Welcome!

Please feel free to share your insights regarding the audio episodes you have been listening to. Do you relate to those scenarios? How? Have you been able to apply some of the strategies and techniques?

Please, share your comments with us

Thanks for the add.

The ITEN audio program is very relevant in today's society, it seeks to open up a new horizon for how information is discussed and the ways in which students think. Some of these strategies would have been used in our school system but this program provides another level of thinking and a fully structured way of implementing critical thinking in the classroom. Our students and teachers will benefit greatly from this program and will be better decision makers of today's society.

I look forward to the audio sessions and the discussions. Critical thinking has become increasingly necessary in the 21st Century...

Critical thinking promotes novelty which is well known as a key inducer for dopamine. Dopamine is a critical precursor for learning. 

Good morning

Most definitely critical thinking is and has always been a key component in our decision-making process.Therefore, we hope this program should not only impact your classes but also your life. 

Please, could you share with us how critical thinking has been part of your life? Did you ever take a class on it? Wrote something? How and when do you practice critical thinking?

Looking forward to reading your comments

I love the interactivity of the Mico/ITEN CTT programme. Teachers are able to share valuable experiences and knowledge in the sessions, as everyone brings something different to the table.

Good morning Sir Weathers. I need to meet with you today to run through the process on how to get to the different pages for my group. How to find the access code.

I am fascinated and I am empowered by this programme. this is a great initiative by the Mico university and I am grateful to be a part of this course as I am already being encouraged and taught ways to effectively incorporate strategies that integrate critical thinking in my classroom and on a broader scale- my life through other colleagues experiences.. very interactive and upbeat. love the audios with the music in the background holds my attention.

I am fascinated and I am empowered by this programme. this is a great initiative by the Mico university and I am grateful to be a part of this course as I am already being encouraged and taught ways to effectively incorporate strategies that integrate critical thinking in my classroom and on a broader scale- my life through other colleagues experiences.. very interactive and upbeat. love the audios with the music in the background holds my attention.

Critical Thinking off to a start. It has been great so far. With some effort on our part we will all be critical thinkers, and we will be training our students to be likewise. Can you imagine a classroom full of critical thinkers?

I am happy you find the programme fascinating and empowering. Feel free to share what you are learning with your colleagues so that they too can be critical thinkers, and develop critical thinking in their students.

Dear All

I am glad to read about the good experiences you are having with this program, as we move on, could you please share some comments based on the audios you have been listening? is there any, in particular, that has been more useful to you?

Looking forward to hearing from you

ITEN

Though I am not yet certified as a teacher, in the interim, I endeavor to enjoy learning and contributing to this program as I grow as a student-teacher. As I have started preparing lesson-plans and executing presentations, this course has already enlightened my understanding of the critical role critical-thinking plays in guiding future leaders. Looking forward to the journey.

I am finding this course very interesting. I find myself reflecting on ways I can improve my method of teaching, to incorporate critical thinking questions and activities in a few of my lessons so far.

Continue to develop as a critical thinker. You will love the new you.

I love the idea of being a critical thinker.  I am looking forward to be an active participant.  I am yet to see the videos and the lessons to move forward.

Audio3. I have just completed audio 3 which covers the higher level thinking of Bloom's taxonomy. What I find interesting about these audios is that these things were never properly explained to me as a student-teacher and I think as a result of this most time as teachers in planning our lesson we tend to only focus mainly on the first three levels. This programme has been assisting each week with improving my lessons and questioning techniques. the use of scaffolding really piqued my interest because I know see the effectiveness of it in teaching and how enriching it is to the lesson and the students as it allows them to go beyond what is insight.

Audio 3, is indeed informative. I have never put so much though in writing an objective and writing the learning activities for them. After listening to this audio and carrying out the activities, the role I see Bloom's Taxonomy playing in writing my objectives while making them SMART, will have me making more adjustments to writing my lesson plans moving forward.

Critical thinking is an important component in planning our lessons.  I learnt that our students will be able to analyze situations and become independent thinkers.  Objectives that are SMART will go beyond Yes or No responses and will engage students in solving problems without the facilitator providing the facts.

Learning objectives are short statements or questions that the facilitator/ teacher uses to show what is expected from the learner to grasp at the end of the lesson, unit or course. In the learning objectives activities should be done targeting the learner knowledge, skilled and emotional level. All these should be done in such away to help the learner to develop  critically thinking skills.

In writing learning objectives should all the levels be clearly stated in each lesson? meaning should the teacher knowingly trying to develop critical thinking in the learners, use all three domains of learning when writing learning objectives?

During and after listening to audio lesson # 1, which is a very interactive lesson that gives two practical scenarios, it was a useful and great way of introducing Critical Thinking to new teachers. In using critical thinking questions words like, why and how should be used to generate high level rationale thoughts. To ask “why and how” it activates critical thinking. In my view as teachers we need to ensure that we allow students to not only be able to respond to literal level question by having only one correct answer but we need to help them develop critical thinking. It is important that the learner be able to assess, critically analyze and synthesize information.

The audio lesson # 1 encourages teachers to engage the learners in developing critical thinking skills and know how to use it in an argument. I also garnered from lesson #1, that no wrong or right respond when asking a question using critical thinking question.

I too find the audios very interesting and enlightening. If we all employ these strategies in our own classroom we will have a class full of critical thinkers instead of just empty talkers. I like the types of questions being used in the audio with the two teachers.

My learning objectives are SMART in that it is very specific in how properly they were structured, my objectives are measurable which shows exactly what I want to see, hear and feel. With this evidence are needed by on the content or theory thought; therefore by these objectives being measureable I would definately need concrete evidence. The learning objectives are attainable in that the session and time alotted for completion of lesson is doable because of planning smartly. My learning objectives are relevant in that based on the goals of this lesson it can actually become a reality with the necessary skills and resources needed to achieve this objective. In the lesson being timebound it is very realistic and practical and easy to fit lesson in the schedule time alotted for activities. I want to achieve a SMART objective in that I target the questions as to Where?, How?, When?, and with Whom? which are captured throughout my learning objectives.

I find the audios very interesting, however, how do I get students who are extremely slow to think more critically?

After listening to Audio # 4, I basically acquired another concept to my vocabulary which is Socratic Seminar. It is basically a strategy used to allow students to exercise higher order thinking. In the Socratic seminar the teacher act as facilitator, therefore students are guided and assisted by the teacher who facilitates the learning process. Students usually generate questions that they want to discuss, although the facilitator would also have some target questions just in case. In using the Socratic seminar it is structured with open ended questions. Socratic in not a debate , no arguing, no winners or losers; each student contributes to the discussion.

Foe students who are extremely slow you can start by asking them questions on topics that interest them Ex. you can ask what is their favourite food, movie, song, and allow them to justify/give reasons for their choice. If someone wants to dissuade them from their choice how would they defend their stand without getting aggressive.

Dear All

It is very rewarding to read your comments about your learning and the actual help we are providing.

Please, would it be possible that you share some comments about the experience in the classroom? is there any class or activity you have already implemented based on Socratic Method or any other element you have learned here? what about your students, how are they reacting to these practices?

Best

ITEN Team

Dear All

I wanted to share with you the opening of our Teacher Resource Center. This is a virtual space for you to find and upload lesson plans.

I strongly encourage you to visit this site and above all to share and upload your own new plannings, in that way you would be making a huge impact on education all over the world, literally.

Teacher Resource Center

http://www.oas.org/ext/en/development/teacher-education-resources/

Best ITEN TEAM

http://itenamericas.org/xn/detail/6559867:Group:44945?xg_source=act...

Hello all, 

Your comments and discussions are helping me a great deal and I absolutely agree that like Ms. Brown and Ms. Domingues preparing students for exams is essential; preparing them for exams and beyond is most imperative. 

I am a first-year student teacher who has just started writing lesson plans, this programme is helping me tremendously for what I will do in the near future and even now in how innovatively I put together lessons. 

Marissa, I am happy to know you are benefiting from the comments shared. As long as the discussions and audio are having a positive impact on you and your teaching then continue to be a part of this discussion group.

I have now realized how beneficial rubrics are for both teachers and students alike though in the secondary system we seldom make students aware of rubrics. I think i am now a bit clearer on the difference between assessment and evaluations. I am seeing the clear connections among the assessment using questions that foster critical thinking. I have been consciously writing plans to ensure that the element of CT is included.

Greetings to you Monique, its is essential that students understand the rubrics as well. I usually tell my learners what exactly it is I will be grading them for and also the marks allotted to each task/activity. Assessment in a knutshell is basically ensuring that you properly test students on what was taught in the lesson, while evaluation is looking on you the teacher as well as students to see if learning objectives were adequately met.