Stephen Brookfield Distinguished University Professor University of St. Thomas 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

4 LENSES ON PRACTICE STUDENT’S EYES COLLEAGUES’ PERCEPTIONS THEORY/RESEARCH AUTOBIOGRAPHY

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

AUTOBIOGRAPHY Professional Development Conference Attendance Graduate Study Learning Something New

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 8-12 Go round the circle: each person has up to a minute to talk - NO INTERRUPTIONS What 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

QUESTION HOW DO YOU MODEL CRITICAL THINKING FOR YOUR STUDENTS?

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

QUESTION WHAT MOST GETS IN THE WAY OF / SABOTAGES YOUR ATTEMPTS TO DEVELOP CRITICAL THINKING?

CRITICAL INCIDENT QUESTIONNAIRE Most Engaged Moment as Learner Most Distanced Moment as Learner Most 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: Home Page: