Inter-American Teacher Education Network
Critical Thinking for Teachers Audio Program Participants
“Critical Thinking for Teachers” is a series of interactive radio programs and podcasts for teachers in rural areas of OAS member states. These audio programs strengthen teachers’ ability to teach critical thinking skills in mathematics, literacy, science, and citizenship education. Woven into an entertaining drama series, the participatory lessons feature short pauses that allow teachers to respond to questions, partake in group discussions, write plans for their classes, and more. Participants learn practical skills to apply in the classroom immediately. The primary audience is teachers with little Internet access who teach 11- to 14-year-olds, but any teacher can benefit and anyone can participate.
Episode Four: Comments and reflections
In this episode, the students have a valuable experience gathering real data from the community. Episode five will involve students creating and conducting science experiments. While such activities can contribute mightily to teaching critical thinking and other important skills, they require a certain approach, or at least space to allow for different approaches, beyond one classroom to the school and even to the district and national levels.
If you are interested in conducting creative teaching and learning activities such as interviews, projects, and science experiments, to what extent do your school and school system enable or even support such endeavors? Do you have time to work on inter-disciplinary projects with other teachers? Does the curriculum allow the time and attention needed for such activities?
As always, I look forward to reading your responses to these questions as well as any other takeaways and reflections you have on episode four.
Warm regards,
Dan
Shonella Morgan
Dan,
The good news is that the curriculum does cater for activities as projects and science experiments. I am at the Pre-school/ kindergarten level as such the use of projects are done regularly since these form the center for children's learning experience at this level. However, this type of methodology is very time consuming and requires much assistance from parents for projects to be successful.
Nov 12, 2016
Lerdon Barr
There is a lot of red tape when it comes to being progressive as a teacher. I feel as though sometimes, teachers are placed inside a box, and freedom to promote creativity is taken away. I do attempt to use the methods listed, like interviews, projects etc. but it is hard when you don't have support and you have to go through so many chains of approval, to promote a lesson. Thus, we sadly fall back into the same routine.
Like Irwin said, programs such as this, helps us to re-focus (as I have said before). Even though change is hard, it does not mean that we can't continue to fight for it.
In terms of the inter-disciplinary projects, the time does not allow it. Even if it does, some teachers don't want to partner because they think it may be extra work. However though, I do think that it is important and I have seen it worked. I did it one time with a Hospitality class and the results were evident.
Critical thinking and strategies such as Socratic Seminars, takes quality time, and sometimes quality time is not on our side. But we can do what we can, when we can.
Thank you ITEN for helping me see the light. I am encouraged!
Nov 14, 2016
Imogene Howard
In Episode 4, Socratic Seminar was used to create and develop deep thinking, Mathematical data was used to solve problems, interviews, probing questions and creating the graph was strategies exercised to promote critical thinking.
My school system allows for field trips, experiments and other methods to be conducted during the normal school day, however the time is not enough. As a results many of the experiments will have to be done after school or on weekends. Also if interviews are used, it will be over a few periods and not in one setting.
Not much interdisciplinary projects are done. It is possible only when teachers, individually decides to work together.
Nov 21, 2016