Using technology with gifted students is not just
about the tools. While many gifted students find technology cool and fun to
use, the real benefit from technology is what it allows students to do. Tim Van Gelder in
his article, HOW TO IMPROVE CRITICAL THINKING
USING EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY describes critical
thinking as one of education’s most central goals and one of its most valued
outcomes and a goal that technology can help with.
I use blogging in each of my classes to encourage reflection
on material and give students a chance to react to what they have learned.
Blogging provides practice in critical thinking. My students are just beginning to blog but
are already starting to show the critical thinking skills that I hope to nurture
and encourage throughout the semester. Students
are encouraged to blog on big picture topics: the major concepts in a unit, the
importance of a specific concept, their reactions to a video, podcast, or other
media lesson. This past week, middle school students in the “Jamming in the 21st
Century Class” have been learning about music through accessing the information
from the University of San Diego’s Elements of Music class. Students
took advantage of the internet to access content available on the web that I
did not have the knowledge to provide them with myself. That in of itself is a
great benefit of the internet. Teachers can supplement their own knowledge by
accessing readily available and free quality materials in other places. However, that’s not the end of the
story. The student’s assignment for the
week was to explore the links provided on the Elements of Music site. They were
to become familiar with the important concepts and terminology in music. Their assignment after exploring the links
was to write a blog on something interesting that they learned from these
resources. The students were required to evaluate the information they read and
determine for themselves what ‘big picture’ was. In the Jamming the 21st
Century class, one student “found that humans have
always used music to calm and sooth. In fact music is used as a type of
therapy. Music is used for various reasons from pure entertainment to
contemplative activities. Many cultures make their own instruments to produce
different types of sounds to fit the likings of their taste.” Another student
wrote, “Music has been important to mankind since the start of written
history. Music is found everywhere in the world. You can find music in homes,
vehicles, planes, offices, and also on the television and radio. Music has been
around for a long time, and it’s going to be here for a while.” Students in Ancient Civilization were asked
to evaluate the role of the pyramids. Students are doing a
great job of incorporating their understanding of the facts with their opinion
on the importance of these facts.
This skill, however, must be developed,
and it requires a great deal of effort on the part of teachers to help students
learn to think critically. In order for students to develop these skills,
teachers must learn to incorporate critical questioning into their classes. Socratic questioning and Bloom’s Taxonomy are keys
to developing critical thinking. Students in my classes participate in two mini
lessons before they begin blogging. The
first is a slideshow on Critical
Thinking and the second a slideshow on How to Blog. These mini lessons
provide the scaffolding to help students begin to think critically about what
they learn and ask questions that lead to deeper understandings. I am looking forward to continuing to read
the student
blogs as the year progresses. Blogging, however, is only one way to develop
critical thinking skills.
Anuradha
A. Gokhale studies collaborative learning and the development
of critical thinking. From this research
study, Gokhale concludes “that collaborative learning fosters the development
of critical thinking through discussion, clarification of ideas, and evaluation
of others' ideas. …For collaborative learning to be effective, the instructor
must view teaching as a process of developing and enhancing students' ability
to learn. The instructor's role is not to transmit information, but to serve as
a facilitator for learning. This involves creating and managing meaningful
learning experiences and stimulating students' thinking through real world
problems.”
The
wiki is the perfect tool to encourage collaboration. Tony Suess has a great blog Exploring PB Wiki where he talks about
the benefits of PB Wiki. I’d like to
expand on his post and specifically address the benefits of Wiki’s for
encouraging critical and creative thinking. Students in my Ancient
Civilizations class have been studying Ancient Egypt. Students were asked to create a group wiki
that was a tribute to Ancient Egypt.
They began by identifying the aspects of Ancient Egypt that they felt
were important. Student divided up these topics and each researched particular
aspects of the culture. Students were responsible for creating their page on
the wiki. Students then collaborated by adding information and editing each
other’s pages. The project was an opened
ended project asking students to evaluate what they learned about Ancient Egypt
and identify those aspects of the Egyptian culture and society that were
important. Students were required to use
critical thinking skills to identify the "gifts of the Nile” and analyze
the legacy of the ancient Egyptian civilization.
Kent
County School District has put together an excellent chart of technology skills
and activities and Bloom’s Taxonomy. I encourage you to comment on this post and
share some of the ways you have used technology to develop critical thinking
skills.
