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Module 1 Article

The document discusses the evolution of a teacher's approach to critical thinking, emphasizing its importance beyond mere criticism and showcasing Bloom's Taxonomy as a framework for developing cognitive skills. It debunks common myths about critical thinking, highlighting its role in fostering curiosity and innovation in students. The author reflects on their journey from a traditional teaching style to one that encourages exploration and student agency.

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Ольга Качаленко
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4 views5 pages

Module 1 Article

The document discusses the evolution of a teacher's approach to critical thinking, emphasizing its importance beyond mere criticism and showcasing Bloom's Taxonomy as a framework for developing cognitive skills. It debunks common myths about critical thinking, highlighting its role in fostering curiosity and innovation in students. The author reflects on their journey from a traditional teaching style to one that encourages exploration and student agency.

Uploaded by

Ольга Качаленко
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Introduction: The Evolution of a Teacher

I guess we all remember the times in the early years of our teaching career,
when we only focused on content of the
lesson, wanted to get things “done” and
didnt bother about what else students
can get out of it. Little that we knew
that after a while wed be making
dramatically different lesson plans…

Why Critical Thinking Matters

Okay, let’s be honest—when I first heard "critical thinking," the word


“critical” was nearly equal for me to the word “criticism” (well, for sure very
close). But after 7 years of teaching I’ve learned it’s way simpler—and way
more fun—than that. Critical thinking is a bit more than “think about it” or
“let it sink in”, and unfortunately, when I was 25 I didn`t know much about it,
if I did, I tell you, it would save me some time.

Debunking the Myth: Critical Thinking ≠ Just Being Negative

Many people think critical thinking means: Tearing down ideas and over-
skepticism, and also cold logic. Contrary to Myth 1, critical thinking is not
inherently oppositional. Halpern (2014) defines it as ‘purposeful, reasoned
thinking’ (p. 8), emphasizing open-mindedness. For instance, when students
debated cursive’s utility, they practiced evaluating evidence (Bloom’s
‘Evaluate’), not just criticism.

> "Critical thinking is the art of thinking about thinking while


thinking to make thinking better." — Richard Paul

Critical thinking is not a solution, it is the way of doing things. To solve


issues, make judgments, or evaluate information, critical thinking involves
applying reason and careful consideration rather than just accepting what
you see or hear.
Bloom’s Taxonomy: The Thinking Skills Ladder

And here comes Bloom to save the day! The ultimate "thinking skills ladder"
is Bloom's Taxonomy, a framework that advances learning from simple
memorization to creative genius. It was created in 1956 and has since been
revised to divide cognitive skills into six levels, starting from just
remembering, going through understanding, applying and, after some time,
finally creating (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001).

A very useful comparison about Bloom’s Taxonomy comes to my


mind: Imagine you want to make a cake. First, you read the recipe and try to
recall the details (remember), then you
try to understand how many ingredients
you will need and how to mix them.
Then you try and adapt your recipe,
change ingredients, make
modifications, if it didn`t work and the
cake didn’t “raise”, you evaluate the
steps, what was wrong, looking for
justification, and, finally create your
masterpiece!

Why is it important? Superpowers in


critical thinking are attained at higher
levels! If you want your students to
come up with answers, engage in intelligent debate, or address real-world
problems.

Real Classroom Win: When my kids turned a boring history lesson into
a "Time Travel Courtroom"—putting historical figures on trial for their
choices. Churchill never saw it coming.

Myths That Drive Me Bonkers

Myth 1: "Critical thinking means criticizing everything."


Nope. It’s about curiosity, not
cynicism. Example: When a kid
asked, "Why do we have to learn
cursive?" instead of groaning, we:

 Researched its history

 Polled adults about using it


 Concluded it’s basically a secret code for reading grandma’s notes

Myth 2: "Only ‘gifted’ kids can do it."


Tell that to the student who figured out our class fish was stealing food by
staging a sting operation with an iPad.

Unexamined Assumptions: The Invisible Walls

Unexamined assumptions are like invisible walls in the classroom—they limit


how students (and teachers!) analyze problems, engage with ideas, and
innovate.

Strategies to Break Them Down:

1. The "5 Whys" Technique – Keep asking "Why?" until you uncover the
root belief.

o Example: "Why do we grade homework?" → "Because it


measures learning." → "Why does it measure learning?"

2. Role-Reversal Debates – Students argue from an opposing viewpoint

Critical Thinking Beyond the Classroom

Critical thinking isn’t just for school—it’s


a career accelerator. Here’s how it plays
out in real jobs:

 Healthcare: A nurse questions a


medication dosage (Analyze) and
cross-checks guidelines (Evaluate) to
prevent an error.

 Tech: A software developer


brainstorms multiple fixes (Create)
instead of just patching a bug.

> "In a fast-changing world, the ability to think critically is the


single most important skill for career resilience." — World Economic
Forum (2023)

My Critical Thinking Journey: From "Just Teach" to "Let Them


Explore"

My biggest breakthrough? Realizing questions matter more than


answers. Early on, I’d panic if a student asked something I didn’t know.
Now, I say: "Great question! How could we find out?" We’ve googled,
debated, and even called-in experts. The shift from "I know and
share" to "Let’s discover together" changed everything. Now as I work in an
IB environment, that helps me develop the concepts of student agency even
more.

References:

Halpern, D. F. (2014). Thought and knowledge: An introduction to critical


thinking (5th ed.). Psychology Press.

Anderson, L. W., & Krathwohl, D. R. (2001). A taxonomy for learning,


teaching, and assessing. Pearson.

Facione, P. A. (2020). Critical thinking: What it is and why it counts. Insight


Assessment.

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