The Educator, The Artist, and The Activist: April 2013

Greetings Readers! Thank you for taking the time to come check out my blog. Let's jump right in...

The face of Canadian Education is changing. Whether we want to admit it or not, the rapid growth of technology and globalization has impacted the way our students think and learn. For the first time in history, students and children are teaching adults about something - the computer, and the world wide web. This is no small feat. Looking back at some of the things I was asked by parents, they were funny at the time - however, also fuelled with resistance to change. "I don't even know how to turn a computer on" "I'll just write it out by hand, who needs to type" "What's a twitter, and how do I twit?" and "I just got faceplant Rox, and I have 19 friends. How many do you have?" were a few of my favourites. Those were topped off only by a moment in the early 2000's that I will never forget. "I LOST ALL MY WORK WHERE DID IT GO?" Insert a 15 minute freak out and crying session by my irate, distraught mother. "Mama, it's called Cut and Paste". However, I have seen my parents, now in their late 60's, evolve into relatively computer-literate folk. I don't believe in the expression "If you can't beat em - join em", for the sheer fact that you could be compromising your values and beliefs, in order to join the norm or dominant group. No matter what your views on education are (Constructivist, Functionalist, Weberian, Positivist, Marxist, Meritocratic etc.) you must take a step, no, make that a leap - into the 21st Century. It is time for teachers to make computers, and innovative technologies their friends, rather than shy away from them. And this is exactly what some Ministries of Education in Canada are doing.

The Artist, The Educator and The Activist blog will focus on the concept of the 21st Century Learner, taken from the Government of Alberta's Framework for Student Learning. The visual below is a great way to understand the direction of education in Alberta. While Alberta is a front-runner in changing the face of education as we know it, it also appears to be the route that Canadian education is taking. In this blog posting, I will summarize concept of the 21st Century Learner, as stated by the Alberta Government, and also discuss one element in the chart - Critical Thinking.

Please take a look at the chart below...

The concept is clear - the student is the 21st Century Learner. The student is the pinnacle of this chart, they are front and centre, meaning the discussions around curriculum is all based around them. The student is required to be literature and numerate, however, not in the traditional sense of reading, and writing. Students are now required to be competent in a variety of areas which are listed as:

Communication

Digital Literacy

Lifelong Learning

Self Direction and Personal Management

Collaboration and Leadership

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Creativity and Innovation

Social Responsibility, and Cultural, Global and Environmental Awareness

Students are asked to "be" all of these things, while continuing to select traditional subjects/disciplines such as Math, English, and Visual Art. The learning outcomes from these subject areas are the ways students can connect and better understand the above mentioned competencies. When all is said and done, students should be "Engaged Thinkers, Ethical Citizens who hold an Entrepreneurial Spirit." To summarize the document "The Framework for Student Learning outlines the relationships among literacy, numeracy, competencies and subject/discipline areas essential for students to become engaged thinkers and ethical citizens with an entrepreneurial spirit." (Click for Source).

The first impression I get when reading this is... Wow! This is great... We are really moving in the right direction. What could be more important than a student thinking critically about their social location, and how they are going to navigate the world? As an educator and activist, certain spots in the chart jump out at me right away (which I will be blogging about in the future). However, I truly believe that many of these competencies work very closely together, and for the most part are interconnected. How can one collaborate without communicating effectivity?

What does interest me is... as an educator... how do you assess your students based on these competencies? For example, if a student's personal views do not align with yours, are you able to remove your biases for a fair assessment? How do you assess creativity? The questions could go on and on!

One of the most challenging competencies for teachers and students is Critical Thinking. Why you ask? Well, a majority of people simply do not think critically and accept the world for what it is. I make this statement as someone who identifies as a Critical Thinker, and someone who has spoken to many teachers who are simply reproducing the status-quo. Another reason is simply getting that dialogue into the classroom. How do you talk about something like White Privilege?

I stumbled upon an incredible resource called The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking Concepts and Tools . This resource is written by Dr. Richard Paul and Dr. Linda Elder. The authors define Critical Thinking as an "art of analyzing and evaluating thinking with a view to improving it" (pg. 2). The comprehensive guide discusses why Critical Thinking is important.

The guide (among many incredible things) discusses the concepts of the Elements of Thought, Universal Intellectual Standards, and Intellectual Traits which are standards that ensure quality in line with thinking and reasoning.

The Elements of Thought include

Point of View

Purpose

Questions at Issue

Information

Interpretation and Inference

Concepts, Assumptions, and Implications

Consequences

Universal Intellectual Standards

Clarity

Accuracy

Precision

Relevance

Depth

Breadth

Logic

Significance

Fairness

Intellectual Traits

Autonomy

Empathy

Courage

Fair-mindedness

Perseverance

Confidence in Reason

Humility

Integrity

*These traits are then compared to their antithesis, for example: Intellectual Humility vs. Intellectual Arrogance or Intellectual Integrity vs. Intellectual Hypocrisy.

It is concluded that critical thinkers must be able to apply the Universal Intellectual Standards to the Elements of Thought, as we develop our Intellectual Traits.

Let us go back to the Universal Intellectual Standards. I find these to be at the centre of Critical Thinking. These are incredibly relevant when talking to students about their oral or written work and their general point of view, which can sometimes be plagued by assumptions. I have posted a few associated questions that you could ask a student in order to check their thinking and reasoning. Sometimes all it takes is a little a push, or someone simply asking the question "Why is this so"? These are written in the first person, as you could also give these to your students as a self check-list. These examples are taken from a Sociology course at Brock University, taught by Mary-Beth Raddon.

Clarity - Did I give an example? Is it clear what I mean by this? Could I elaborate further?

Accuracy - How do I know this? Is this true? How could I check or verify this?

Precision - Can I be more specific? Have I provided sufficient details?

Relevance - How does this relate to the issue being discussed?

Depth - Why is this so? What are some of the complexities here? What would it take for this to happen? Would this be easy to do?

Breadth - Would this look the same from the perspective of...? Is there another way to interpret what this means?

Logic - Does what I said at the beginning fit with what I concluded at the end? Do my conclusions match the evidence that I have presented?

Significance - Is this the most important issue to focus on? Is this the most significant problem to consider?

Fairness - Have I represented this viewpoint in such a way that the person who holds it would agree with my characterization?

Colleagues, students and readers of this blog... now is your time to weigh in! How do you teach your students about Critical Thinking? How do they become critical thinkers? Have you used similar comments like the ones provided in the Universal Intellectual Standards? How do you assess Critical Thinking? I would love to hear your thoughts, questions, or comments.