10 TIPS FOR TEACHING KIDS TO BE AWESOME CRITICAL THINKERS
Петряева Людмила Владимировна
учитель английского языка I квалификационной категории
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Getting
students to dig deeper and answer questions using higher-level thinking can be
a challenge. Here are my favourite tips for teaching critical thinking
skills, that help kids solve problems by going beyond the obvious
response.
1. Slow down the pace
It’s easy to fall into a routine of calling on one of the first
kids who raises a hand. But if you wait even just 3 to 5 seconds after asking a
question, you’ll probably find the pool of students willing to give an answer
grows significantly. Plus, it helps the speedy kids learn that the first answer
that pops into their head isn’t always the best. There are times you may even
want to wait up to a minute or longer if the question is particularly complex
or time-consuming. To avoid an awkward pause, you can let kids know that they
have 10 seconds to think before answering the question or that you need to see
10 hands raised from volunteers before you hear a response.
2. Pose a Question of the Day
Put an interesting question on the special board and ask the
students answer it during the school day. ( It can be also a riddle or a
letter to a classmate recommending this or that book) . Students can write
answers in their critical-thinking journals. Then have a class discussion at the
end of the day.
3. Make a response box.
Write a random critical-thinking question on the board. Give
students a specified amount of time to provide a written response and put it in
the response box. Pull out entries one by one and read them aloud to the class.
Alternatively, you can give a prize - like a homework pass or free time to the
student with the first appropriate response whose name is drawn from the box or
to everyone who submitted appropriate answers.
4. Take a side.
First, read a statement that has two opposing views (e.g., Do you
agree or disagree with the author? Why?) Ask kids who agree to stand on one
side of the room and those who disagree to stand on the other side. Then have
kids talk about why they chose each side. They can switch sides if they change
their minds during the discussion.
5. Ask “why?” five times.
When you encounter a problem in class, you can help the class come
up with a solution by using the Why? Five Times strategy. Ask the first why
question (e.g., Why didn’t the class do well on the spelling test?), and after
a response is given, ask why four more times (e.g., Why didn’t students study
for the test?, Why didn’t students have time to study for the test?, etc.). The
idea is that after the fifth question is asked, the problem will be solved.
6. Role-play.
Come up with an imaginary scenario and have kids work through the
steps to solve a problem as a class. First, identify the problem and write it
as a question (e.g., Why didn’t the science experiment work as planned?). Then
brainstorm ideas to solve it and choose the best one to write as a solution
statement. Finally, create an action plan to carry out the solution.
7. Go “hitchhiking.”
Practice creative thinking by collaborating on a storyboard. Write
a problem on an index card and pin it on the top of a bulletin board. Then put
different headings on index cards and pin them below the main card. Have kids
brainstorm ideas that develop each of the heading cards and let kids pin them
on the board. Encourage kids to “go hitchhiking” by building onto their
classmates’ ideas.
8. Turn around.
A great way to focus on the positive in not-so-positive situations
is the Turn Around thinking strategy. If a student forgets to bring his
homework to school, you can ask, “What good can come of this?” The student can
answer with ideas like, “I will change my routine before I go to bed.”
9. Use Bloom’s Taxonomy
Choose six completed questioning stems from different levels of
Bloom’s Taxonomy and put them in a pocket chart. Choose some strips as
mandatory and let kids pick two from the higher levels to answer aloud or in a
journal.
10. Hold a Q&A session.
One way you can figure out how well kids are grasping
critical-thinking skills is by holding question-and-answer sessions. Ask a
variety of questions one-on-one or in small groups and take note of the levels
of thought individual students use regularly and avoid over time. You can
review your notes to help build more higher-order-thinking questions into your
lessons.
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