Theories of Critical Thinking- Ashley Clark

    Upon reading all of the articles I am reminded of things from my undergraduate courses, as well as in my teaching day to day. Digital literacy and technology are themes that you hear daily in the classroom or just education world daily. Just within the past year I think they have been more common things due to the pandemic and the need for technology and for all students to be 1:1. I know that in my current school K-2 were not 1:1, so in March of 2020 we were rushing to get packets made for everyone in our class. Since then we have become completely 1:1 K-5 this year in preparation of having to go home again. Thankfully we have only been out 2 virtual weeks around the holidays. After saying all this, a important thing to think about when talking about technology especially in younger children and pre-teen age kids is digital literacy, digital citizenship, and making sure we have the pedagogy to make these things make sense for students. 

    Students must first understand the responsible uses of technology and being online. This isn't just a one time teaching. I think that this is a recurring theme across all ages. Then digital literacies can be built grade after grade until mastery. Thinking back to how we gathered information in the past from books and newspapers, I think of all the false information that students must learn to sort through while looking for credible sources on the internet. I think that this is where the Bloom's Taxonomy comes into play for me. Students might start on the knowledge level, but we want to move them to the higher levels of thinking where they can analyze a source with the intent to see if it is credible. Then upon analyzing they can create or design a paper or presentation from the sources. 

    My degree is in Library Media, a lot of our course work is on information literacy and teaching students of all ages this important skill. Thinking of my first graders I currently teach this may mean using my pedagogy in a different way, not for students to just "sit and get" as I have heard it called. I am thinking about a lesson I am currently creating for a library media course that I can do with them. Often times younger grades are not ones that might do research on their own. It is usually guided research on a topic that the teacher facilitates. This lesson would play off of our learning from this week. Our reading has revolved around "Creature Features" this week. First we had to talk about what a creature feature was. Luckily, they love Wild Kratts on PBS. If you aren't familiar with Wild Kratts, it is a animated show where they talk about certain animals and their "Creature Power". Thankfully my students quickly correlated the two. Student's would get to pick a animal they wanted to research to find their "creature power". Students would use PebbleGo to research the animal and write them down. After researching the students would create a FlipGrid video telling us about the animal and its "creature power". We would then watch student FlipGrids in class and learn about everyone's animal. Although this may take all week to complete with such a young age it is important to get these early experiences in information literacy and digital literacy for students. 

Theories of Critical Thinking- Schorette Emerich

 I think that the five articles that we read on digital literacy this week help illustrate how the landscape of education is shifting to focus on a more technology-driven curriculum, and how we, as educators, need to be flexible in using new styles of teaching so that our students can achieve the high-order strategies needed to become more digitally literate. 

One thing that stood out to me was the comparison Fullan and Langworthy made to teaching new pedagogies as to being alive in the swamp. They said, “the current mix of digital innovations for education was and remains a swamp: murky and mysterious”. I see this in my teaching practice a lot. Some teachers are innovators and early adopters to using digital literacy strategies in their curriculum, while others are more orientated towards the “old school” methods of teaching. Although sometimes it can be difficult for teachers to get out of their comfort zones, I think it is important for all stakeholders to adopt new technology-driven pedagogies early on so the curriculum doesn’t become stale and so our students can receive the most up-to-date education that can help them connect to the world around them. 

Literacy is a very broad term, especially in the realm of education. To me, as a secondary English teacher and future librarian, literacy goes beyond having proficient reading and writing abilities. Literacy is competence. Literacy is learning new information that you can analyze, evaluate, and engage with in order to become an effective participant in contemporary society (Hobbs, 2011). One of the ways students will become “effective participants” is by mastering, to some degree, digital and informational literacy. As Kuhn pointed out, “when used correctly, educational technology gives new meaning and utility to long-established educational paradigms”. Adopting these strategies in our teaching practices will help students achieve success both inside and outside of the classroom. 

Theories of Critical Thinking - Barbara Cook

     "A Rich Seam is about a radical change in the relationships between all the key players in learning: students, teachers, technologies, school cultures, curricula, and assessments" (Fullan & Langworthy, 2014). This statement, more so than any I read in the five articles, stood really out to me. I think it is because I agree with it 100%. For learning to take place, all the key players need to be working together. Ideally, this should occur all the time in K-12, and at the college level. Unfortunately, this isn't the case because of several different factors. One being that the school system may not have the funding for the newer technology, or they have board members, or teachers, who do not want to change the way the students are taught. The later is something I see a lot of. 

     In Rogers "The Adoption Process," he talks about the rate of adoption of new innovations in the learning environment. Reared in the Mid-West, I can relate to the agricultural explanation of why some innovations take longer to adopt. Some people are creatures of habit. The have done something for so long that they cannot understand, or want, to make any changes. It may also be that technology is scary, as they do not understand how it works. I recently (in the last few years) met an educator that told me he did not know how to turn the computer in his office on, let alone try to figure out how to use Blackboard. And that he would continue to teach his class the same as he always has, which was with lecture and  the use of a chalkboard. He did try to learn some technology in using Canvas, but ultimately, he retired.

     Each of the articles take a different perspective on education and technology, but ultimately, they have the same goal: student learning in today's world. The use of Blooms Taxonomy is something most educators are familiar with, and is a great way to set goals and objectives, but it is only a starting place.We need to be able to adapt to new technologies and innovations to keep up with our students learning needs. I agree that we need to include our students in the learning process to promote deep learning. I feel that it sets them up to be more successful in their careers because they participate in their education, they become critical thinkers, and are better at problem solving.

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  

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

Critical Thinking

     Overall the articles discussed theories of cognitive domain, learning styles and how technology is evolving the process of learning. In the past, learning meant only touching those lower levels of Bloom's taxonomy. In the past, this simply meant memorizing content knowledge demonstrated mastery of content. However, plenty research shows that students who beyond those basic levels of Bloom's taxonomy have deeper learning. Deeper learning as described by the articles is it develops learning, creating and 'doing'. I think this is so important. I remember being in the generation when I was at school that I would memorize everything for a test then forget it after. I was a straight A student, but I don't know how much I really learned. My husband on the other hand did not have the best grades, but can apply any knowledge he was given. Unfortunately most teachers make test that still assess on the lower levels of taxonomy, even though research shows students remember more when they have learned a topic on the higher levels of taxonomy. 

    In the executive summary of A rich seam: How new pedagogies find deep learning, it discusses how teachers and students are teaming up to make learning irresistibly engaging, and steeped in real-life problem-solving. In my current and future classes this I try to make not only my content, but also my assessments founded in those higher levels of taxonomy. Throughout my change in how I present my content, I have found that when I teach something using a real-world problem or tie it to the students lives, the students are more engaged and do well on that content. I feel like the barriers of how we assess students and schools should be broken. It is clear that new measures need to be put in place on how to access students using those higher levels of taxonomy. 

    As we are changing our systems of how we teach and assess to reach those higher levels, we should also being using technology to enhance not substitute our curriculum. Unfortunately , many schools mistakenly believe that providing children with access to digital resources will automatically enhance their learning. When used wrong technology can simple be a substitution. Teachers should be intentional with using technology to reach those higher levels of taxonomy that might not be accomplished without it. For example in science students working through those steps in the scientific method as they do a virtual lab. Then once they have hypothesized, experimented, and analyzed. They then share their findings and have discussions with someone about it in a different school or country. I feel like schools are so far behind where we should be for our students. The first step is teachers implementing higher taxonomies in their content and assessments with technology. I also feel that the school systems need to change how they measure students mastery to higher levels of taxonomy.

Theories of Critical Thinking

    Preparing students for the future requires innovation and commitment from educators. Effective teachers adapt instructional practices, strategies, and technology to meet the needs of students. To embrace the constant changes in education, educators must be willing to try new things, take risks, and lead students beyond superficial exposure to rich, complex understanding. The articles reviewed suggest the integration of technology can engage students and enhance learning for both teachers and students. 
    The articles reviewed suggest that technology integration into the classroom is needed in order for students to develop skills necessary for success in the 21st century. Successfully implementing technology into the classroom is not a simple task. Teachers and students often face numerous barriers and challenges when striving to implement and use technology successfully.
    The articles suggest that the successful integration of technology principally depends on teacher knowledge and willingness to adapt to new ways of teaching. The articles also suggest that many personal, professional, and organizational factors related to teachers, schools, and the classroom impact the use of technology. Integration of technology can be a challenge for teachers. However, with proper training and support, technology can be beneficial for students and teachers.
    I believe technology offers opportunities for educational innovation for both students and teachers. As a school leader, allowing teachers to develop, learn, and grow in the area of technology should be a priority. New technologies can lead to more effective teaching. A technology-enriched learning environment requires diligence and commitment from all stakeholders. It is an ongoing process among educators and education stakeholders. However, it is a process that is essential as teachers strive to prepare their students for success.

Theories of Critical Thinking

     Overall, I found that the articles detailed the components that drive pedagogy in day and age that we are teaching. A lot of which I read is currently adopted by my school system and emphasized on a regular basis. For example, each of the articles emphasized the idea that we do not want students to simply be able to regurgitate simple processes or information, but instead be able to reach a level of deep understanding (as a part of Bloom’s Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain) so that they may gain the skills to problem solve their way into being creative and collaborative individuals. One of the articles specifically discussed how learning goals, feedback, and collaboration help us to be able to reach that level of demand. The intentionality behind planning a lesson must involve the depth of the lesson and needs of each individual student, especially when it comes to technology being used as a purposeful integrated tool. 

    This is most proactively done by understanding the importance of teacher-student relationships and students knowing that you care about them in order to work proactively alongside the students. The largest problem is that most of the new pedagogies don’t necessarily have a way of measuring deep learning outcomes. I noticed that these articles found a way to each relate to technology in the classroom or digital literacy as a whole. The idea is that the term literacy has evolved over the years, but digital and media literacy remain an essential component of citizenship. Now more so than ever, the ability to access information and acquire skills to make wise and responsible decisions for themselves is imperative for students. This can be done in a number of ways in the classroom, but the intent is to integrate current events or news into the curriculum so that students have the opportunity to do so.

    

Theories of Critical Thinking

     

While reading the articles, I was able to get a clear understanding of how educators can use Bloom's Taxonomy as a guide to assist students with their learning levels.  In the article, Connecting Depth and Balance in Class, I was able to interpret the importance of utilizing taxonomies while planning for students' learning.  The article reveals how Bloom's taxonomy and Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences have made a great impact on student learning in the classroom.  The lastest technology tools have helped educators meet the needs of children when used correctly.

    In the article, A Rich Seam, Chapter 1 shows how 59% of adults aged between 18 to 35 completed a survey based on deep learning that they may or may not have received during their years as a student.  They shared that they learned more skills outside of school at their jobs versus learning more skills in a school setting.  I find this to be an issue because I believe that students should learn more skills in a classroom setting in order to be life-long learners.  I feel that it is imperative that educators ensure that students needs are met before they move to the next grade level.  As a classroom teacher, I would always try my best to ensure that I met the needs of students by utilizing our curriculum, technology tools, and other resourses that would be beneficial to prepare them for college and beyond.

    As a library media specialist, I feel that it is my duty to ensure that students are provided resources needed to succeed.  I learned even more about how to use the latest technology to help my students achieve and to make sure that they feel confident when using it.  I find the following qoute to be very true in the learning process:  “The key is that the teacher takes a highly proactive role in driving the learning process forward. ”  If you show students that you care about them and their learning, they will show a desire to learn.  I have found that to be a true statement because I observe my students every year.  I always show them how I value education and how I want them to be successful learners.  When I see that my students are actively engaged in my lessons, that motivates me to teach even harder.  If I see that students are not engaged in my lessons, I find a way to show them that I care about their education to create a learning environment.

    We are in difficult times right now with eduacation. Teachers and other educators have had to complete a variety of  training to be able to teach remotely.  Yes, it has been stressful, but as an eductaor we have to be prepared to tech students in various ways in order for students to continue learning.  Many of school systems have transitioned to remote learning, which requires a varitey of technology usage.  I have learned more strategies on how to intergrate technology into my lessons more this year than ever.  I am amazed at what I have learned and I believe that educators should use more technology in their lessons everyday.  The lastest technology tools will have students prepared for college and beyond.  We must consider the benefits for the children to shape them into successful learners.The articles that were provided to read are great resources for new teachers and veteran teachers.  

 

Gina Glass

Summary of my thoughts of the five articles and how they apply to my current job.

 

These articles are talking about ways that we as instructors must incorporate new technologies (digital tools) in teaching our classes. It is vital to our students or we are going to lose them. I think today we focus more on teaching the content that is in the books. We need to shift that focus more on developing ways to include students in how they learn, and we can do that by using more technology (digital tools) in our classroom whether it be in the actual classroom or virtual.

With everything that is going on today, not knowing if we will be in a classroom or have to complete a class online, we need to be on our game. We need to be able to provide more options to our students by using more technology that they know how to use. We need to keep them engaged.

Working in Online@JSU we are constantly looking into different technologies that are being used in the classroom.  We definitely have to stay on top of things so that we can help instructors customize courses that help students have an opportunity to actively practice what they are learning.

Today's critical thinking

 

Theories of Critical Thinking

 

               While there are many different opinions about critical thinking and how best to accomplish it, one thing is clear, getting students to this point is important. Throughout the years, teachers have used different methods of teaching to give students the greatest learning opportunity. The methods that teachers have used, often were dictated by school systems or boards.

Teachers have always had the closest connections to their students and have known that sometimes there were better ways to help that student, which is what all good teachers want, but teachers are not always given the freedom to use methods outside the prescribed current teaching methods. Much of this is because in teaching the teachers tend to see firsthand what is working and what does not, but the policy makers are slow to adapt to changing their policies to allow these new methods. While with everything else in life, change takes time. In some cases, the changes can be done quickly, while some take extremely long periods of time.

Within the education system, changes that are mild adjustments can often be made quickly where more extreme changes take longer due to reluctance. Today, we see that we have shifted to a new way of thinking where teachers no longer expect to give students information and expect them to remember it and instead teachers look to have students not only learn new information but also how to find new information and to understand and be able to use this information in the real world. This is a major shift in the pedagogy of educators today than that of the past. Teachers today must also keep up with new information and technologies themselves to help students. Therefore, teachers now must work together to help each other learn new skills to better help student learning.

With todays climate in the school systems, I think we are at a much better advantage to teachers of the past. Leaders now recognize that all students do not learn the same and usually give teachers more latency when it comes to the way teachers teach. And with technology and information so easily available and quickly changing, views on best methods of teaching are also much quicker to change. One of the biggest advantages we have today is that we know we must get students to use critical thinking and that there are various levels to thinking and understanding. We use Bloom’s taxonomy today as a guide to help use see where students fall in their critical thinking and it helps us know what type things, we should do to help them reach a higher level. The biggest thing teachers today can do is always be open to change, and to always keep learning new things.

Theories of Critical Thinking

There’s an old saying in coaching I always like to use and it says “either you are getting better or you are getting worse. You never stay the same” and that applies to education with technology as well. The education profession is a unique field where you were taught a certain way, but you are asked to teach in another. In all five articles, education was viewed as a profession that has become inefficient compared to what capacity we are able to be innovated. The days of pulling information from a textbook are almost obsolete. Teachers who have been teaching twenty-plus years can lose their effectiveness if they are not up with the times. Being removed from high school just eleven years, I have seen drastic change in education. I had multiple honors and AP classes and we were still using textbooks then. The articles, especially the Deep Learning article stated that sort of learning is really handcuffing our educational system as a whole because that is only one source. Students simply pulling information from a textbook are at the mercy of what the perspectives of the authors in the textbook perceive is the best way to present information to the reader. Technology can be a blessing and a curse. Students have to the ability to be informed about anything at the swipe of a finger on any app they choose to synthesize themselves to. The ability to have access to multiple sources causes competition among sources, providing news and educational outlets to be on their best games all the time to get the most followers and sponsorship money they can attain. My mother has been working in IT for a law firm longer than I can remember, but why is technology slow to be being adopted and implemented in learning with flipped classrooms? In my personal opinion the reason for this is simply control. As teachers we are given the responsibility and pressure of student achievement within the four walls of our class rooms. To make sure this on schedule and on pace we like to have a hand in every step within this process pulling further away from being more of a drill sergeant where everything has to be done the way like we always done before. In my opinion, and I can honestly say this because I am one, the people in the school building who have the most difficult time relinquishing control in a classroom are your coaches. For the last 8 years of my young coaching career I have always done and taught the same practices in the same order early on in the season because I want certain things done in a certain way. For the most part, I have had a great deal of success early on in my career, so why change things up if it has already been proven to have success? Currently I am reading a book my old football coach wrote, and even he said that he had to evolve as a coach through the years. Student athletes are not wired the same way as they were when he first entered coach, so why would the same way of doing things be the most effective way in reaching athletes maximum potential? In the adoption process I am man enough to admit that I have always fallen in the late majority on the bell curve. I have always been skeptical of change and need to see proven results before I try something new. For this reason, I feel like this where PLCs are the most effective for me because we have so many different personalities in our group all at different stages in their careers. If this pandemic has any positives over the last year, I hope that it shows educators like me that are resistant to change and risk, the use of more technology in the classroom may be a curveball to us, but worth it for our student’s future.