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Strategies for Developing Critical and Creative Thinking Shonté M. Wallace

+21st Century Learning

In order to promote creative learning in the 21st century, we must ensure our students develop the following skills :

1. Synthetic Ability- A person who can pioneer new ideas

2. Analytic Ability- Critical thinker who analyzes and evaluates ideas

3. Practical Ability- One who can translate theory to practice

(Sternberg and Williams, 2003)

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So, how do you facilitate an environment conducive of creative and critical thinking?

+Creative Thinking1. Allow students choices on how to demonstrate

mastery of objectives.

Did you mother ever tell you that you will only learn the hard way? Even after she told you a million times to do something one way, you still did what you wanted… However, you learned from your experience!

Students need choices, in order to try out new ideas.

We often learn by making mistakes and making improvements.

You can require that students provide an outline of what they plan to do, in order to best support their efforts.

+ Creative Thinking, Cont’d2. Create an accepting classroom environment.

Educators have a strong sense of control in the classroom dynamic, in regards to respect.

Allowing students to brainstorm and present new ideas without being critical of them will promote creative thinking.

3. Interdisciplinary connections matter.

Meet with colleagues from other subjects and find out what they are teaching or have recently taught.

Reinforcing knowledge across subjects offers repition for the students so they can grasp major aspects more.

Allow students to apply their abilities from their strongest subjects in your class.

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+Creative Thinking, Cont’d

4. Make time for creativity

Using scaffolding techniques and ample, targeted feedback, gives students a chance to continuously build their knowledge while reflecting on the integration and application of what they learned.

The best innovations did not happen overnight!

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+Creative Thinking Cont’d

5. Encourage collaborative creativity

Connectivism learning theory emphasizes the value of collboration.

Working with others is a part of life.

Many minds working together goes beyond the limits of one person’s thinking and abilities.

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+Critical Thinking

1. Reflection is key to critical thinking

Use short formative assessments that allow students to reflect on the day’s lessons and their own learning.

The 1 Minute Assessment and Muddiest Point are great formative assessments

2. Get controversial!

Ask questions that do not have concrete answers that require students to really think about their own perspectives and others’.

+Critical Thinking, Cont’d

3. Lecture is a part of teaching, but allow students to inquire and report to the class.

Inquiry is an essential skill in critical thinking ability.

Having them report it also increases their learning.

Students learn from other students, not only teachers.

The act of reporting the information through multiple communication modes is a part of the critical thinking process.

+Critical Thinking, Cont’d4. Problem-based Learning

The teacher is a facilitator, and learning is student-centered.

Students can collaborate and integrate all of the knowledge, skills, and abilities that they have, in order to find solutions.

5. Bloom’s Taxonomy

Remember, learning is a process.

Students will need to begin with lower-order, background knowledge building skills, before being able to evaluate, integrate and create.

Critical thinking can occur in the lower- order skill levels.

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+References Ennis, R. H. (2013). Twenty-one strategies and techniques for

teaching critical thinking. CriticalThinking.Net. Retrieved from http://www.criticalthinking.net/howteach.html

Sternberg, R. & Williams, W. M. (2003). Teaching for creativity: Two dozen tips. The Center for Development and Learning. Retrieved from http://www.cdl.org/articles/teaching-for-creativity-two-dozen-tips/

Study Guides and Strategies. (n. d.). Problem-based learning. Retrieved from http://www.studygs.net/pbl.htm

Study Guides and Strategies. (n. d.). Teaching critical thinking. Retrieved from http://www.studygs.net/teaching/crttch.htm