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Stephen Brookfield
Distinguished University Professor
University of St. Thomas
www.stephenbrookfield.com
BECOMING A CRITICALLY REFLECTIVE TEACHER
WHAT IS IT? 4 FUNCTIONS
IDENTIFYING OUR ASSUMPTIONS
CHECKING THEIR ACCURACY & VALIDITY
VIEWING IDEAS & ACTIONS FROM ALTERNATE PERSPECTIVES
TAKING INFORMED ACTION - THE SURVIVAL SKILL OF ADULT LIFE
STUDENTS’ EYES
CRITICAL INCIDENT QUESTIONNAIRE
ONE MINUTE PAPER
MUDDIEST POINT
AFTER HOURS GROUP
CLICKERS
LEARNING AUDIT
COLLEAGUES’ PERCEPTIONS
TEAM TEACHING
CRITICAL REFLECTION GROUPS
TALKING TEACHING
RECIPROCAL PEER REVIEW
THEORY/RESEARCH
Resistance
Diverse Learning Styles
Racial Formation/Identity
Credibility & Authenticity
Cognitive Development
Discussion Participation
WHY FOCUS ON IT?To Take Informed Action
• Action Based on Evidence That Can be Cited & Considered By Others
• Action That Can be Explained & Justified• Action That Has Its Assumptions Known &
Checked• Action That Stands a Chance of Achieving
Its Intended Consequence• Action That’s In Our Best Interest
TYPES OF ASSUMPTIONS• CAUSAL - purports to explain a
sequence of events • PRESCRIPTIVE - assumptions
about how we wish things to be• PARADIGMATIC - framing,
structuring assumptions viewed as obvious, natural, common sense
ASSUMPTIONS• Of Power – critically reflective teaching
unearths power dynamics & considers how power is used responsively or abused
• Hegemonic – assumptions we embrace thinking they are in out best interest when in actuality they harm us
WHAT SHOULD WE REMEMBER AS
TEACHERS?• Modeling, Modeling, Modeling• Resistance is Normal & Predictable• Critical Thinking is Often Taught
Incrementally - Start Well Away From the Student’s Reasoning & Actions, Help them Learn Critical Protocols, and Over Time Move Closer and Closer to the Student’s Own Reasoning & Actions
Beyond the Novice Level After Initial Assimilation When Classroom Skills and
Knowledge Have to be Applied in the ‘Real’ World
When Independent Judgment is Called for and No Trusted Authority is at Hand
• Groups of 4-5
• Go round the circle - Each person has up to a minute to respond however they wish to the question – no interruptions allowed
• Move into open conversation – you can only talk about what someone else said in the opening round of talk
Circle of Voices
QUESTION When critical thinking happens in
your classroom what does it …
LOOK LIKE
SOUND LIKE
FEEL LIKE
WHEN IS IT BEST TAUGHT?
When Alternative Explanations and Interpretations are Possible
When Actions, Decisions, & Judgments Need to be Informed
When Thinking on Your Feet & Improvisation is Called For
When Venturing into New Territory With An Old Road Map
CIRCULAR RESPONSE
Groups of 8-12Go round the circle: each person has up to a minute to talk - NO INTERRUPTIONSWhat you say must respond to the previous speaker’s comments (can be a disagreement or expression of confusion)Once all have spoken move into open conversation with no ground rules
WHAT STUDENTS SAY IS HELPFUL
MODELING … Seeing it MODELED & Named When Teachers Talk Out Loud Their
Assumptions Behind Practices When Teachers Do Regular
Assumption Audits When Teachers Say When Their
Assumptions are Confirmed & Challenged
MODELING …
When Teachers Critique Their Own Positions - Moving Around the Classroom
When Teachers ‘Speak in Tongues’ at Different Stations in the Classroom
When Teachers Consistently Discuss Their Criteria for Judging Credibility of Authoritative Sources
MODELING …
When Teachers Use the CIQ to Check Their Assumptions in Front of Students
When Teachers Bring in Real Life Experience When Assumptions Were Confirmed & Challenged
In Team Teaching - When Team Members Take Different Positions and Clarify Each Others’ Assumptions
SNOWBALLING• Quiet individual reflection on a
question• Share responses with another
person• Pair joins another pair to form
quartet• Quarter joins another quartet to
form octet (and so on …)• Each time groups join up they
share emerging differences, issues & questions
CRITICAL INCIDENT QUESTIONNAIRE
Most Engaged Moment as LearnerMost Distanced Moment as LearnerMost Helpful Action (Prof. or Peer)Most Puzzling Action (Prof. or Peer)What Surprised You Most
HOW ADMINISTERED
Final 5 minutes of last class of week
Summary provided at start of the 1st class the following week
Demonstrates Student Diversity
Early Warning Device
Models Critical Thinking
Negotiation NOT Capitulation
STUDENT PRACTICES• Conversational Roles : Devil’s Advocate,
detective, textual focuser, evidential assessor• Conversational Moves : Disagree respectfully,
develop a counter argument, clarify assumptions, provide authority source
• Spot The Error: 1 per lecture or discussion• Assumption Audits: written or spoken• Critical Conversation Protocol• Critical Debate • Scenario Analysis
CRITICAL REVIEW OF LITERATURE
• Epistemological - Truths grounded in what evidence? Fusing descriptive & prescriptive? Paradigm predetermines conclusions? Culturally skewed?
• Experiential - Metaphors? Omissions?• Communicative - Whose voices are
heard? Unjustified jargon?• Political - Whose interests are served?
QUOTES TO AFFIRM & CHALLENGE
AFFIRM
Well Expressed Empirically Accurate
Produced A New Understanding
CHALLENGE
Incomprehensible False Protocol
Empirically Inaccurate
Ethically Dubious Omitted Evidence
Stephen Brookfield Books Developing Critical Thinkers (1987) Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher (1995) The Power of Critical Theory (2004) Discussion as a Way of Teaching (2005, 2nd.
Ed.) With Stephen Preskill The Skillful Teacher (2006, 2nd. Ed.) All titles published by Jossey Bass, San
Francisco. To order:http://stephenbrookfield.com/books.html Home Page:www.stephenbrookfield.com