![]() For example Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy represents an attempt to map digital tools to Lower Order and Higher Order Thinking Skills. The question is, is there a similar way we can think about how ICTs may be used as tools for cognitive education? This way of looking at critical thinking is not the only way to conceive of it, but it is a useful metaphor for teachers and offers a focused approach which teachers can apply in their classrooms. The teacher’s job becomes that of modelling and scaffolding student’s thinking, helping students recognise which tools are appropriate for what purpose and how to use them effectively to improve their thinking so that increasingly students are able to use these tools appropriately without prompting. Much as a DIY handyman reaches for a specific tool to tighten a bolt or screw, remove a nail or fill a hole, particular cognitive tools can be used for different cognitive purposes. These cognitive strategies represent something of a toolbox. The Visible Thinking routines represent attempts to increase metacognitive awareness, for example to draw on previous knowledge, explore diverse perspectives or deploy active reasoning or explanation. The Thinking Hats are said to maximise and organize thoughts and ideas by deploying parallel thinking techniques. For example the Thinking Maps offer scaffolding for promoting defining, describing, comparing and contrasting, classifying, sequencing, analyzing cause and effect, identifying part/whole relationships and seeing analogies. The claims for these strategies rest on the affordances of specific thought processes. These strategies represent pedagogies claiming to offer affordances for critical thinking in much the same way as claims are made that ICTs afford critical thinking. Tools such as De Bono’s Thinking Hats, David Hyerle’s Thinking Maps, Harvard’s Visible Thinking or Tony Ryan’s Thinker’s Keys are designed to provide particular pathways to better thinking. ![]() Many teachers are using particular thinking strategies to foster critical thinking. What exactly does effective thinking look like anyway? Other students struggle to present or analyze ideas effectively, and teachers are often unsure exactly what to do to help improve thinking. ![]() Their arguments are well structured, well supported, with greater nuance and generative power. For some students it appears to come naturally. Thinking around what critical thinking means is often somewhat woolly. I do believe that ICTs have affordances which can be leveraged to achieve greater critical thinking, but the relationship is not simple or direct, and I have been around long enough to remember when teachers sought to foster critical thinking quite independently of digital technologies. As one who considers himself a champion of ICTs and Critical Thinking I believe it is important to have a theoretical framework for understanding the relationship between critical thinking and technology adoption which helps us to understand better how we can use technology to build better critical thinking. Now, this blog is dedicated to exploring how ICTs and Critical Thinking intersect, so I have rehearsed elements of this narrative many times. The 21st Century Skills Movement sees change itself as a rationale for the need for critical thinking, and technology as a central skill set for success in a changing world. This argument sees the introduction of new technologies in the classroom as a prerequisite for a new emphasis on critical thinking. Applying past knowledge to new situationsĬlick on the link in the left panel under Habits of Mind to find a summary of all 16 Habits of Mind-great for posting on the refrigerator or bulletin board at home.There is a narrative which says that ICTs offer unique affordances for critical thinking in the classroom.Thinking about thinking (metacognition).Listening with understanding and empathy.Thinking and communicating with clarity and precision.The 16 Habits of Mind identified by Art Costa and Bena Kallick include: Watch this video to find out how Council Rock community members are using Habits of Mind and why they're so important:Ĭheck out the link under Habits of Mind in the left panel to view a video of Art Costa explaining Habits of Mind. It means having a disposition toward behaving intelligently when confronted with problems, the answers to which are not immediately known. “Habits of Mind” is knowing how to behave intelligently when you DON'T know the answer. Council Rock is committed to helping all children develop Habits of Mind as we believe these thinking dispositions lead to greater engagement in learning and greater success in all arenas.
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