Guided Response: one paragraph each if can

Guided response: Before you respond to your peers, please watch and interact with this learning module (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. The module introduces the Paul and Elder model of critical thinking and will guide you through a scenario in which an Ashford student utilizes the elements of thought to construct a discussion post response to a student who challenged her thinking. Please notice that the discussion forum exchange between Christina and Kurt is in to the top right hand corner of the module titled “R”. Reading the forum will assist you in understanding the module. Respond to at least two of your classmates and use the elements of thought discussed in this module to extend your thinking and create a higher level of academic discourse in this class.  

Michael Harvey

Jun 21 at 2:42pm

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What does it mean to think critically and how will you model it in this course and foster it with your future students?

To think critically is to apply reasoning and objectivity to issues or situations before reaching a determination.  Being objective requires one to look at things with an absence of emotion, bias, or partiality.  Modeling the concept in this course should be nothing more than challenging opinions to try and get a more in-depth understanding of concepts, thoughts, or ideas.  Fostering critical thinking in students would vary depending on subject, grade level and maturity.  The earlier in life that students are taught to think critically, the better.   Having an understanding of argumentation and discourse and presenting material in a particular fashion encourages critical thinking.  From the article, “Academically Adrift”, the quote “In an era when the world has become unforgiving to those who don't work hard or know how to think, this may be a time to consider real change”, will soon come home to roost with many graduating college students.  There are a tremendous number of people that are obtaining degrees in various disciplines that have very little awareness of issues pertaining to life in the real world other than what they have been told to believe.  The second article reports that many problems facing college graduates “could have been avoided by pursuing a different type of degree or a credential".  Living outside of a college town, I am thrilled nowadays when I meet a student that is pursuing a degree in a technical skill.

Catharine Longo

Jun 21 at 7:52pm

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To think critically means to explore beyond the surface, to take a decision, topic, or idea one step further. When one takes the time to critically think of something, they take the time to raise valid questions to research and collect information that will lead to an answer of that question. Once data is collected, a critical thinker needs to be able to see each and every point, ask credible sources their thoughts and determine what the best solution is. For instance, a teacher who wants their students to critically think needs to teach by example. They need to research and come up with questions to ask and solve. Then they need to find credible sources to listen to. This can be done as a class so that the students can see how to critically think.

In my classroom I tend to model critical thinking in a way that will have the students excited to learn and make sense of their subject before them. My goal is to become a middle school history teacher and this is a subject that involves deep critical thinking. I want my students to learn from how I teach and not completely what I teach. Meaning that I want to be their example of how to learn, not them just reading out of a book. Students need to be able to think more about the whys and what if’s of history and then apply it to why an event happened. Children are sponges and with that their critical thinking skills are able to expand with the proper modeling and practice.