Wearing the blue trunks, the reigning champion of public education..."Basic Knowledge"
And in the red trunks, the challenger..."21st Century Critical Thinking Skills"
Some say, let's get ready to rumble! I say, can't we all just get along?
Certainly, IF schools can somehow provide a practical blended approach to assessing both basic and critical thinking skills.
Meet the Henry Kissenger of educational diplomacy.
The College-Work-Readiness-Assessment (CWRA)
Building on decades of neuro-science research demonstrating the overt benefits of combining core knowledge with critical thinking skills, the CWRA requires students to apply basic skills to solve complex problems.
To read more on the CWRA click here
Showing posts with label critical thinking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label critical thinking. Show all posts
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
"Just The Facts, Ma'am"
What fictional television character popularized this phrase?
"Just The Facts, Ma'am"
If you answered Joe Friday, your wrong. Perhaps this isn't a crucial piece of knowledge but it is indicitive of today's political landscape where a lie repeated over and over again will soon be accepted as truth.
In the emerging information society, one of the most valued skills will be distinguishing fact from fiction and therefore we should consider the task of teaching these critical thinking skills of paramount importance.
But how?
Check out, FactCheckEd.org. by clicking here.
Complete with scenarios, procedures, and lessons, FactCheckEd.org is an excellent tool for opening today's children and tomorrow's leaders eyes to the wonderfully refreshing world of TRUTH.
"Just The Facts, Ma'am"
If you answered Joe Friday, your wrong. Perhaps this isn't a crucial piece of knowledge but it is indicitive of today's political landscape where a lie repeated over and over again will soon be accepted as truth.
In the emerging information society, one of the most valued skills will be distinguishing fact from fiction and therefore we should consider the task of teaching these critical thinking skills of paramount importance.
But how?
Check out, FactCheckEd.org. by clicking here.
Complete with scenarios, procedures, and lessons, FactCheckEd.org is an excellent tool for opening today's children and tomorrow's leaders eyes to the wonderfully refreshing world of TRUTH.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Bad Grade = Big Success
We've all heard the infamous story of Fred Smith who supposedly received a C grade on his undergrad term paper outlining the business model for the now famous, billion dollar, multi-national shipping company FedEx.
Educators should not fret over the accuracy of the Fred Smith story. However, we must show concern that our pedagogical process and subsequent metrics are indicative of success outside the classroom.
The answer to WHAT our students will need to succeed in the 21st Century is easy...
Critical Thinking Skills.
The HOW we assess these skills with any degree of accuracy and reliability is just a bit trickier.
One potential resolution is offered (for Free) by the fine folks in the Harvard Education department who have created the "River City Project".
Program director, Chris Dede, describes River City as a multi-user virtual environment on middle school science. The curriculum is centered on skills of hypothesis formation and experimental design, as well as on content related to national standards and assessments in biology and ecology. Our virtual “world” is a city, set in the late 1800’s, and concentrated around a river that runs from the mountains downstream to a dump and a bog. Scientific tools are available (e.g., a virtual microscope that allows examination of water samples). Students work in teams of three or four to develop and test hypotheses about why residents are ill.
He believes the true power of this type of virtual environment is the ability to gather information on the activities of the student that subsequently can be used to paint a more complete picture of not only WHAT they learned, but HOW they learned.
Making the shift from summative, rote memorization to formative, critical thinking assessments will not come without cost. Even if you take advantage of a free program, there still exists the formidable task of orientating and supporting faculty in the use of a completely foriegn form of assessment.
However, the measure of our measurements can not be limited to cost and ease of use. The true test of a test is how accurately it can predict the future success of our students and therefore a nation.
Educators should not fret over the accuracy of the Fred Smith story. However, we must show concern that our pedagogical process and subsequent metrics are indicative of success outside the classroom.
The answer to WHAT our students will need to succeed in the 21st Century is easy...
Critical Thinking Skills.
The HOW we assess these skills with any degree of accuracy and reliability is just a bit trickier.
One potential resolution is offered (for Free) by the fine folks in the Harvard Education department who have created the "River City Project".
Program director, Chris Dede, describes River City as a multi-user virtual environment on middle school science. The curriculum is centered on skills of hypothesis formation and experimental design, as well as on content related to national standards and assessments in biology and ecology. Our virtual “world” is a city, set in the late 1800’s, and concentrated around a river that runs from the mountains downstream to a dump and a bog. Scientific tools are available (e.g., a virtual microscope that allows examination of water samples). Students work in teams of three or four to develop and test hypotheses about why residents are ill.
He believes the true power of this type of virtual environment is the ability to gather information on the activities of the student that subsequently can be used to paint a more complete picture of not only WHAT they learned, but HOW they learned.
Making the shift from summative, rote memorization to formative, critical thinking assessments will not come without cost. Even if you take advantage of a free program, there still exists the formidable task of orientating and supporting faculty in the use of a completely foriegn form of assessment.
However, the measure of our measurements can not be limited to cost and ease of use. The true test of a test is how accurately it can predict the future success of our students and therefore a nation.
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