The teacher's role in a classroom that promotes critical thinking is one of a facilitator. The teacher must encourage students to think for themselves. I become frustrated when students ask me for answers or refuse to look deeper in the text for answers, they want answers expressly stated and don't like the idea of "reading between the lines." Critical thinking is a skill that has to be fostered through successful exercises and modeling by the teacher. Teachers have to be willing to admit and correct their own mistakes, this vulnerability will go a long way to show students it is ok to be wrong or change your position on a subject once you have all the information. One of the biggest obstacles comes in the form of teachers giving up their dictatorial control and allowing students to participate in the democratic process of the classroom. The teacher's role in the critical thinking process is paramount and helps to foster an environment conducive to learning and critical thinking.
Egbert, Joy. (2009). Supporting learning with technology: Essentials of Classroom Practice. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
As a Literature teacher I see firsthand the lack of critical thinking skills that you are discussing. My students tend to get better as the year progresses but at the beginning of the year I am always bombarded with questions if the answer is inferred and not directly stated. I think teaching children how to think critically requires a lot of patience because sometimes it is just easier to tell them the answer. As a teacher, we have to appreciate the learning process that occurs when we don't directly help the students and instead allow them to explore for answers on their own.
ReplyDeleteI feel your frustration. I teach reading and students do not want to look back at the story we just finished reading. It's like having the math teacher giving permission to use the calculator and not using the opportunity. Drives me insane!
ReplyDelete