The main purpose of using critical thinking technologies is to educate a person in independent and meaningful use: firstly, educational materials, and secondly, other information sources. The authors of such technologies are educators from America: Kurt Meredith, Charles Temple and Ginny Steel.
Think critically
In Russia, methods and technologies of critical thinking have been used since about the mid-nineties. The technology is based on the concept of a dialogue of culture between V. Bibler and M. Bakhtin, research on the psychology of L. Vygotsky and others, as well as pedagogy based on the collaboration of S. Amonashveli. So what does critical thinking technology imply?
This way of thinking means: independence and freedom, as well as analytics, evaluation and reflection. It is divided into three stages:
- The challenge stage is a constant replenishment of an existing stock of knowledge and a manifestation of interest in obtaining relevant information, as well as a person setting his own learning goals.
- The stage of comprehension is the production of new knowledge and amendments to the previously set learning goals.
- The stage of reflection is deep reflection and self-immersion in order to obtain higher knowledge and one more statement of updated tasks.
Challenge of knowledge
The teacher’s work during this stage of application of the critical thinking development technology is primarily intended to challenge the student to the knowledge reserves that the latter already have, as well as bring this knowledge into an active state and awaken the desire to work on oneself in the future.
The trainee must find in his memory the knowledge that relates to the material that he is studying. Then comes the systematization of information until the receipt of new material. He asks questions to which he wants answers.
A possible method here is to create a list of currently available information:
- a story is a sentence on "key words";
- graphic systematization of acquired knowledge (all kinds of tables, lists, etc.);
- search for true and false statements.
All data that was obtained at the stage of the call of knowledge is carefully listened to, it is being recorded and further discussed. All work can be carried out both individually and in the presence of a couple or even a group.
Data comprehension
At this stage of the methods of critical thinking technology, teaching is aimed at maintaining a healthy interest in the topic through collaboration with the new information block, as well as a stepwise movement up from the data to more relevant ones.
At this time, the student listens or reads the text using active reading methods (marginal notes or journal entries) as new pieces of information arrive.
The most accessible at this stage is the active reading method, with labeling in the margins. In addition, it is necessary to look for new answers to the questions that were posed in the previous phase.
Reflection and Reflection
One who teaches at this level must return the student to the original records in order to update the data. It is also necessary to provide creative and research work on the basis of already completed material.
The student should compare the recently received information with that which was originally given, using the data from the previous step.
Of the methods and techniques for applying critical technologies, it is worth noting the filling of plates and clusters with data. In addition, it is necessary to establish a causal relationship among all the knowledge gained. It will help in this return to key expressions, as well as true and false statements. The main task is to find answers to questions. Creativity and organized discussion on the topic are also good tools.
During reflection, analysis and creative processing is carried out, along with a comparison of all the data obtained. Both individual and pair or group work are possible.
Critical Technology List
"Inventory" is the compilation of the order of the information already received. The student takes notes on a topic he knows. Then comes the combination of old data with new and supplementing them.
"Do you believe in ...?" - This is a kind of game of right and wrong statements. During the challenge phase, the student selects the correct answers from those that the teacher suggested on a given topic and conducts its description. In the next phase, they make a validation of the original choice.
"Key words" - the teacher pronounces these words, according to which the student must understand the topic of the lesson or a specific task.
"Thick questions" are questions of the type "Explain why ...?", "Why did you think so ...?", "What are the differences ...?", "Make an assumption about what happens if ... ? " and the like.
"ZHU table" - compilation of a student’s own table by the type "I know - I want to know - I have already received information."
INSERT and Zigzag
Reception of critical technologies under the name "Insert" is a marking of your text with information with certain icons as it is studied.
It is an interactive, markup system for effective reading and reflection. Possible options for marking your text:
- V - already know this;
- + - something new;
- - - I think otherwise, I do not agree with this statement;
- ? - it is not clear, there were questions.
"Zigzag" is a work with text in a group. Knowledge is acquired and large volumes of material are optimized, for which purpose information is divided into passages in meaning so that students can teach each other. Naturally, there should be exactly as many pieces of data as there are students in the group.