Theories of Critical Thinking - Megan Kreitlein

Theories of Critical Thinking

As not only an educator, but a building technology coordinator, I can tell you that Rogers (1963) got it right with "The compatibility of a new idea, as perceived by individuals, affects its rate of adoption" (pg. 3).  It does not matter how grand it is or how many technology ideas I bring to the professional development table, if there isn’t significant teacher “buy in”, then it flops every single time. It saddens me to meet teachers frequently who are intimidated by new technology, overwhelmed by it, or disinterested in it. Our world is rapidly changing, so if teachers choose not to adapt, our students will suffer the consequences. 

I teach in a low income area, and yet our school of 400+ students is 1 to 1 with Chromebooks. While learning new technology can be daunting, it is necessary. We must provide students with the digital tools they need to be successful, to enjoy learning, to facilitate the desire to learn. I have been fortunate enough to participate in excellent professional development over the years, and I have started to understand that teaching is so much more than disseminating facts so that students can memorize information. I am supposed to facilitate problem solving and critical thinking. As a librarian some day I will be teaching my students how to research so they can form educated opinions on important issues and be knowledgeable members of society. Fullan and Langworthy (2014) stated that “Teaching shifts from focusing on covering all required content to focusing on the learning process, developing students’ ability to lead their own learning and to do things with their learning” (p. 19). I am learning to lead my students more than teach them.

Teachers and librarians must be willing to be flexible and innovative, because as Hobbs (2011) reminds us literacy as we know it, is changing, and there are endless means of communication now. We shouldn’t expect our students to adapt without us. We should work to maintain a partnership with our students and make classroom learning applicable to their real world. Hobbs (2011) stated “To be effective participants in contemporary society, people need to be engaged in the public life of the community, the nation, and the world” (p. 14).

References

Fullan, M. & Langworthy, M. (2014). A rich seam: How new pedagogies find deep learning. London: Pearson. Retrieved from https://www.pearson.com/content/dam/one-dot-com/one-dot-com/global/Files/about-pearson/innovation/open-ideas/ARichSeamEnglish.pdf

Hobbs, R. (2011). Empowering learners with digital and media literacy. Knowledge Quest, 39(5), 12-17. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database. 

Rogers, E. M. (1963). The adoption process II. Journal of Cooperative Extension, 1(2), 69-75. Retrieved from https://archives.joe.org/joe/1963summer/1963-2-a2.pdf