  

Other areas I try to model and incorporate critical thinking are reading, grammar, and writing.  I have challenged myself to move away from the worksheets and provide opportunities for students to discuss and develop strategies to assist them in understanding the concepts.  A few weeks ago, my students created poems and songs to assist them in understanding adjectives.  

We are moving more toward problem-based learning so that concepts will not be taught in isolation.  This will assist us in helping students think critically.   I will also continue to research ways to assist my students in thinking critically.  I hope to start more reciprocal teaching so that students will be more involved in analyzing, decision making, and explaining their decisions.