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Critical
Thinking in the Elementary Classroom: Problems and Solutions
by Vera Schneider, author of Stepping Stones |
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Critical
thinking has been an important issue in education for many years.
After the 1948 Convention of the American Psychological Association,
Benjamin Bloom took the lead in developing “the goals of
the educational process,” including knowledge, comprehension,
application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Critical thinking
in education has been hotly debated since then. This article shares
some definitions, outlooks, and questions to inspire you to begin
thinking critically about critical thinking. What is it? Should
we teach it? Why…and how? Here are some helpful suggestions
for incorporating critical thinking in the classroom—the
solutions are up to you.
The
definition of critical thinking has changed somewhat over the
past decade. Chance (1986) says critical thinking is “the
ability to analyze facts, generate and organize ideas, defend
opinions, make comparisons, draw inferences, evaluate arguments
and solve problems.” Tama (1989) calls it “a way of
reasoning that demands adequate support for one’s beliefs
and an unwillingness to be persuaded unless support is forthcoming.”
Ennis (1992) defines critical thinking as “reasonable reflective
thinking focused on deciding what to believe or do.” The
definition will probably continue to change in the following decades,
but one thing will remain constant—the need to provide effective
solutions to complex problems. Experts on critical thinking explain
that students feel their work gains significance when it is toward
a purposeful end (Elder & Paul, 2001). When students are asked
to address a purpose and come up with a solution, they truly begin
to identify, analyze, and solve problems through critical thinking.
Students
will need to draw on their ability to solve problems throughout
their lives. With so many technological and informational advances,
living and working in the world will change dramatically in the
next millennium. People will have an ever-increasing need to obtain,
understand, analyze, and share information. Mariam Jean Dreher
predicts that “workplace literacy in the next millennium
will be synonymous with problem-solving (2000).” The future
will call for “multiliteracies” and “high literacy,”
which involve, among other things, self-regulating and monitoring,
understanding and empathizing, analyzing and evaluating—all
of which are “tied together by the core construct of thinking.”
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Stepping
Stones: A Path to Critical Thinking, by Vera Schneider
Grades K–2
Stepping
Stones introduces children to higher-level thinking
and problem solving skills. Students are asked to look at
various types of patterns, analyze relationships, and discover
logical solutions. Each puzzle uses a similar pattern format,
but the difficulty level varies.
The
puzzles are geared toward young students’ interests,
require student involvement, and reinforce several curriculum
areas. Illustrations were carefully chosen to reflect developmentally
appropriate materials. The appealing puzzles will motivate
students and encourage creative and critical thought. Stepping
Stones can be used for large-group instruction, small-group
instruction, in cooperative teams, or by individual students
to initiate lifelong critical thinking skills.
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Free
ready-to-use critical thinking activities for your classroom!
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TheReasoning and Reading Series, by Joanne Carlisle
Grades 3–8
Reasoning
and Reading is an excellent program to use once students
have completed the Stepping Stones series or are
thinking and reasoning beyond the second-grade level.
The
Reasoning and Reading series provides a hierarchy
of critical thinking strategies for reading. The books are
organized in 4 units: word meaning, sentence meaning, paragraph
meaning, and reasoning skills. Exercises in analogies, cause
and effect, and finding the main idea reinforce critical
thinking strategies for reading comprehension. Many exercises
encourage students to come up with their own response in
instances where there is no single correct answer. Several
exercises require students to work collaboratively.
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Take
a closer look at the Reasoning and Reading series
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| This
month's free Lesson Pack is Word Problems, focusing
on deductive reasoning and making comparisons, for grades
3–5.
[8
page, 160kb Acrobat PDF File] |
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Packsare selections from popular EPS series,
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EPS
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Author
Appearances |
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Meet
our authors at upcoming conferences!
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Katherine
Scraper, author of Search and Sort, presents
“Word Study” at the 29th Plains IRA Regional
Conference in Topeka, Kansas on October 10, 2002, at
2:45pm. |
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Kenneth
Hodkinson, author of Wordly Wise 3000, presents “Vocabulary: The Link to Reading Comprehension”
at the 29th Plains IRA Regional Conference in Topeka,
Kansas on October 12, 2002, at 11am.
Mr.
Hodkinson will also be speaking at the New York State
Middle School Association in Niagara Falls, NY on October
25, 2002 at 3pm. |
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Phyllis
Bertin, co-author of Stepping Up in Reading and
co-creator of the PAF Program, presents “Developing
Reading Accuracy and Fluency” at the 53rd International
Dyslexia Association in Atlanta, Georgia on November
14, 2002, at 4:30pm. |
EPS
attends over 80 educational conferences each year. Click
here for to see where you can find us this fall.
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