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Jul
17
Trying to meet the challenge of teaching critical thinking skills to kids who hate to read or write.
Filed Under "At-risk" students, Computers In The Classroom, Engaging Assignments and Activities for Students, Web 2.0 tools and technologies, motivating students
I think we can agree that whatever skills kids will need in the 21st century, the ability to think critically is definitely going to be one of them. My challenge is to teach critical thinking skills to kids who hate to read and/or write. I’m really worried about some of my students.In order to think critically about something, you need to be armed with facts. You need something to think critically with. Reading helps develop a storehouse of useful background knowledge and writing helps you clarify your thoughts. Some of my students avoid both, and I think they’ll lose out because of it.I know that students can learn facts by listening to someone and that they can practice their critical thinking skills in discussions. How can I use this knowledge in my classroom to best advantage? Maybe almost everything in my class should be done orally so no one has to read or write much. (I’m trying to think outside the box here.) I could teach the lesson, and then we could discuss it. When I want to assign a writing activity so they could practice clarifying their thoughts, I could get my reluctant writers to do this via Twitter. Surely 140 characters isn’t too much to ask them to write. Too bad Twitter is blocked at my school.
I’m only half joking about using Twitter in the classroom. Maybe asking my more reluctant/struggling students to communicate in 140 characters would engage them. Sort of prime the pump, as it were. Then later on I could ask for paragraphs and essays. Besides I’m always saying it’s not about quantity, it’s about quality.
Now I’m sure that some of you reading this may think I’ve lost my mind. Luckily it’s the summer holidays, and I’ve got lots of time to find it. I’ll take it along with Twitter to class in September and see what happens.
photo by James Cridland
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7 Responses to “Trying to meet the challenge of teaching critical thinking skills to kids who hate to read or write.”
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Too many teachers confuse thinking ability with reading ability. Not only are they not the same, they are barely related.
I teach students who do not like to read and do so between four and six grade levels below the one they are in.
Too often teachers who are confronted with these students do not even try to assess their thinking abilities. It is completely unfair and insulting to those kids and an indictment of the teacher.
Despite their poor reading abilities my students can reason, infer, predict, and use other skills that we teachers think of as literary skills. I know they have these abilities because we talk about books, articles and other written materials they access via tape recordings.
Continue to think outside of the box, and don’t put your reluctant readers and writers into one. Be open to ways to assess, teach and learn from those children who most challenge you.
Deven Black´s last blog ..Technology Leadership Day
Deven,
Critical thinking involves evaluating ideas and opinions. I’ve been teaching critical thinking in a number of ways including asking my students to read text and evaluate ideas and form opinions about what they’ve read. Students in Ontario are expected to think critically about what they’ve read on the provincial literacy test that they must pass in order to earn a high school diploma. There is no oral component on the literacy test where they could demonstrate their critical thinking skills unless they have an IEP with that accommodation. Only a few kids do.
Yes, I know that sometimes I’m teaching to the test, but I feel that it would be unfair to these students not to have them practice what they are expected to do on the test.
I agree with you about some kids being able to carry on all sorts of intelligent conversations that demonstrate they have developed some critical thinking skills despite reading four to six grade levels below the one they are in. I know that because they’re sitting in my classes. I worry about them not just because of the literacy test which they must pass, but because I know in the future that they will be reading things that they’ll have to think critically about. I want to give them all the practice I can.
I’m just going to stop here. I wish we could be sitting across a table from one another having this discussion. It would be so more fruitful.
Thanks.
Do your students have access to the tools that compensate for their reading and writing challenges? To help develop critical thinking skills share what’s available to help them develop their own toolbelt depending upon the task. It’s our responsibility as educators.
And I thank Ira Socol for articulating Toolbelt Theory in his blog posts.
KarenJanowski´s last blog ..iPhone App: When You Have Difficulty Speaking
I don’t think you have lost your mind at all!
I think it is a great exercise for any ability – to craft 140 characters into a complete thought is not as easy as it seems. AND at one point some of your students may realize they need a few more characters, then words, then sentences.
If they were doing this in real time, to real people, about topics that matter to them, then it could develop into something big.
On a side note… I’ve noticed that when I plug the school’s ethernet wire into my personal laptop, which has NOT been configured by the school, I can access sites that I need for teaching. Just saying
I am also a teacher, and I agree that finding engaging ways to foster reading/writing/critical thinking skills is very difficult, but it’s something that teachers shouldn’t give up on!
I wish that my district, like yours, doesn’t block every site that deals with blogging/games because there are some awesome websites out there that could help teachers motivate students! One thing that I have learned and done is to always go to those blocked sites in my district and request them to be unblocked (I don’t know if you have that option), but I have found that once I give my reasoning and back-up research on how that website can improve my students understaning of whatever it is I am teaching, I sometimes succeed in getting those sites unblocked. Realistically though, there have been many that they have refused to unblock, but it never hurts to ask!
Good luck!
Kelly W.´s last blog ..Thing #12: Creating Community Through Commenting
A basic understanding of logic is necessary to be able to read critically and write with coherence. Good critical thinking follows rules of logic to observe, interpret, apply, and revise ideas or problems. Check out these rules of logic and a great list with examples of fallacious reasoning:
http://penningtonpublishing.com/blog/reading/how-to-teach-logic/
I read these comments with great interest. I would have loved to be in on the beginning. I’ve discovered through the years that my best thinkers are my students who struggle to read and write. As my principal recently said, “They problem solve everyday just to do the basics.” (That’s not the exact quote but close.) I’ve also noticed that my gifted students struggle when it comes to thinking skills and problem solving. They haven’t had to problem solve or think as often. I’ve always been amazed as to how these two different groups respond when I teach thinking skills lessons. The logical reasoning seems easier for the gifted. The creative thinking seems easier for those who struggle.
Keep adding the useful information. And thanks for all the comments.
Donna´s last blog ..It’s Elementary: Deduction