« Printable version | Main | From the Associate Director and Middle School Dean 5-16-2008 »
May 16, 2008
Curriculum Spotlight, 4th Grade 5-16-2008
AN EXERCISE IN CRITICAL THINKING
Like you, I can remember those great teachers who really allowed me to expand my general knowledge of the world, but more importantly challenged me to think not only about what I thought, but also about how I thought. One such teacher was Dr. Farago at the University of Maryland, who was also a journalist and award-winning author. He taught a lively course on the history of World War II and often lectured dressed in the uniform of an American, or German, or Japanese general, and spoke from their various points of view. His lectures were always packed, and I vied with everyone else to get a front row seat.
Then came the day of the final exam. A group of us had studied for days, and then we walked into the classroom to see on the blackboard only these directions:
“Compose and answer, with good support, two questions which demonstrate what you have learned about World War II during this course.”
During the first excruciating, eternal seconds, I was flummoxed with this request. I had an hour and a half to demonstrate that I fully grasped this extensive information in the format of only two questions! I am not going to tell you the outcome of my final exam, but I did survive and succeed. I learned that the core of critical thinking is not answering the complex questions correctly, but being able to formulate questions that explore and probe and therefore advance cognitive skills. This lesson has stayed with me throughout my long teaching career, and I employ it whenever I create assessments for my young fourth grade class. You will see this in the final California History Exam, which I use with the fourth grade and have printed below:
FOURTH GRADE FINAL CALIFORNIA HISTORY EXAM
After reading over all of your Social Studies notes, what do you feel are the most significant events in our state’s early history? Please choose at least ten events.
List these ten events with a short explanation that describes each event and explains its significance.
Example:
The exploration of our continent by human beings from northern Asia 70,000 years ago is significant because complex native cultures were eventually established throughout California. The land and sea trading routes, which these tribes created, are still used today.
On a separate piece of paper, list what you feel are your top five events and place them in a hierarchy of importance from 1-5. You must also explain why you established this order. Don’t worry, there are no wrong answers as long as you support your opinions with logical statements.
Example:
1) The Settlement of the Spanish Missions: Spanish (and then Mexican) cultures established the huge agricultural and ranching economies of our state and Latino people still influence our politics today.
Be prepared to orally present your top five choices of events in a class discussion.
I would love to have a dialogue in our community about the pivotal questions that students are required to create and answer in order to truly advance learning.
Erainya Neirro
« Printable version | Main | From the Associate Director and Middle School Dean 5-16-2008 »