So You Think You’re Not Teaching Critical Thinking?

1. So You Think You’re Not Teaching Critical Thinking? Incorporating Critical Thinking Through Writing Beth Padden Joliet Junior College epadden@jjc.edu

2. How can I teach critical thinking when so much of my class is rote memorization? • Even if I can include critical thinking, how can I assess it?

3. Source:http://www.eng.auburn.edu/~tplacek/courses/3600/blooms.jpgSource:http://www.eng.auburn.edu/~tplacek/courses/3600/blooms.jpg

4. The National Standards for Foreign Language Learning http://www.actfl.org/files/public/StandardsforFLLexecsumm_rev.pdf

5. Writing As a Process Source: http://www.csuohio.edu/academic/writingcenter/writproc.html

6. Teaching Assessment Testing Adapted from Brown, 2004

7. Rubrics, Rubrics, Rubrics • Not just final draft; process • Involve Students • Rubrics for discussions • Students use rubrics for peer-editing

8. Activate Prior Knowledge and Get Students Thinking About the Topic • Students have begun memorizing vocabulary. • Visual representations of basic vocabulary are presented while students brainstorm by shouting out the words they see or other related words. • Ikea Spain: http://www.ikea.com/es/es/ • Cultural differences between Spanish and American Houses are discussed.

9. Applying the lexical field • Now that students feel comfortable with basic vocabulary they use that vocabulary to talk about real houses for sale in Spain. • http://www.inmobiliaria.com/ • Students prepare answers to guiding questions that they will then present to the class. • Why do you like the house? Why do you not like the house?, etc.

10. Reviewing Information • As students present their answers to the questions about the Spanish real estate, classmates ask questions for clarification. • Discussion of differences between Spanish and American houses continues. • After presentation students are asked if they would like to live in any of the houses presented.

11. Creating a Plan • What kind of house would you like to live in? • In groups students develop their dream houses. • guiding questions, visual designs, etc.

12. Writing a Draft • Students write drafts of an expository essay describing their dream house in Spanish. • About 100 words. • “Micro-essay” follows same format as formal expository essay.

13. Peer Editing • Students read one another’s papers to give advice on revisions. • Students must understand the writing of other students. • Students must be able to give input on necessary changes.

14. The Final Draft • Process, not product. • No longer just rote memorization of vocabulary and grammar rules.

15. References • Anderson, L.W., & Krathwohl, D.R. (Eds.) (2001). A taxonomy of learning, teaching, and assessment: A revision of Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives. New York: Longman. • Brown, H. D. (2004.) Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education, Inc.