Engaging Students In Critical Thinking

Engaging students in critical thinking can be a challenging task. The first step is to establish a clear learning goal. When students know what they need to accomplish, they are much more likely to stay focused on that task. That goal should be something they are interested in and may even be something they are effected by every day. By allowing students to inquire about subjects they are interested in, they are encouraged to take ownership of what they learn. As they dive into the new topic, the discovery situations for problem solving offers the opportunity for students to learn independently or collaborate with a group. When students are working to solve problems together, they are able to lead the discussions among their peers and will
On a daily basis, I have to effectively communicate with many different people throughout the entire day. I take pride in being assertive in the decisions I make. I must be confident in those decisions, because by seeming timid, the students and parents would feel as if I wasn’t sure of myself and that I may not be making the best possible choice. While I may be confident, I am also very understanding. The balance of the two allows me to keep the perfect boundary with my students. They are comfortable enough to approach me and talk about any problems, but they also know to take the decisions made very seriously. When talking to the parents I can be very versatile. When sharing the data I have about their child, I understand that I may need to use layman’s terms. For some parents I may need to create a chart or graph, and for others a more effective strategy may be as simple as changing a few professional terms into something they are more familiar with. A slight downfall in my communication is participating in large groups. I struggle to leave my comfort zone and meet new people. This hinders my ability to create relationships in the community. I plan on improving my sociability as I gain experience and get more comfortable in the coming
Collaboration was hard to understand as a student. Now, I love working with my colleagues. Throughout college I worked at Kmart. I was expected to collaborate with everyone to maintain a positive work environment. I also used feedback from my bosses and co-workers to make sure procedures were followed and client satisfaction was at its highest. I was also able to enjoy working with a variety of people to get the job done efficiently. When working in isolation, there was inevitably less productivity. My second job began as I graduated college. I was privileged to work in an excellent elementary school for the remainder of the year, then hired as a full time teacher at that same school. When I was hired to finish out the year, I worked with a student that had recently become blind. He needed a one on one teacher to help him adjust to his new situation. Daily, I collaborated with the vision teacher and the rest of his ARC to help come up with a plan for him the following year. By working with other teachers, his father, and his ARC we were able to collectively build a sound plan for his