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Stephen Brookfield Distinguished University Professor University of St. Thomas www.stephenbrookfield.com BECOMING A CRITICALLY REFLECTIVE TEACHER 

Critical Thinking-Becoming Critically Reflective

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Stephen Brookfield

Distinguished University Professor 

University of St. Thomaswww.stephenbrookfield.com

BECOMING A CRITICALLYREFLECTIVE TEACHER 

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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

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4 LENSES ON PRACTICE

STUDENT’S EYES 

COLLEAGUES’PERCEPTIONS

THEORY/RESEARCH AUTOBIOGRAPHY

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STUDENTS’ EYES 

CRITICAL INCIDENT

QUESTIONNAIRE

ONE MINUTE PAPER

MUDDIEST POINT

 AFTER HOURS GROUP

CLICKERS

LEARNING AUDIT

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COLLEAGUES’ PERCEPTIONS 

TEAM TEACHING

CRITICAL REFLECTIONGROUPS

TALKING TEACHING

RECIPROCAL PEER REVIEW

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THEORY/RESEARCH

Resistance

Diverse Learning StylesRacial Formation/Identity

Credibility & Authenticity

Cognitive Development

Discussion Participation

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 AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Professional Development

Conference AttendanceGraduate Study

Learning Something New

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WHY FOCUS ON IT?

To Take Informed Action•  Action Based on Evidence That Can beCited & Considered By Others

•  Action That Can be Explained & Justified

•  Action That Has Its Assumptions Known &Checked

•  Action That Stands a Chance of AchievingIts Intended Consequence

• Action That’s In Our Best Interest 

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TYPES OF ASSUMPTIONS• CAUSAL - purports to explain a

sequence of events

• PRESCRIPTIVE - assumptionsabout how we wish things to be

• PARADIGMATIC - framing,

structuring assumptions viewed asobvious, natural, common sense

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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 interestwhen in actuality they harm us

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WHAT SHOULD WE

REMEMBER AS TEACHERS?

• Modeling, Modeling, Modeling

• Resistance is Normal & Predictable• Critical Thinking is Often Taught

Incrementally - Start Well Away Fromthe Student’s Reasoning & Actions,

Help them Learn Critical Protocols,and Over Time Move Closer and Closerto the Student’s Own Reasoning &

Actions

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Beyond the Novice Level

After Initial Assimilation

When Classroom Skills andKnowledge Have to be Applied inthe ‘Real’ World 

When Independent Judgment isCalled for and No TrustedAuthority is at Hand

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• 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

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QUESTIONWhen critical thinking happens in

your classroom what does it …

LOOK LIKE

SOUND LIKE

FEEL LIKE

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WHEN IS IT BEST TAUGHT?

When Alternative Explanations andInterpretations are Possible

When Actions, Decisions, & JudgmentsNeed to be Informed

When Thinking on Your Feet &

Improvisation is Called For  When Venturing into New Territory With An

Old Road Map

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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 openconversation with no ground rules

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QUESTION

HOW DO YOU

MODEL CRITICALTHINKING FOR

 YOUR STUDENTS?

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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

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MODELING … 

When Teachers Critique Their OwnPositions - Moving Around the

Classroom When Teachers ‘Speak in Tongues’ at

Different Stations in the Classroom

When Teachers Consistently DiscussTheir Criteria for Judging Credibility of 

 Authoritative Sources

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MODELING … 

When Teachers Use the CIQ to CheckTheir Assumptions in Front of Students

When Teachers Bring in Real LifeExperience When Assumptions WereConfirmed & Challenged

In Team Teaching - When TeamMembers Take Different Positions andClarify Each Others’ Assumptions 

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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

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QUESTION

WHAT MOST GETS IN THE

WAY OF / SABOTAGES YOUR ATTEMPTS TO

DEVELOP CRITICAL

THINKING?

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CRITICAL INCIDENT

QUESTIONNAIREMost 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

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HOW ADMINISTERED

Final 5 minutes of last class of week

Summary provided at start of the 1st

class the following weekDemonstrates Student Diversity

Early Warning Device

Models Critical ThinkingNegotiation NOT Capitulation

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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 

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CRITICAL REVIEW OF

LITERATURE• Epistemological - Truths grounded in

what evidence? Fusing descriptive &

prescriptive? Paradigm predeterminesconclusions? Culturally skewed?

• Experiential - Metaphors? Omissions?

• Communicative - Whose voices areheard? Unjustified jargon?

• Political - Whose interests are served?

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QUOTES TO AFFIRM &

CHALLENGEAFFIRM  

Well Expressed Empirically Accurate

Produced A New Understanding

CHALLENGE  

Incomprehensible False Protocol

Empirically Inaccurate

Ethically Dubious Omitted Evidence

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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, SanFrancisco.

To order:http://stephenbrookfield.com/books.html

Home Page:www.stephenbrookfield.com