Theories of Critical Thinking- Kaylee Howard

 Theories of Critical Thinking

Kaylee Howard

          The modern educational setting requires an advancement of pedagogical practices and technology integration to meet the needs of all learners and equip them with necessary skills for their future endeavors. My experience as a first-grade educator has proven this perspective through the need of an advancement of digital tools used in daily lessons. Furthermore, as I prepare for my future role as a school librarian, I have become more aware of new resources that provide enhanced digital literacy tactics for everyday application across the educational setting. Including these connected foundations across education itself provides for more apt learners who are equipped with necessary skills for engaging in today’s digital world (Kuhn, 2018). After reading the five assigned articles, support and resources calling for the implementation of a connected, digitally supported environment was presented.

     Within today’s educational realm, an onslaught of “new pedagogies” have emerged from the influx of enhanced digital tools and resources (Fullan & Langworthy, 2014, pp.14). These changes have included new methodologies of how instruction is presented and assessed throughout the educational setting. Many of these methods have been learned and implemented in my own classroom as I have taken required courses and trainings to prepare for implementing sufficient instruction for my first-grade students. This new model of digitally focused education is formatted on a large scale move towards providing abilities and tools for increased digital access to students. Because much of modern citizenship across the world requires fluency and literacy in utilizing digital tools, an education in digital literacy is now fundamentally required to provide success for students in the world around them (Hobbs, 2011). This digital literacy requirement has even been shown in lower elementary, where students are required to take state-mandated tests on a digital device. This requirement leads to the need for digital instruction in order to prepare students for the ever-digital world they live in.

     While this ever-changing format of instructional tactics is poised at meeting the needs of all learners, it comes with different challenges and questions, too. An analysis of Bloom’s Taxonomy presents the need for engaging all levels of thought processing throughout instruction (Huitt, 2011). Traditional teaching methods generally assessed learners at the lower levels of the Taxonomy, focusing on knowledge and comprehension. Newer methods of digital instruction have shown in influx of learning that reaches the more advanced levels of learning. The creation of a multitude of new digital resources has allowed educators to meet the needs of all learning styles with technology infused in instruction. In today’s educational environment, a support provided for multiple taxonomies has been allowed and prepared for throughout planning of instruction and implementation of digital tools (Kuhn, 2008). This has been observed in my own educational career. While conducting weekly lesson plans and implementing instructional tactics, a thoughtful and intentional use of digital tools has been included in my pedagogical practices. These tools have allowed me to meet needs of learners who may be missed through traditional methods of instruction. 

     In the modern classroom, technology is not optional. The implementation of these resources may vary from educator to educator (Rogers, 1963), but the requirement of their use still stands. To best prepare our learners for the increasingly digital world around them, digital literacy must be fundamental in daily instructional practices.

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 Alabama Search Premiere Database.  

 Huitt, W. (2011). Bloom et al.'s Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. Retrieved from http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/cognition/bloom.pdf    

Kuhn, M. S. (2008). Connecting Depth and Balance in Class. Learning & Leading with Technology, 36(1), 18-21. Retrieved from Academic Search  

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