2nd+Grade

Post your grade level's responses here. __Accountability to Knowledge__ When students in the classroom are making an observation or claim, the answer should be as accurate as possible, and they should not be satisfied with answering the first thing that comes to mind. Their answers should be backed with evidence from the current text they are using, or from applicable knowledge gained outside the classroom. The more students are engaged in this type of discussion, the more confident they can become and can begin to answer more challenging questions. More experience will make it less intimidating and can lead to better critical thinking that goes beyond factual knowledge. __Accountability to Rigorous Thinking__ Students engaged in rigorous thinking will use their core information and background knowledge to challenge "the thinking behind the thinking" and the reliability of evidence cited. Students are able to clarify their own thinking and are willing to change their understanding if appropirate evidence is presented to them. Hypothetical scenarios give them a base to make arguments and support their claims.

Regarding **//Helping Students Ask the Right Questions:

We all agree that it is important to help students learn to formulate relevant questions in order to improve problem solving and critical thinking. The article is correct in indicting the teaching of a lot of short term memory information and facts instead of focusing much more on helping students form their own questions. Students in second grade have a hard time generating good questions. That is because the article is right in stating that in most classrooms the questions are for the most part teacher generated. We feel that our time would be better spent working on helping students learn how to work cooperatively in groups//** **//to practice//** **//problem solving and formulating questions than in testing on a myriad of specific facts. Our curriculum is filled with such testing. This allows us less time to focus on the real core of human learning which is seeking to solve problems and learning to question situations for better understanding. In second grade this will require a lot of teacher modeling and we are not given enough time to do this. However to do this second graders need a base of facts to operate from.Knowledge is essential to problem solving. Teaching basic facts and information is necessary for understanding .However the curriculum should not be overloaded with the constant testing of this basic information.Second grade teachers need much more time to help students use these facts for real life problem solving by way of student (and teacher) generated questions.//** Critical Thinking Classrooms would include:

Problem solving strategies Providing think time Group Discussions among students Apply the scientific method to science curriculum Open ended questions Problem based learning as related to the real world

Critical thinking does rely on a base of knowledge the student learns in school but also is aquired through at-home experiences. The background knowledge of each child differs considerably depending on the home environment. Many of my students have had great experiences with their parents: reading and sharing books and ideas, travelling to different places while on vacation, visiting museums, spending time in nature, having active and probative discussions with family members, etc. Unfortunately, other students comes to school with an experential deficit. For various reasons, their parents or in some cases, grandparents, have not provided these valuable learning experiences. The school must make up the difference...fill in the knowledge gap for these students. Every student therefore has a different starting point, and I believe this is our greatest challenge: getting them all to the point where they have enough base knowledge to answer open ended questions, express differing opinions, and strategize together with fellow students.

As a first year teacher I am open to teaching critical thinking in the classroom. A classroom that has students thinking critically is a classroom where teachers are actively engaged in their learning. To have a 21 century classroom requires a classroom filled with critical thinkers.

This article seemed beyond my thinking. However, the article did say that to think critically we need a base of knowledge to proceed from.This would mean that the system's approach is upside down. First a curriculum framework should have been created for us to use in the schools, and it should have been leveled appropriately for each grade level. Then teachers should have been allowed to use those PDP courses to be trained in the new curriculum. After that the curriculum should have been introduced into the schools. How can we implement something that has not been presented to us yet? 1. **Teacher yearly self- evaluations** will enable teachers to feel free to experiment and make mistakes. Classrooms would be so much more creative and exciting without the threat of numbers hanging over the teachers' heads. I feel that most teachers would be very fair in assessing themselves. When they meet with administrators to discuss the yearly evaluations, if administrators disagree strongly with the evaluee of course they would have the power to assign the final numbers.**I feel that the effectiveness of every teacher would increase if they felt personally responsible for their yearly evaluations.** 2. **Get rid of quiet line**s in the halls and let students get in small groups and discuss preassigned critical thinking questions or problems to come up with solutions (These could be posted in the halls.). **We may need some noise to get adults and children thinking critically.** 3. **Get rid of tight schedules and time limits**.I can explain this further off paper. 4. **Have topics or problems po**sted in the cafeteria for students to discuss at the lunch tables if they care to. Then they can share what was discussed after lunch.( or the teacher can assign a topic for those interested).If faculty and staff want to be involved, they can receive comp time for leading these groups at lunch time. 5. **Knowledge is still the key**. We still need to teach a baseline of facts so the children have something to think critically about. 6. Have a group come up with **a filebox of activitie**s to foster critical thinking and put these in a convenient place. Then interested teachers can check the box and select one to try with the class on any given day or week. Let's not forget that many kinds of puzzles and games foster critical thinking skills as well. 7. **If each classroom could get at least 5 computers** for student use,this would help with **research and investigation**. 8.. We all need **more grade level planning tim**e during the day to think of doing things in new ways and to prepare materials. If not we will continue to worksheet ourselves to death or stay late after school forever.**Worksheets appear when there is little time to think ,plan and, most importantly, prepare materials for student activities.** 9. **Use the TV for schoolwide critical thinking activities.** 10.Last but not least, have everyone **enter the teachers' classrooms as our greatest supporters and cheerleaders**.Rather than focusing on the whole class **when entering, pull a small group (4 or 5) to the side** and have a critical discussion with them to help us teach them how to think critically. **We all need help, and we all need to help each other.
 * The present curriculum and scheduling actually stifle critical thinking for faculty and students**. Personally I feel that the following **out of the** **box** suggestions will help us to foster critical thinking skills:

Critical Thinking is Great because we need that in todays world. I believe Critical Thinking needs to start at home with the parents first. Stop putting everything on the teachers to teach. Hold these parents accountable for their action.**