Building Critical-Thinking Skills chapter 11 Building Critical-Thinking Skills

Building Critical-Thinking Skills

Teaching Styles Direct—teacher tells students what to do, how to do it, and when to do it Indirect—teacher involves students in problem solving by asking questions and posing movement problems

Educating the Whole Child

Indirect Teaching Encourages exploration, discovery, creativity Stimulates higher-order thinking skills (analyzing, designing, comparing, explaining, applying, evaluating) Provides enjoyment and cognitive involvement

Convergent Problem Solving Guiding children to discover the solution to the movement problem Example: “slanty rope” lesson Guidelines: Never tell the answer; respond to incorrect solutions with a question; discuss movement problems verbally (“Checking for Understanding” DVD clips)

Divergent Problem Solving Guiding children to discover many solutions to a movement problem Emphasizing a breadth of responses Example: “Find different ways to travel in general space.” Questioning to guide response Creating supportive environments Pinpointing to show diversity of responses

Effective Problem-Solving Strategies Callouts—asking children to respond by raising their hands Wait time—pausing several seconds after asking a question to help all children focus on their answer Having patience—taking time to explore solutions to problems (continued)

Effective Problem-Solving Strategies (continued) Content knowledge—knowing the subject well enough to ask helpful questions and choose appropriate concepts Children’s developmental level—knowing what types of questions or problems will interest different grade levels Positive and accepting—encouraging effort; refocusing off-task behavior