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PromotingStudentEngagementThroughaCriticalThinkingFrameworkinthe
ElementaryClassroom
By:
CarlySazant
AresearchpapersubmittedinconformitywiththerequirementsForthedegreeofMasterofTeaching
DepartmentofCurriculum,TeachingandLearningOntarioInstituteforStudiesinEducationoftheUniversityofToronto
CopyrightbyCarlySazant,April2014
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 2
Abstract
Studentengagementisanimportantpredecessorofstudentachievement
andsocialandcognitivedevelopment;however,studiesoverthepasttwodecades
showthattherehasbeenaseverelackofstudentengagementinschools.This
qualitativeresearchstudyexplorestheeffectsthatacriticalthinkingmethodology
hasonstudentengagementintheclassroomsetting.Creatingaclassroom
environmentinwhichstudentsareencouragedtomakemeaningfulconnections,by
thinkingcriticallyandreflectingupontheirexperiencesmayhelpengagetoday’s
younglearners.Dataforthisstudywascollectedthroughtwosemi‐structured,one‐
on‐oneinterviewswithaclassroomteacherandschooladministratorwithina
schoolboardintheGreaterTorontoArea.Thefindingsofthisresearchsuggestthat:
1)criticalthinkinghasapositiveeffectonstudentandteacherengagementwithin
theclassroom;2)criticalthinkinghasotherbenefits,includingapositiveimpacton
studentachievementandstudents’higher‐orderthinkingskills,andhelpsmeetthe
needsofalltypesoflearners;3)effectivestrategiesmustbeusedtoinviteand
promotecriticalthinking;4)therearechallengestoimplementingcriticalthinking
inaclassroom;5)teachersandadministratorsneedsupportinordertosuccessfully
integratecriticalthinkingintoteachingpractices.
KeyWords:CriticalThinking,StudentEngagement,CriticalChallenges
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 3
Acknowledgements
Iwouldliketotakethisopportunitytothankanumberofindividualswhohave
supportedmethroughoutmyresearchstudyandmyjourneytobecomingan
educator.Firstly,Iextendmysincerestthankstomyresearchsupervisor,Garfield
Gini‐Newman,foreducatingmeonthetopicofCriticalThinkingandsupportingme
throughoutthisentireprocess.Yourknowledgeandvaluableinsighthavetruly
beenaninspiration.Iwouldalsoliketothankmycourseinstructor,Dr.Susan
Schwartz,forherconstantsupport,feedbackandgenerosity.Iamsothankfulto
havehadyoubymysidethroughoutthisprocess,andtoknowthatyouwerealways
onlyane‐mailawayprovidedmewithaconstantsenseofcomfort.Yourloveof
teachingandyourdevotiontoyourstudentsisinspiringandwillcontinueto
motivatemethroughoutmyteachingcareer.Tomyresearchparticipants–this
researchstudywouldnothavebeenpossiblewithoutyou.Thankyousomuchfor
sharingyourtime,expertiseandmanyexperienceswithme.Next,Iwouldliketo
extendaheartfeltthankyoutomyclassmatesforremainingasteadysourceof
supportformeoverthepasttwoyears.Youhavebeentherethroughthelaughter
andthetears,andhaveshownmethetrueimportancethatrelationshipsand
collaborationholdwithintheteachingprofession.Finally,Iowemydeepest
gratitudetomyfamilyfortheirendlessloveandencouragement.Youhavealways
advisedmetofollowmydreamsandIthankyouforhelpingmerealizemyfull
potentialasastudentandasaneducator.
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 4
TableofContents
Chapter Page
Abstract 2
Acknowledgements 3
1.INTRODUCTION 7
IntroductiontotheResearchStudy 7
PurposeoftheStudy 8
ResearchTopic/Questions 8
BackgroundoftheResearcher 9
Overview 10
2.LITERATUREREVIEW ` 11
DefinitionofTerms 11
TheAbsenceofStudentEngagementWithinElementaryClassrooms 12
UsingCriticalThinkingStrategiestoEngageStudents 12
PreparingStudentsForTheWorkforce 13
BarrierstoCriticalThinking 15
HowtoImplementCriticalThinkingStrategiesinTheClassroom 16
3.METHODOLOGY 19
Procedure 19
InstrumentsofDataCollection 19
Participants 20
DataCollectionandAnalysis 21
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 5
EthicalReviewProcedures 22
Limitations 23
4.FINDINGS 24
PositiveEffectonStudentandTeacherEngagement 26
StudentEngagement 26
TeacherEngagement 27
OtherBenefitsofCriticalThinking 28
StudentAchievement 28
Higher‐orderThinking 29
MeetstheNeedsofallTypesofLearners 31
EffectiveStrategiesUsedtoPromoteCriticalThinking 31
EffectiveQuestioningandCriticalChallenges 32
ClassroomSetup 33
ChallengestoCriticalThinking 34
TeacherUnwillingnessandLackofTraining 34
StudentHesitations 36
ParentConcerns 36
TeacherSupports 37
5.DISCUSSION 40
Reflections 40
ImplicationsandRecommendations 42
LimitationsandFurtherStudy 45
Conclusion 46
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 6
REFERENCES 47
APPENDICES 50
AppendixA:LetterofConsentforInterview 50
AppendixB:InterviewQuestions 52
Interview#1 52
Interview#2 54
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 7
Howcantheuseofcriticalthinkingmethodologyaffectstudentengagementinelementaryclassrooms?
Chapter1:INTRODUCTION
IntroductiontotheResearchStudy
Studentengagementisanimportantpredecessorofstudentachievement
andsocialandcognitivedevelopment;however,thelackofstudentengagementin
schoolshasbecomeanepidemicissuethathasbeengrowingforthepasttwo
decades(Marks,2000).Studentshavebeencheckingoutofschoolbecausetheyare
nolongerinterestedinwhatschoolsareoffering.Yazzie‐Mintz(2006)reportedthat
50%ofstudentsareboredeverydayinclassandapproximately17%ofstudents
areboredineveryclasstheyattend.Amere2%ofyoutheachyearreportnever
beingbored.Withthedramasofreallife,cellphones,electronicgames,andinthe
ageoftheInternet,howcaneducatorscapturestudents’attentionandprovidean
engaginglearningenvironment(Caram&Davis,2005)?
Studentsengageinlearningwhentheyareintrinsicallymotivatedby
curiosity,interestandenjoymentorwhentheywanttofulfillpersonalgoals(as
citedinCaram&Davis,2005).Whenfacedwithlearningthattheyperceiveas
meaningful,studentsbecomeincreasinglyeagertoextendtheirknowledge.Mutual
inquiry,theinvestigationofopen‐endedquestionsandhavingateachertakeonthe
roleoffacilitator,areimportantelementsinvolvedinfosteringsuccessfulstudent
engagement(Caram&Davis,2005).
Fredricks,Blumenfeld&Paris(2004)suggestthatthislackofstudent
engagementisbecomingapparentatanalarmingtime.Today’sfast‐paced,global
economyrequiresworkerswhoarenotonlyeducatedintheirfield,butarealsoable
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 8
tocreateandevaluatenewinformation,solveproblemsandthinkcritically.Creating
aclassroomenvironmentinwhichstudentsareencouragedtomakemeaningful
connections,bythinkingcriticallyandreflectingupontheirexperiencesmayhelp
engagetheyounglearnersintoday’sclassrooms.
PurposeoftheStudy
Throughmyresearch,Iwanttounderstandhowteachingthroughacritical
thinkingframeworkaffectsstudentengagementinelementaryclassrooms.Iwantto
deeplyexploreeducators’personalexperiencesandbeliefsregardingcritical
thinking,anddiscoverthetruebenefitsthatstemfromutilizingthismethodology
withintheconfinesoftheclassroom.Thoughtheideaofcriticalthinkingis
recognizedandvaluedbymany,itisinadequatelyaddressedintheclassroom(Case,
2005).Ihopetolearnfromexperiencededucatorsanddeveloprecommendations
forfuturepractice.Ifwewanttoprepareourstudentsforthe21stcentury,wemust
starttoengagetheminrelevantandmeaningfullearning.
ResearchQuestions
Themainresearchquestionforthisstudyis:Howcantheuseofcriticalthinking
methodologyaffectstudentengagementinelementaryclassrooms?
Thesub‐questionsare:
1. Whatarethepossiblebenefitsforstudentlearningthatresultfromintegrating
criticalthinkingintoclassroomteaching?
2. Whatspecificintellectualtoolsandstrategiesdoteachersusetoencourage
criticalthinkingandstudentengagementintheirclassrooms?
3. Whatchallengesdoteachersfaceinencouragingcriticalthinkingintheir
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 9
classrooms?
4. Whatsupportdoteachershavetoimplementcriticalthinkingintheir
classrooms?
BackgroundoftheResearcher
Asanelementaryschoolstudent,Irecallmostofmyteachersusing
transmissionastheirprimarymethodofteaching,asopposedtoaconstructivist
teachingapproachorstudent‐centredapproach.Theteacherwouldstandatthe
frontoftheclass,feedthestudentsrulesandinformationandthensitbackaswe
solvedalistofquestionsfromthetextbook.Throughmyelementaryandsecondary
schooling,IalwaysfeltasifIwasastudentwho‘fellthroughthecracks’ofthe
educationsystem.Iwasdisengagedanduninterested,andmygradessufferedasa
result.However,sinceIwasneverabehaviouralstudent,andourteacherstaughtat
us,asopposedtowithus,mychallengeswentunnoticedfromyeartoyear.
Whileatmyfirstpracticumschoolduringobservationweek,myassociate
teacher(AT)introducedmetoanewwaveofteachingthatseveralschoolswithin
theirschoolboardweretryingtoimplementforthe2012‐2013schoolyear.Their
focuswastoprovide“effective,engaginginstructionacrossthecurriculum,tohelp
studentsdemonstrateanimprovementintheirabilitytothinkcritically”.Iobserved
myATassheaskedgradeonestudentsthought‐provokingquestions,suchas:“how
didyougettothatanswer?”,“whatwasyourthoughtprocess?”,and“whatareyour
criteria(reasonswhy)?”Shepresentedherstudentswithcriticalchallengesona
dailybasis,andIfoundittohaveapositiveimpactontheirengagementintheclass.
Thismethodofteachingwasverydifferentthantheteacher‐centredinstructionI
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 10
rememberedexperiencingasastudent.Itmademewonderhowthisapproachto
teachingaffectsstudentengagementandifitpresentsotherbenefitstostudent
learning.
Myresearchwillexplorewhysomeeducatorsandschoolboardshavechosen
toembracecriticalthinkingintheirschoolsandclassrooms.Iwanttolearnthe
benefitsthatstemfromacriticalthinkingmethodology,andthepossiblechallenges
thatteachers,studentsandparentsmayfacethroughitsimplementation.Overthe
courseofmyresearchstudyIhopetodiscovertheimpactthatcriticalthinkinghas
onstudentengagementintheclassroom.Ibelievethatprovidingouryounglearners
withmeaningfulandrelevantlearningopportunitieswillbetterpreparethemto
becomeacommunityof21stcenturycriticalandcreativethinkers.
Overview
Chapter1includestheintroductionandpurposeofthestudy,theresearch
questions,aswellashowIcametobeinvolvedinthistopicandstudy.Chapter2
containsareviewoftherelevantliteraturefocusingontheeffectsofcriticalthinking
onstudentengagement.Chapter3providesthemethodologyandprocedurethat
willbeusedinthisstudyincludinginformationaboutthesampleparticipantsand
datacollectioninstruments.Chapter4describesthecollecteddatathematically,asit
addressestheresearchquestion.Chapter5includesreflections,implicationsand
recommendationsforpractice,aswellaslimitations,areasforfuturestudy,and
conclusions.Referencesandalistofappendixesfollowattheend.
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 11
Chapter2:LiteratureReview
DefinitionofTerms
Throughoutthisresearchproject,Iwillbediscussingtheconceptofcritical
thinkingandtheeffectsthatithasonstudentengagementinelementary
classrooms.However,itisevidentfrommyresearchcollection,thatthereare
countlessdefinitionsofcriticalthinkingandthewayitisdefinedhaschanged
somewhatovertime.In1986,Chancedescribedcriticalthinkingas“theabilityto
analyzefacts,generateandorganizeideas,defendopinions,makecomparisons,
drawinferences,evaluateargumentsandsolveproblems”(p.6).In1987,The
CriticalThinkingCommunitysimilarlydefinedcriticalthinkingas“theintellectually
disciplinedprocessofactivelyandskillfullyconceptualizing,applying,analyzing,
synthesizing,and/orevaluatinginformationgatheredfrom,orgeneratedby,
observation,experience,reflection,reasoning,orcommunication,asaguidetobelief
andaction”(Scriven&Paul,2007).Forthepurposeofthispaper,IwilluseJohn
Chaffee’sdefinitionofcriticalthinking,whichisthefollowing:“apurposeful,
organizedcognitiveprocessthatweusetounderstandtheworldandmake
informeddecisions”(Chaffee,2006).
Iwillalsobediscussingstudentengagementthroughoutthisstudy.Forthe
purposeofthispaper,IwilladoptHelenMarks’definitionofengagement.
“Engagementisconceptualizedasapsychologicalprocess,particularlythe
attention,interest,investment,andeffortstudentsexpendduringlearning.”This
definitionimpliesbothaffectiveandbehaviouralparticipationinthelearning
experience(Marks,2000).
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 12
TheAbsenceofStudentEngagementwithinElementaryClassrooms
Inordertobeengagedinthelearningprocess,studentsmustbeinterestedin
schoolandbeintrinsicallymotivatedtolearn(Marks,2000).Thelackofstudent
engagementinschoolshasbecomeanepidemicissuethathasbeengrowingsince
the1980s(Marks,2000).Studiesfromthatdecadeshowunenthusiasticteachers
anddisengagedstudents“goingthroughthemotions”,whilenegotiatingan
extensiveandfragmentedcurriculum.Themajorityofeducatorsfollowedthe
transmissionmodelofteachingandinducedpassivenessandboredomamong
students,asaresult(Marks,2000).
Studentshavebeencheckingoutofschoolbecausetheyarenolonger
interestedinwhatschoolsareoffering.Yazzie‐Mintz(2006)reportedthat50%of
studentsareboredeverydayinclassandapproximately17%ofstudentsarebored
ineveryclasstheyattend.Amere2%ofyouth,eachyear,reportneverbeingbored.
Aconsiderableamountofresearchattributesthelackofstudentengagementin
schoolstocurriculumfragmentation,weakinstructionbyeducatorsandlow
expectationsforstudentlearning(Marks,2000).Inaddition,manyelementary
schoolshavebeenaccusedofprovidingstudentswithmeaninglessinstructional
activitiesthatfailtoillustratetostudentstheusefulnessofschoolandthe
importanceoftheirattendance(Finn,1993).Norman(1981)noted,“Itisstrange
thatweexpectstudentstolearn,yetseldomteachthemanythingaboutlearning”.
UsingCriticalThinkingStrategiestoEngageStudents
Creatingaclassroomenvironmentinwhichstudentsareencouragedtomake
meaningfulconnections,bythinkingcriticallyandreflectingupontheirexperiences
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 13
mayhelpengagetheyounglearnersintoday’sclassrooms.Theideaofcritical
thinkinghasbeenaroundformanyyearsandhasbeenrecognizedasanimportant
educationalgoal.Criticalthinkingismentionedineverycurriculumdocument
acrossOntarioanditisinuniversalagreementthatitisnecessarytomake
thoughtfuljudgmentsinvirtuallyallaspectsoflife(Case,2005).
Whenfacedwithlearningthattheyperceiveasmeaningful,studentsbecome
increasinglyeagertoextendtheirknowledge.Mutualinquiry,theinvestigationof
open‐endedquestionsandhavingateachertakeontheroleoffacilitator,are
importantelementsinvolvedinfosteringsuccessfulstudentengagement(Caram&
Davis,2005).Theinfusionofcriticalthinkingrequiresdeep,thoughtful,andwell
understoodsubjectmatterinstructioninwhichstudentsareencouragedtothink
criticallyinthesubject(Abramietal.,2008).
PreparingStudentsfortheWorkforce
Studentsoftodaywillbegraduatingintoaworldthatisbasedonanew
knowledgeeconomy.Theywillrequiretheskill‐setto“deconstruct,construct,co‐
constructandreconstructmeaningefficientlyandeffectively”(TheLiteracyand
NumeracySecretariat,2008,p.1).Inorderforstudentstothriveinthe21stcentury
andtomakelasting,positivecontributionstotheirworld,theywillrequireasolid
foundationofliteracyandnumeracyskills,aswellasaneducationthatisdeeply
rootedinthinkingandaction(TheLiteracyandNumeracySecretariat,2008).
Tishman(2008)wrote:
Therearemanyreasonswhystudentsmustlearntothinkskillfully;sotheycanmakethoughtfullifedecisions,solveproblemscreatively,andunderstandandanalyzeknowledgeinandacrossdisciplines.Todoanyof
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 14
thesethingswell,studentsneedtobecomeadeptatthinkingthingsthrough.(p.46)Tooofteninschoolsdoeducatorsteachfromthetextbookandindoingso,
robstudentsofproblemsolvingandcriticalthinkingskills.Usingthisapproachto
teachingmakesstudentsbelievethatthereisonecorrectanswertoaquestion,or
onerightapproachtosuccessfullysolveaproblem.Asaresult,studentsrarely
attempttounderstandproblems,anddevelopmethodstomemorizefactsand
processesinstead(Rathsetal.,1967).Thistypeoflearningandinstructionlendsno
connectiontorealworldexperiencesandwhenstudentsleavetheclassroom,they
arenotequippedtohandleproblemsthatariseintherealworld(Teele,2006).
Afterannouncingthathewouldbereleasingadiscussionpaperlookingat
“waystointegratehigherorderthinkingskillsintoOntario’scurriculum”,Premier
DaltonMcGuintypostedthefollowingstatementonhisFacebookpage,
Weneedtogobeyondhighstandardsinreading,writingandmath.Weneedtoreachhigherbyfullyembracinghigherorderskills,likecreativity,criticalthinking,problemsolving,passion,empathyandleadership.We'llbelookingatnewwaystointegratehigherorderskillsintoOntario'scurriculum.Ourkidswillneedtobehighlyproficientinalltheseskillsiftheyaretofindthesuccessandhappinesswehopeforthem…Withsomanytechnologicalandinformationaladvancementsinrecentyears,
beingknowledgeablewillnolongerbeenoughtosucceedintheworkplace.Tobe
successfulinthefuture,studentswillrequiretheabilitytocreateandevaluate
information,solveproblemsandmakeeffectivedecisions;inotherwords,inwillbe
necessaryforthemtothinkcritically(Fredricksetal.2004;Snyder&Snyder,2008).
Thefutureworkplacewillcallfor“multiliteracies”,whichinvolveself‐regulatingand
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 15
monitoring,understandingandempathizing,analyzingandevaluating—allofwhich
are“tiedtogetherbythecoreconstructofthinking”(Schneider,2002,p.1).
BarrierstoCriticalThinking
Thecurrenttrendamongstmanyeducationalinstitutionsistostandardize
curriculaandconcentrateontestscores(Wong,2007).Thisapproachtoteaching
undermineseducators’abilitytoaddresscriticalthinkingintheclassroom.When
thereisanemphasison“teachingtothetest”andgettingthroughthecontent,
students’learningprocessesarehindered.Wheneducatorsshifttheemphasisto
learning,studentsaregiventhelibertyandtheresponsibilitytoexplorethecontent,
analyzeresourcesandapplyinformation(Snyder&Snyder,2008).
SnyderandSnyder(2008)contendthatitisunfortunatethatthemajorityof
studentsarenottaughttothinkorlearnindependentlyintheclassroom,andthese
studentsrarelypickuptheseskillsontheirown.Whilethereareasmallnumberof
studentswhomaybenaturallyinquisitive,theystillrequiretrainingtobecome
analytical,fairandopenmindedintheirpursuitoflearning.Contrarytosome
people’sbeliefs,criticalthinkingisnotaninnateabilitybutalearnedskillthat
requiresguidanceandpractice.
Thereareseveralbarriersthateducatorsfaceinimplementingcritical
thinkingstrategiesintotheirclassroom.FourbarriersinwhichSnyder&Snyder
(2008)discussare:1)alackoftraining;2)lackofinformation;3)personalbeliefs
andpreconceptions;and4)timeconstraints.Manyexperiencedteachersarenot
trainedincriticalthinkingmethodology.Theyreceivetraininginmethodsof
instruction;however,littleornoneofthetrainingdevotesanytimetocritical
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 16
thinkingskillsandhowtoteachthem.Thesecondbarrierisalackofinformation.
Thereareamultitudeofstudiesthatstatethebenefitsofcriticalthinkingskills;
howeverfewinstructionalmaterialsprovideanycriticalthinkingresources(Scriven
&Paul,2007).Thirdly,manyeducatorshavepreconceptionsaboutthecontentin
thecurriculumandhowtoteachit,whichprohibitstheirabilitytothinkcritically
aboutthematerial.Itisdifficultforsometeacherstoadoptanewstyleofteaching
ortobelievethatthereisamoreeffective,engagingwaytoteachthecurriculum.
Finally,manyteachersfacetimeconstraintswhenitcomestocoveringallthe
necessarycontentinthecurriculum.Whenteachersfocuson“covering”the
curriculum,lecturesandobjectivetestsbecomestandardteachingpractice.Itis
fastertolecturetoagroupofstudentsthanhavethemactivelyparticipatein
project‐basedlearningopportunities.Also,ittakeslesstimetowriteandgradean
objectivetestthanamoresubjectiveassessment.However,studiesshowthat
lecturingisnotthemosteffectivemethodofinstruction,andobjectivetestsarenot
themosteffectiveformofassessment(Broadbear,2003).
HowtoImplementCriticalThinkingStrategiesinTheClassroom Teachersareresponsibleforequippingstudentswiththeskillsand
strategiestothinkcriticallyandsolveproblems.Thechallengethatmanyeducators
faceishowtoputthisideaintopracticeanddevelopappropriate,engaging
activitiesthattheycanintegrateintothecurriculum.Thismayseemdifficult;
however,implementationoftheseobjectivesoftenrequiresonlyaslightshiftin
one’sapproachtoteaching(Schneider,2002).
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 17
Researchshowsthatcriticalthinkinginstructionisnoteffectivewhentaught
inisolation.Itissuggestedthatitbeintegratedintoeverycomponentofthe
classroom.Topromotecriticalthinking,itisessentialtofosteracriticalcommunity
withintheclassroom,inwhichtheteacherandstudentsinteractinmutually
supportiveways.Thiswillhelpcounteractthenotionofthinkingasasolitary
activity.Thoughweencouragestudentstobeindependentmindedandtomakeup
theirownminds,weaseducatorsshouldnotexpectthemtodothisentirelyontheir
own,orallofthetime.Goodcriticalthinkerstypicallyconversewithothersinorder
toextendtheirknowledge,testtheirideasandbeliefs,andreceivealternate
perspectives(Case&Daniels,2008).Thiscanonlytakeplacethroughparticipation
inacriticallearningcommunity.
Thetoolsneededtothinkcriticallyarebestlearnedintheformofa
curriculum‐embeddedchallenge.Itisimportanttoprovidestudentswithcopious
opportunitiestoworkthroughmeaningfulproblem‐solvingsituations(Case&
Daniels,2008).Teachersshouldnotpresentstudentswithpre‐packaged
informationmeantformentalstorage,butassiststudentsininternalizing,
questioningandutilizinginformation(Case,2008).Ifaquestionisposedthatonly
hasoneplausiblecorrectanswer,thenthequestionisnotacriticalchallenge,and
doesnotpromotecriticalthinking(Case&Daniels,2008).
Inordertodevelopascriticalthinkers,studentsshouldbeintroducedtothe
toolsrequiredtocompletecriticalthinkingtasks.Criticalthinkersmustpossess(1)
backgroundknowledgeaboutthetopicbeingexaminedthroughthecritical
challenge.Theymustunderstandthe(2)criteriaforjudgment,whicharethe
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 18
appropriatecriteriaorgroundsfordecidingonarationalresponsetoacritical
question.Studentsmustalsobefamiliarwith(3)criticalthinkingvocabulary.
Understandingtheconceptsthatfacilitatecriticalthinkinganddifferentiating
amongtheterminologywillbebeneficialtostudentsintheirdevelopmentascritical
thinkers.Goodcriticalthinkersshouldknowanduseavarietyof(4)thinking
strategies,tacticsorsupportstoworktheirwaythroughcriticalchallenges.There
arethousandsofstrategies,includingprocedures,models,graphicorganizersand
heuristicsthatguideinstudents’workingthroughaposedchallenge.Studentswho
thinkcriticallycometopossesscertainattitudesandvalues,whicharealsoknown
as(5)habitsofmind.Tonameafew,theyareopentonewideas,questionideas,and
arenotafraidtotakeanunpopularstand.However,theyarealsoflexibleandcan
appreciateothers’pointsofview.Itissaidthatcriticalthinkingislargelyamatterof
attitude(Case,2008).
Itisimportanttonotethatteachingthetoolstothinkcriticallyisnot
sufficient.Sinceteacherssignaltostudentswhatisimportantthroughthenumber
ofmarksataskisworth,itisessentialtoalsoassessforcriticalthinking.Ifstudents
arenotassessedontheircriticalchallenges,thentheywillbeunawareoftheir
growthandwillbelefttoassumethatcriticalthinkingisnotimportant(Case,2008).
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 19
Chapter3:METHODOLOGY
Procedure
Qualitativeinnature,thisresearchstudieshowtheuseofcriticalthinking
methodologyaffectsstudentengagementintheelementaryclassroom.Theresearch
wasconductedbycollectingthefollowingdata:valuableandrelevantresearchfrom
currentliteratureandtwoindividual,face‐to‐faceinterviewswithexperienced
elementaryschooleducators.Thequalitativedatacollectedfromthesetwocarefully
selectededucatorsreflecttheirpersonalbeliefsandteachingpractices.Following
theinterviews,theobtaineddatawastranscribed,analyzed,codedandsynthesized
inordertouncoverpatterns,similaritiesandrelevancetothereviewedliterature
andresearchquestions.Thepastresearchthatwasdiscussedintheliterature
reviewprovidedbackgroundinformationonthetopicofimplementingcritical
thinkingintheclassroomandtheeffectsthatitmayhaveonstudentengagement.
Theremainderofthemethodologyconsistsoftheinstrumentsofdatacollection,
participants,dataanalysis,ethicalreviewprocedures,andthelimitationsofthe
study.
InstrumentsofDataCollection:
Theprimarysourceofdatacollectionforthisresearchstudycamefromtwo
semi‐structuredorguidedinterviews.Theintervieweeswereexperienced
educatorsintheGreaterTorontoArea,whobothincorporatedcriticalthinkinginto
theirdailyteachingpractices.Byusingsemi‐structuredinterviewstocollectdata,
therewasflexibilityintheconstructionoftheinterviewandrapportwasdeveloped
betweentheintervieweesandmyself.Thisallowedmetoaskfollow‐upquestions
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 20
basedonparticipantsresponsestoasetofpre‐constructedquestions(Turner,
2010).
Acomprehensivelistof17interviewquestionswasconstructedin
preparationfortheinterviewprocess(seeAppendixA).Ipreparedtwosetsof
questionsfortheinterviewees,asmyparticipantspossessseparatepositionswithin
theeducationsystem.However,thetopicsdiscussedthroughouttheinterviews
wereanalogoustooneanother.Bothparticipantswereaskedarangeofquestions
thatdealtwiththeirunderstandingofcriticalthinking,whattheybelievestudent
engagementlookslikeintheclassroom,theirpersonalteachingphilosophiesand
practicesregardingcriticalthinking,whatsupportstheyreceiveintheareaof
criticalthinking,aswellasthepossiblechallengestheyfaceintermsof
implementingcriticalthinking.
Forthepurposeofthisresearchstudy,participantswereinterviewed
individuallyandface‐to‐face.Theinterviewslastedapproximately25minuteseach.
TheywererecordeddigitallyusingarecordingandeditingsoftwarecalledGarage
Band,andthentranscribedinentiretybytheresearcher.
Participants
Inordertoconductthisresearchstudy,itwasnecessarytofindinterview
participantswhowereknowledgeableonthetopicofcriticalthinkingandeither
implementedorwitnessedthismethodologybeingimplementedwithinthe
classroomonaregularbasis.Itwasnecessaryforbothparticipantstobecurrent
facultymemberswithinanelementaryschool,andIwashopingtofindparticipants
withtwodifferentperspectivesontheareaofresearch.Forthisreason,Ichoseto
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 21
interviewanexperiencedclassroomteacher,aswellasanelementaryschool
administrator.
Ihadaprofessionalrelationshipwithbothresearchparticipants,andhadthe
opportunitytoobservebotheducators’teachingprogramspriortothisstudy.The
firstresearchparticipant,Julie,isanexperiencedelementaryschoolteacher,
currentlyteachingthefirstgrade.Thesecondparticipant,Gary,isaschool
administratorandformerclassroomteacher.Bothparticipantsworkwithinthe
sameschoolboardintheGreaterTorontoArea.Sincebothparticipantsvaluethe
useofcriticalthinkingacrossthecurriculumandaimtocultivatetheabilitytothink
criticallyinalloftheirstudents,Iwasconfidentthattheirbeliefsandexperiences
regardingthistopicwouldberelevantandenlightening.
DataCollectionandAnalysis
Priortothedataanalysisstage,IspentmanyhourstranscribingthedataI
hadcollectedfromthetwointerviewsIheldwiththeparticipants.Throughthis
process,Ihadtheopportunitytolistentothecollecteddatanumeroustimesand
mentallyprocessitwhileIwastranscribing.OnceIhadfinishedthetranscribing
stageofmyresearchproject,IwasalreadyveryfamiliarwiththedataIhad
collected.Iwasabletoseevariouspatternsformingamongstthedata,andhad
beginningnotionsofthemesthatwereemerging.
Inordertoorganizethedataandstartthecodingprocess,Ibeganbycreating
atable,andinsertedintoittheinterviewquestionsalongwithparticipants’
responses.InanarticlebyWellington(2000),heidentifiesdatadisplayasthe
secondstageofdataanalysis,inwhichdataareorganizedandassembledandthen
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 22
displayedinpictorial,diagrammatic,orvisualform.Thisallowstheresearcherto
gettheirheadaroundthedatasothattheycanmovetowardsinterpretationand
conclusiondrawing(Wellington,2000).OnceIsawapatternimmerge,Ihighlighted
thedataandmadeanoteofthethemethatwasemerging.ThefirstthemethatI
noticedwasthebenefitsofutilizingcriticalthinkingintheclassroom.Iwent
throughthedataandhighlightedtherelevantpiecesofinformationinacommon
colour.Ithenreadthroughthedataasecondtimeandnoticedanotherpattern
emerge,whichwerethechallengesassociatedwithacriticalthinkingmethodology.
Again,Ireadthroughtheremainingdataandhighlightedeveryinstanceinwhicha
participantmentionedachallengeregardingtheimplementationofcriticalthinking.
Iwentthroughthisprocessmanytimesandfoundatotalof5themesemergefrom
thedata.Fromthere,Ibegantorecognizecommonalitieswithineachtheme,which
thenbecamethesubthemes.Thefindingsthatemergedfromthedataanalysiswere
examinedandwillbediscussedinchapters4and5.
EthicalReviewProcedures
Priortoengagingintheinterviewprocess,theresearchparticipantswere
givenlettersofinformedconsent(seeAppendixA).Theseletterswerereviewed
andsignedbybothparticipants,whichindicatedtheirwillingnesstoparticipateand
contributeintheresearchstudy.Thelettersofconsentoutlinedtheparticipants’
righttowithdrawfromthestudyatanypointintime,andtheirrighttorefrainfrom
answeringspecificquestionsiftheychosetodoso.Participantswerealsoassured
thattheiridentitieswouldremainanonymousthroughouttheresearchstudyand
thattheinformationwouldbekeptconfidential.Theintervieweesweregiventhe
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 23
opportunitytoposequestionsregardingthenatureandprocessofthestudypriorto
commencingtheinterview.Theparticipantseachkeptacopyoftheconsentform
fortheirrecords.
Limitations
Giventhenarrowscopeofthisresearchproject,theprimarylimitationofthe
studyisthesmallsamplesizeofparticipantsinterviewedandtherestrictedtime
frame.Iwasonlyabletointerviewtwoparticipants,bothofwhomworkwithinthe
sameschoolboard.Thislimitationhindersthestudy’sreliabilityanddoesnotallow
findingstobegeneralizedtoallelementaryclassrooms.Mypersonalbiasesand
preconceptionsregardingtheuseofcriticalthinkingintheclassroomanditseffects
onstudentengagementalsopresentlimitationstothisresearchstudy.Itis
importanttonotethatallresearchfindingsaresubjecttotheresearcher’sown
perceptionsofthedatacollectedandassumptionsregardingthetopicatlarge.
Despitetheselimitations,Ibelievethisstudycaninformclassroompracticeand
futureresearch.
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 24
Chapter4:FINDINGS
Thischapteroutlinesmyinterpretationofdatacollectedduringtwoindepth
interviewsthatwereconductedwithexperiencedteachingprofessionals.Both
interviewsexploredteachers’personalexperiencesandoutlooktowardstheuseof
criticalthinkinginelementaryclassroomsandhowiteffectsstudentengagement.
Participantswerewillingtospeakauthenticallyoftheirattitudesandexperiences
andofferedvaluableinsightsgroundedintheirprofessionalexperiences.
Provisionshavebeentakeninordertoensuretheanonymityofboth
participants.Consequently,thenamesoftheindividualsandinstitutionsatwhich
theyareemployedhavebeenalteredandkeptanonymous.Thefollowingchapter
willpresentathoughtfuloverviewofthecollecteddata.Iwillprovideabrief
backgroundofeachoftheparticipantsandwillsubsequentlyrevealthekeyfindings
ofthisresearch.
BackgroundInformationofParticipants
Thefirstparticipant,Julie,isanexperiencedelementaryschoolteacherina
schooldistrictintheGreaterTorontoArea.Juliecurrentlyteachesthefirstgrade
andhasbeenanelementaryschoolteacherintheboardforapproximately14years.
Sheexplainedcriticalthinkingasarecentinitiativethattheschoolboardandthe
administrationwithinherschoolhavebeensupportinganddoingtheirbestto
implementschool‐wide.Juliedisplaysastrongcommitmenttowardscritical
thinkingandpromotescriticalthinkingwithinherclassroomacrossthecurriculum
andonadailybasis.
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 25
Thesecondparticipant,Gary,iscurrentlyanadministratorinanelementary
schoolintheGreaterTorontoArea.Hehasbeenworkingasanadministratorforthe
past14years,andwasformerlyemployedasaclassroomteacherfor8years.Gary
taughtallgradesattheelementarylevel,rangingfromgrades1to8.Though,he
mentionedthatheworkedpredominantlywithintermediatestudentsingrades7
and8.Havingbeenemployedbytheboardforapproximately22tears,Garyhadthe
opportunitytowitnesstheinitialintroductionofcriticalthinkingwithinschools.His
dedicationtocriticalthinkingwithintheconfinesofhisschoolisevidentandhis
rangeofexpertiseonthisareaofresearchisimmense.
KeyFindings
Thefindingsofthisresearchwereextractedfromthedataobtainedfrom
theseparticipantsbytheresearcher.Thefollowingchapterwillbeorganizedby
themeandarrangedusingheadingsandsubheadings.Themainthemesthat
emergedfromtheinterviewsincludethefollowing:
Theme1:Criticalthinkinghasapositiveeffectonstudentandteacher
engagementwithintheclassroom.
Theme2:Somebenefitsthatcanresultfromintegratingcriticalthinkinginto
classroomteachinginclude:a)anincreaseinstudentachievement;b)an
increaseinstudents’higherorderthinking;andc)teachersbettermeetthe
needsofalltypesoflearners.
Theme3:Therearenumerousstrategiesusedintheclassroomtopromote
criticalthinking,includingafocusona)effectivequestioningandcritical
challenges;andb)classroomsetup.
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 26
Theme4:Somechallengesthatmightexistwhenimplementingcritical
thinkinginclassroomteachinginclude:a)teacherunwillingnessandlackof
training;b)studenthesitations;andc)parentconcerns
Theme5:Teachersandadministratorsneedsupportinordertopromoteand
integratecriticalthinkingintotheirteachingpractices.
Criticalthinkinghasapositiveeffectonstudentandteacherengagement
withintheclassroom.
StudentEngagement
Bothparticipantsarebigadvocatesofcriticalthinking,astheyfeelthatithas
astrongpositiveimpactonstudentengagement.Juliedescribedstudent
engagementinherclassroomas“thathummingsound,wheneveryoneisdoing
something…it’sontaskandit’spurposeful.Studentsareexcitedaboutwhatthey’re
doingandthey’reinvolvedinthetask.Theyfeelliketheyaresucceedingandthat
theyhaveapurpose.”Whenyouprovidestudentswithacriticalthinkingchallenge,
Juliebelieves“there’snorightorwronganswer.”Youareencouragingstudentsto
activatetheirpriorknowledgeandusewhattheyarelearningtorespondtoa
questionusingasetofcriteria.Julieexplainsthatshefrequentlylikestoaskthe
students“howdoyouknow?”Thisencouragesthemtoreferbacktowhatever
criteriatheyhaveco‐createdinordertofigureoutiftheirworksampleorresponse
isastrongone.Inherexperience,thesekindofthoughtprovokingquestionshave
beenextremelyengagingforhergradeonestudents.Thissentimentismirroredin
theliterature.Mutualinquiry,theinvestigationofopen‐endedquestionsandhaving
ateachertakeontheroleoffacilitator,areimportantelementsinvolvedinfostering
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 27
studentengagementwithintheclassroom(Caram&Davis,2005).
DuringmydiscussionwithJulie,shementionedherrecentdiscoveryofthe
‘cascadingcurriculum’,whichGarfieldGini‐Newman(2014)definesas“anew
approachtodesigningandimplementingcurriculumthatframeslearningaround
invitationstothinkcriticallyandblendsthebestofdesign‐downplanning,effective
assessment,andsoundinstruction.”Julieexplainsthatbybeingfamiliarwiththe
curriculum,andbyknowingherstudents,sheattemptstoframestudentlearning
aroundabigideathatwillbemeaningfulandrelevanttotheirlives.Juliefurther
explainsthat“wecan’tchangethecurriculum,andwecan’tchangetheexpectations,
butyoucanchangeandbefluidwithhowyouaregoingtobringstudentstowhat
theyneedtoknow.”Byframingnewideasinawaythatareinterestingand
relevant,studentsbecomeinvolvedinthelearningprocess,whichGaryidentifiesas
anintegralpredecessorofstudentengagement.Designingrelevantchallenges
basedontargetexpectationswithinthecurriculumcreatesalearningenvironment
inwhichstudentsareexcitedaboutlearningandwanttoexpressorshowthe
teacherwhattheyhavelearned.Garyexplainsthatwhenhedoeswalk‐throughs,a
classthatpromotescriticalthinkingtypicallylooksdifferentthanonethatdoesnot.
Intheformer,studentsappearmoreengagedandtobethinkingmoredeeply.They
areworkingtowardsachallengebytalkingamongstthemselvesandusing
resourcesandmanipulativesaroundtheclassroomasopposedtobeinglecturedat
bytheteacheratthefrontoftheclass.
TeacherEngagement
Bothresearchparticipantsadmittedanincreaseintheirpersonal
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 28
engagementthroughouttheworkdaywhentheyimplementedcriticalthinkinginto
theirteachingpractices.Garystatedthatwiththeintroductionofcriticalthinkingin
theschoolhenowhasstudentsthatareengaged,aswellasteachersthatare
engaged.“Ihaveastaffthatwantstocontinuetolearnandimprovetheirown
instructionaltechniquesandrepertoireinordertobuildonwhatthey’redoingin
theclassroom.It’sexciting–Ihavetoadmit,becauseit’sanenergy;it’sadifferent
wayofdoingthings.”
JuliereiteratedGary’ssentimentregardingtheimplementationofcritical
thinkinginherteachingpractices.“There’salwaysapossibilityandthere’salways
somethingdifferentthatcanhappen.Thereisalwaysadifferentanswerandyou
neverknowwhat’sgoingtocomeup.”Whenstudentsareinvolvedintheirown
learningandstartquestioningwhatisbeingtaught,itisdifficulttopredicttherange
ofcommentsorquestionsthatmayarisewithinanygivenlesson.“It’sinvigorating…
IkeeplearningbecauseIconstantlyhavethoseahamoments.It’snotthe‘turnthe
page,todaywe’redoingthis–check,check,check’typeofteaching.It’snotsolinear
anymoreandIloveit!”Juliecontinues.
Somebenefitsthatcanresultfromintegratingcriticalthinkingintoclassroom
teachinginclude:a)anincreaseinstudentachievement;b)anincreasein
students’higherorderthinking;andc)teachersbettermeettheneedsofall
typesoflearners.
Increaseinstudentachievement
Myanalysisoftheinterviewresponsesrevealedthatcriticalthinkinghasa
positiveeffectonstudentachievement.Bothparticipantsagreedonthisstatement;
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 29
however,theirresponsesdifferedintermsoftheextentthattheybelievecritical
thinkinghasapositiveimpactonstudentachievement.Asagradeonehomeroom
teacher,Juliebelievesthatcriticalthinking“helpsachievement”,thoughshewas
unsureoftheimpactinlatergrades.Sheacknowledgedafearthatifcriticalthinking
wasonlyimplementedintheoldergrades,andstudentswereunfamiliarwiththis
methodoflearning,thattheremightbesomewhatofalearningcurve.“Ithinkifyou
roleitoutingradeone,andthey[students]don’tknowanydifferently…Isayit
certainlysupportsachievement.”
Asanexperiencedadministrator,Garywasabletoconfidentlydisclosethat
“asapartofourschoolimprovementplan,ithasshownavastincreaseinEQAO
scores,inanecdotaldata,inboarddata,andinstudentreportcardsbecauseofwhat
wehavedonewithcriticalthinking.”Headdedthatcriticalthinkinghasbecomea
conversationwiththeparentcommunityatcouncilmeetingsandthatparentshave
wantedtoputtogetherandparticipateinacriticalthinkingeveninginorderto
learnmoreaboutit.Hebelievesthatonceparentsbecomemoreawareofthisshift
inlearning,theywillbeabletobettersupporttheirchildrenandstudent
achievementwillincreasefurther.
Increaseinhigherorderthinking Asaschooladministrator,Garynotedthattheyareconstantlybrainstorming
waysinwhichstudentscanmoveforwardandexpandonthequalityoftheir
thinking,andinturn,theirlearning.Hesaysthattheadministrationhasworked
tirelesslyoverthepastthreeyearstotryandfigureoutwhatmoretheycandoto
buildonstudentthinkingandhelpenhancestudentlearningandachievement,and
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 30
theybelievethattheimplementationofcriticalthinkingandinquiry‐basedlearning
intoeducators’teachingpracticeshasclosedthatgap.Garyrevealedthat“themain
goalistohavestudentsmovebeyondthatrotelearning”andinsteadbecomea
communityofthinkers.Hewentontoexplainhowcriticalthinkingexpandsstudent
thinking.
Inaschoolcontext,whenwetalkaboutcriticalthinking…weknowthatourkidsdoingwhattheyhavetypicallydonewillalwaysgetthoselevel3s.Webelievethatcriticalthinkingmovesthestudentsalongthecontinuumtothatlevel4,wheretheyareworkingwiththebigideasandmovingtothatnextlevelintheirthinking.
Thenotionofbuildingonstudents’thinkingskillswasreferredtointheliterature.It
wasmentionedthatinorderforstudentstothriveinthe21stcenturyandtomake
lasting,positivecontributionstotheirworld,theywillrequireasolidfoundationof
literacyandnumeracyskills,aswellasaneducationthatisdeeplyrootedin
thinkingandaction(TheLiteracyandNumeracySecretariat,2008).Ifnot,students
willbelessequippedtohandleproblemsthatariseintherealworld(Teele,2006).
WhenIinquiredabouttheeffectthatutilizingcriticalthinkingstrategieshas
onstudentengagement,Julierespondedwithasimpleword–curiosity.She
elaboratedfurtherbystating“curiosityandstamina…becausethere’snogivingup.
Thereisno‘thisisboring’,youknow,thestudentshaveachallengeandeveryone
feelsliketheycansucceed,andeveryonewantstoknoworshowsomething.”This
findingwasalsoconfirmedintheliterature.Studentsengageinlearningwhenthey
areintrinsicallymotivatedbycuriosity,interestandenjoymentorwhentheywant
tofulfillpersonalgoals.Whenfacedwithlearningthattheyperceiveasmeaningful,
studentsbecomeincreasinglyeagertoextendtheirknowledge(Caram&Davis,
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 31
2005).
Criticalthinkinghelpsmeettheneedsofalltypesoflearners
Bothresearchparticipantsagreedthatimplementingopportunitiesfor
criticalthinkingwithinthelearningcontexthelpedmeettheneedsofalltypesof
learnersintheclassroom,includingthosewithspecialneedsandEnglishlanguage
learners(ELLs).Garyexplainedthathebelievescriticalthinkingallowsfor
differentiationofinstructionandthatithelpsmeettheneedsofstudentswhofallall
alongthecontinuum.“Whenyoulookatstudentswhohavebeenidentified,orkids
thatareELLorESL,averyprescribedprogramdoesn’tnecessarilymakethemfeel
comfortablebecausetheymaylacksomeoftheskillsthatareexpectedofthem.”He
mentionedthatwhetherastudenthasaprocessingdisorderoralanguagedeficit,
criticalthinkingchallengesmightgivethemanopportunitytoapproachthelearning
inadifferentway.“Itmakesthemfeelliketheyareapartofwhat’sgoingoninthe
classroom.They’rebeingreflectedmore,versusbeingisolatedorremovedforaSSC
[studentsupportcentre]program.Ithinkit[criticalthinking]hasagreatimpactto
behonest.”Julieadded,“giventherighttimeandtherightsupportallstudentswill
succeed.”
Therearenumerousstrategiesusedintheclassroomtopromotecritical
thinking,includingafocusona)effectivequestioningandcriticalchallenges;
andb)classroomsetup.
Bothresearchparticipantshaveextensiveknowledgeandexperience
regardingtheuseofcriticalthinkingintheclassroomsetting.Intervieweeshave
beeninvolvedintheteachingprofessionlongenoughthattheybothwitnessedthe
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 32
initialintroductionofcriticalthinkingasaninitiativewithintheteaching
community.Aswell,theyhavebothhadtheopportunitytopromoteandintegrate
criticalthinkingintotheirownindividualteachingpractices,andstrivetodosoona
dailybasisusingavarietyofstrategies.
EffectiveQuestioningandCriticalChallenges
Bothparticipantsmentioneffectivequestioningasausefulstrategyin
promotinghigher‐orderthinkingskillsandcriticalthinkingamongststudents.They
speakofmovingawayfromsimpleyesornotypequestionsandtowardsquestions
thataskthestudentswhy?;howcome?;andhowdoyouknow?Juliesharedarecent
instanceinwhichshemanagedtogetthestudentstothinkdeeperaboutwhatthey
werelearning.
We’recurrentlylearningproceduralwritinginliteracyandwe’relearningaboutstructuresinscience.Inclasswetalkedaboutmaterialsinstructuresaswellasmaterialsinproceduralwriting.Wetalkedaboutwhyit’sthesameword,andwhatdoesthatmean,andsotheycanhavesomesortofbetterunderstandingoftheword‘material’.It’lldeepentheirunderstandinginbothwritingandinscience.
Goingbeyondthecurriculumandhavingthestudentsquestionwhattheyare
learningandwhattheteacherissayingwasmentionedduringconversationswith
bothresearchparticipants.Garyexplains,“It[criticalthinking]isthekidsengaged
inactivitieswheretheyarethinkingbeyondjusttwotimestwoequalsfour.They’re
lookingathowelsetheycangettofour...whethertheymakefourgroupsofone,or
whateveritmightbe.”Hecontinuesthatwhencriticalthinkingisintegratedintoa
classroomsetting,therearelotsofconversationsbetweenstudentsandtheteacher
andwhattheteachersaysisnottheendallandbeall,asitoncewasineducation.
Garyadds,“Thekidsstartquestioningandsaying“sowhat?”andtheteacherstarts
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 33
saying“sowhat?”andencouragesthestudentstoexpandonitall.”Thisfindingis
mirroredintheliterature.Criticalthinkersareopentonewideas,questionideas,
andarenotafraidtotakeanunpopularstand;however,theyarealsoflexibleand
areabletoseeanother’spointofview(Case,2008).
Julieexplainsthatintheconfinesofhergradeoneclass,criticalthinkingis
implementedthroughabasicquestionorchallengethatisposedtothestudents.
Herclasswasworkingondatamanagementinmathematics,andthestudents
collectedinformationaboutshoes.Thequestionsshepresentedtothestudents
movedbeyondwhichkindofshoetheysawthemostandwhichtypeofshoewas
representedtheleast.Rather,theclassdiscussedwhowouldbenefitmostbyhaving
thisinformationandwhy.Julieexplainedthataseducatorswemustassiststudents
inmakingsenseoftheirworldbasedonwhattheyknow,byincorporatingtheir
priorlearning.Sheexplainedthatpresentingstudentswithcriticalchallengesona
dailybasisprovidesstudentswithmanyopportunitiestothinkdeeplyandcritically
throughamultitudeofmeaningfulproblems.Julie’saccountissimilarlystatedinthe
literature.Case(2008)saysthatteachersshouldnotpresentstudentswithpre‐
packagedinformationmeantformentalstorage,butassiststudentsininternalizing,
questioningandutilizinginformationtoworkthroughcriticalchallenges.
ClassroomSetup
Bothintervieweesexpressedacommonvisionofwhattheimplementationof
criticalthinkinglookslikewithinaclassroom.Theyexplainedaclassroominwhich
theteacherisnolongerthemasterofknowledgethatstandsatthefrontoftheclass,
astheyalwayshaveinthepast.Conversely,bothparticipantstalkedaboutthe
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 34
teachertakingontheroleoffacilitatorwhostandstothesideoratthebackof
today’sclassrooms.Garyreveals,
It’sadifferentfeelingintheclassroom…it’sadifferentnoiselevelintheclassroom.It’slikewe’vegonefromtheteacherbeingatthefrontoftheroomtobeingatthebackontheroom,whilethekidsareengagedinacriticalthinkingorinquiry‐basedactivity.It’sjustadifferentlookintheclassroomtotally.
Insteadofthestudentsbeingpassivelearnersintheclassroomcontext,theynow
constructtheirownknowledgeandareheldmoreaccountableovertheirown
learning.Learningintentionsandsuccesscriteriashouldbeco‐constructedbetween
theteacherandthestudents.Aswell,studentscanhaveleadershiproleswithinthe
classroomcontextthatallowsthemtofeelliketheyhaveanimpactonwhatgoeson
intheclassroom.Thisideaismentionedintheliterature.Case&Daniels(2008)
notethatinordertopromotecriticalthinking,itisessentialtofosteracritical
communitywithintheclassroom,inwhichtheteacherandstudentsinteractin
mutuallysupportiveways.
Bothparticipantsmentionedthatinorderforacriticalthinkingmethodology
toberealizedintheclassroom,theteachermustcreateanenvironmentthat
supportsthinkingandlearning.Theydiscussedhavingtheclassroomsetupin
groupsofdesks,insteadofrows.Thisallowsstudentstheopportunitytotalkand
discussconceptsamongstthemselves.Thisideaisechoedintheliterature.Good
criticalthinkerstypicallyconversewithothersinordertoextendtheirknowledge,
testtheirideasandbeliefs,andreceivealternateperspectives(Case&Daniels,
2008).
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 35
Somechallengesthatmightexistwhenimplementingcriticalthinkingin
classroomteachinginclude:a)teacherunwillingnessandlackoftraining;b)
studenthesitations;andc)parentconcerns.
TeacherUnwillingnessandLackofTraining
Bothparticipantsspokeofsomeinstances,inwhichanumberofeducators
haveresistedimplementingcriticalthinkingintheirclassrooms,simplybecause
theybelievethattherotetypeteachingthattheyareusedtohasproveneffectivein
thepastandthatitisaneasierinstructionalpractice.Thisfindingwasmirroredin
theliterature:Manyeducatorshavepreconceptionsaboutthecontentinthe
curriculumandhowtoteachit,whichprohibitstheirabilitytothinkcriticallyabout
thematerial.Itisdifficultforsometeacherstoadoptanewstyleofteachingorto
believethatthereisamoreeffective,engagingwaytoteachthecurriculum(Snyder
&Snyder,2008).
GaryandJuliealsomentionedthemanyeducatorswhowishtoimplement
criticalthinkingwithintheirteachingpractices,buthavenotbeentaughthowtodo
soinaneffectiveway.“Wecanthinkthatwe’reworkinginacriticalthinking
framework,wheninrealitywearejusttakingouroldpatternsanddoingtheexact
samethingaswe’vealwaysdone,”Garyrevealed.Recentliteraturehasalsonoted
lackofteachertrainingasabarriertothesuccessofcriticalthinking.Snyderand
Snyder(2008)explainedthatmanyexperiencedteachersarenottrainedincritical
thinkingmethodology.Theyreceivetraininginmethodsofinstruction;however,
littleornoneofthetrainingtheyreceivedevotesanytimetocriticalthinkingskills
andhowtoteachthem.
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 36
Garyadmittedthateveryteacherwithinhisschooliscurrentlyattemptingto
teachwithinacriticalthinkingframework,however,theyrangeinhoweffectively
theyhavebeenabletoimplementit.“Dependingonhowwemeasuresuccess…we
stillhaveteachersthatareatalevel1and2[intermsofeffectivelyincorporating
criticalthinkingintotheirteachingpractices],whileotherstaffareatalevel4+.”
Garyexpressedtheobstacleinwhichnewteachersbringtotheconsistencyof
effectivecriticalthinkingwithintheclassrooms.“Itisachallenge–Iadmitit;
becauseeveryoneisallover.Also,withtheconstantshiftinteachers…youbring
someonenewinandyouneedtostartthemofffromthebeginning,versus
continuingtomoveforward.”Hecontinuedbyexplainingthatthischallengegrows
whenyouthinkaboutbeingapartofalargeschoolboardintheGTAandeveryone
beingatvariousentrypointswithinit.
Wehavespentfouryearsmovingfromarotelearningtypeenvironmenttoverymuchaninquiry‐based,criticalthinkingclassroomcontext.Problemsarisewithallthenewteacherscominginandthedifferentfocusescominginfromtheboard.But,everyoneseemstobeveryeagertochange,asweneedtochange,inordertosupportourstudentstocontinuetoimprove.
Juliestressesthatasaclassroomteacher,youdonotneedtothrowoutwhat
youhaveintermsofresources,materialsandpreviouslessonplans.“It’sabouthow
youtakewhatyouhaveandrealignitsothatstudentsareabletothinkandlearn
moredeeply.You’reworkingwiththekidsatco‐constructing,co‐reflecting,and
buildingoninstructionalpracticesthatsupportstudentsinlearning.”
StudentHesitations
Participantsnotedthatstudenthesitationsmightbeachallenge,assome
studentswouldhavetobecomeaccustomedtoanewapproachtothinkingand
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 37
learninginschool.Julieemphasizedthatshedoesnotseecriticalthinkingasa
challengeinhergrade1class,asstudentsdon’tknowanydifferently.“Iamguessing
itcouldbesomewhatofachallengetoimplement[criticalthinking]inthelater
gradesifstudentshadn’tbeenexposedtoit.”Shealsodiscussedhowcritical
thinkingcouldbedifficultforcertainstudentsbasedontheirlearningstyle.“You
know,there’salwaysastudentintheclasswhowantstogetit[aquestion]right.To
them,it[learning]isveryblackandwhite.”Julieexplainsthatthechallengethen,is
fortheteachertoshowstudentsthatworkingwithinacriticalthinkingframework
isawayofthinkingandawayoflearningfordeeperunderstanding.
ParentConcerns
Participantsdescribedparentalconcernsasbeingaprimechallengetothe
fullimplementationofcriticalthinking,astheyarenotaccustomedtothewaysin
whichtheirchildrenarelearningandbeingassessedintheclassroom.Additionally,
bothJulieandGaryworkinverymulticulturalschoolenvironments.“Mostofthe
parentscomefromaneducationalsystemwheretheyexpecttheirchildtolearna
newskill,writeatestandthenhavethetestcomehome,”Garystated.Headmits
thatitisverydifficultforparentstoacceptthatthisisnolongerhowweteachor
assessstudentswithinourschools.Julieaddedthatatestmaybepartofastudent’s
overallgrade,howeverstudentsaregivenmanyotheropportunitiestoshowwhat
theyknow.Garyexpressedthedifficultyofteachingandassessingwithinacritical
thinkingframeworkinaveryimmigrantcommunity.Fortheseparents,“it’sa
paradigmshift.”
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 38
Teachersandadministratorsneedsupportinordertopromoteandintegrate
criticalthinking
Throughinterviewswithbothresearchparticipants,itbecameclearthat
teachersandadministratorsrequiresupportsinordertoeffectivelyimplement
criticalthinkingintotheirteachingpractices.Asanadministrator,Gary
acknowledgedthetimeconstraintsthatexistonprofessionaldevelopmentfor
teachersonthetopicofcriticalthinking.“Weneedtoconsiderhowtocontinueto
buildtheskillsandconfidenceoftheteacherswithworkinginthatcriticalthinking
domain[withintheschool].”Heexpandedbyexplainingthatathisschool,the
teachersworkinaconstructofleadershipteams.
Wehavetwocurriculumleads,onepositiveclimateforlearningleadandseveralengagementleads.Astheyearmovesforward,thecurriculumleadsattendsessionsoncriticalthinkingandlearnhowtoembeditintoateachingprogram.Thentheycomebackanddiscusstheirnewknowledgewiththecompleteleadershipteamwithintheschool.Fromthere,theleadershipteamlooksatnextsteps.
Garysaysthatonceamonththeyembeddivisionaltimeandprofessional
development(PD)intotheirstaffmeetings.Hepointedoutthatthisgivesteachers
timetoworkcollaborativelywithgradepartnersordivisionalpartnerstodevelop
unitsorlessonsthatembedcriticalthinkingwithinthem.
Julieattributedherabilitytoimplementcriticalthinkingwithinthe
classroomtoavarietyofdifferentsupports.Sherevealedthatherpersonal
commitmenttolifelonglearninghasdefinitelybeenafactorwhendeterminingher
abilityanddesiretoteachwithinacriticalthinkingframework.Juliementionedthe
professionaldevelopmentsessionsthatshehasattendedandthemanyresources
availabletoeducatorsontheboardwebsite,suchasTCsquared.“Therewerealot
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 39
ofdifferentavenuesthatwereavailabletome,thatIcertainlytookadvantageof.”
Shealsoemphasizedtheexperiencesshehashad“co‐teaching,co‐learning,co‐
reflectingandco‐debriefingwithotherteachers.”Bothparticipantsfeltstrongly
abouttheimplementationofcriticalthinkingwithinteachingpracticesandthat
supportswerenecessaryinordertodosoeffectively;however,Iwassurprisedby
thelackofprofessionaldevelopmenttheysaidwasavailabletoteachers.
Garytalkedaboutfourdivisionactionplansthathisschoolhascreatedbased
onspecificneedsofstudentsineachgrade.Headdsthatembeddedwithineach
divisionplaniscriticalthinking.
Withtheimplementationoffull‐dayKindergarten,wehavebeenthinkingabouthowwecouldembedcriticalthinkingintoaplay‐basedprogram.Ingrades1‐3,ourdatashowsreadingasaweakness,sowehaveconsideredwaysinwhichwecanembedcriticalthinkinginimprovingstudentsreadingskills.Inthejuniordivision,weaknessesliewithintheareaofmathematics.Howdowebuildoncriticalthinkingandusethree‐partmathlessonstoassistourstudentswithmath?Ingrades7and8,wearefocusingontheglobalinternationalthinker.Wewantourstudentstothinkcriticallyabouthow,asoneperson,theycanhaveanimpactonthebiggerglobalpicture.So,wehavelookedatourdataandlookedathowwecanembedcriticalthinkingintothespecificneedsofourstudents.
Theideaofembeddingcriticalthinkingthroughoutvariousareasofthecurriculum
isechoedintheliterature.ResearchbyCaseandDaniels(2008)showsthatcritical
thinkinginstructionisnoteffectivewhentaughtinisolationandshouldbe
integratedintoeverycomponentofthecurriculum.
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 40
Chapter5:DISCUSSION
Reflections Conductingthisresearchintheareaofcriticalthinkingmethodologyhas
givenmeanopportunitytodeeplyreflectonmyownknowledgeandpracticeasa
beginningteacher.Criticalthinkinghasmanybenefits,includingthatofstudent
engagementwithinaclassroom.Case(2005)revealsinhisresearchthattheideaof
criticalthinkinghasbeenaroundformanyyearsandhasbeenrecognizedasan
importanteducationalgoal.However,throughmyfindingsInoticedthatagapstill
exitsbetweenthesebeliefsandclassroomimplementation.Theimportanceof
criticalthinkingismentionedineverycurriculumdocumentacrossOntario,andyet
itseemsasthoughthemajorityofeducatorshavenotfiguredouthowtoeffectively
embeditintotheirownteachingpracticesandmoreimportantly,havenotbeen
taught.Whilereviewingandanalyzingmydata,Inoticedthatsomeofmyfindings
wereexpectedandothersunexpected.Nevertheless,theyprovidedmanyvaluable
insightsintomyareaofresearch.Myfindingsraisedanumberofquestionsthatwill
beexaminedfurtherinthissectionoftheresearchproject.
First,bothresearchparticipantsspokeabouttheirbeliefsregardingcritical
thinkingandhowtheyeitherimplementorseeitbeingimplementedinthe
classroom.IwasnotsurprisedthatbothGaryandJuliesupportedtheideaof
teachingwithinacriticalthinkingframework.Theymentionedtheschoolboard’s
initiativetohavestudentsthinkcritically,andthestepsthattheyarebothtakingto
ensureit’seffectiveembedmentintoteachers’andadministrators’practices.Both
participantssawtheneedtopushstudentsforwardintermsoftheirthinkingandI
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 41
personallysharethissentimentaswell.Ibelievethatwhenimplementedeffectively
intoone’steachingpractices,criticalthinkingcanhaveamazingbenefitsthatgo
beyondstudentengagement.Myresearchsupportedthisthought,asIfoundthat
whenusedeffectivelycriticalthinkinghadpositiveeffectsonstudentachievement,
studentengagement,deepeningstudents’higher‐orderthinkingskillsand
differentiatinginstructionforalltypesoflearners.Therefore,Iincorporatedcritical
thinkingchallengesintomyteachingthroughoutmypracticumexperiences.
Itisevidentthatmanyteachersandadministratorslackaclearvisionof
whatcriticalthinkingisandwhatitshouldlikewithinaclassroomcontext.
Furthermore,manyeducatorslackthenecessarytrainingthatwouldbeneededto
gainaclearunderstandingofthestrategiesthatcouldbeusedinorderto
implementiteffectively.
Somethingthatsurprisedmeintheprocessofmyresearchstudywasthe
amountofchallengesthatwerediscussedregardingtheimplementationofcritical
thinking.Priortothisstudy,Ihadonlythoughtofthebenefitsofcriticalthinking
andnevertrulyconsideredtheobstaclesthatexistformanyteachersand
administrators.Twochallengesthatwererevealedthroughmyfindingswere
parentalconcernsaswellasaccustomingstudentstoanewwayoflearning.
Additionally,bothparticipantsmentionedalackoftrainingasachallenge,asmany
teachersdonotattendPDsessionsoncriticalthinkingduetotimeconstraints.Asa
result,theyknowthatcriticalthinkingisinthecurriculum,andareawareofits
benefits,butdonotknowhowtoimplementitsuccessfullyintotheirprogram.The
benefitsofcriticalthinkingwillnotbeachievedbysimplymandatingthatitbeused
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 42
inclassrooms.Teachersneedtobetaughthowtoimplementcriticalthinkingtothe
pointwheretheyfeelconfidentcreatingtheconditionsthatarerequiredtohave
studentsthinkdeeplyforunderstanding.
ImplicationsandRecommendations
Thisresearchstudyhasseveralimplicationsformeasabeginningteacher.
Learningfromtwoexperiencededucatorswhosupportandintegratecritical
thinkingmethodologyintotheirprogramprovidespracticaladviceformeasa
teacherwhoaspirestocreateacommunityofthinkersinmyfutureclassrooms.
First,IunderstandthatIneedtoremainpassionateaboutimplementingcritical
thinkingintomyteaching,asImayfacechallengesintheprocess.Itwilltake
initiativeandadvocacyonmypartinordertoattendprofessionaldevelopment
sessionsoncriticalthinking,astheyarenotrequiredorreadilyavailableto
teachers.Ialsounderstandthatevenifmyschoolandboardsupportcritical
thinkingintheclassroom,Iwillstillhavetoseekoutlearningopportunitiesinorder
toimplementiteffectivelyandsuccessfullywithinmyprogram.
ThroughmyresearchIlearnedthatthereareopportunitiesandchallenges
thatcomealongwithembeddingcriticalthinkingintoone’steachingpractices.Ifwe
hopetorealizethebenefitsofcriticalthinking,therearecertainchallengesthat
needtobeattendedto.Ilearnedthatsimplyprovidingstudentswithacritical
thinkingchallengeorquestionisnotenoughtodeveloptheirabilitytothinkdeeply
forunderstanding.Ifwehopetonurturecriticallythoughtfullearners,wemust
createanenvironmentthatsupportsthinking,providemanyopportunitiesfor
thinking,focusinstructionondevelopingtheintellectualtoolsthatsupportthinking,
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 43
andassessthequalityofstudentthinking(Gini‐Newman&Case,2014).Failureto
developoneofthesevariablesmaygeneratedisappointingresults.So,thereis
tremendouspotentialifcriticalthinkingisimplementedeffectively,buteducators
needtobeinformedonhowtodoso.Ifteachersarenotinformed,theymayprovide
studentswithmorerigoroustasksbutwillnotbeprovidingstudentswiththetools
andstrategiestheyneedtodothethinking.
IntermsofhowIwillcontinuemyprofessionallearning,Iwillseekoutevery
opportunitytofurthermyunderstandingofcriticalthinkingandhowtoeffectively
implementitthroughoutmyprogram.IintendtoparticipateinPDsessions,learn
fromothereducatorsandexperimentwithinmyclassroom.Itwasinmyfirst
practicumschoolthatIwasintroducedtotheideaofcriticalthinking,andteaching
fordeepunderstanding.Sincethen,criticalthinkinghasbeendiscussedinanumber
ofmycoursesinmyteachereducationprogramandIhavetakenituponmyselfto
furthermyknowledgeonthetopic.IunderstandGary’scommentsregarding
teachersdesiretosticktothatrotetypeoflearning,asitmaybeeasierandlesstime
consuming.However,throughmyresearchIhavecometorealizehowprofoundthe
benefitsofcriticalthinkingcanbe,ifimplementedsuccessfullyandifseenasone’s
foundationforteachingandlearning.Iunderstandtheimportanceofeducating21st
centurylearners,andmysentimentsregardingcriticalthinkinginclassroomshas
onlygrownstrongerthroughdiscussionswithbothresearchparticipants.After
havingtheopportunitytolearnfromtwoexperiencededucatorsregardingthe
benefitscriticalthinkingcanhaveonstudents,Iamevenmoreeagertointegratea
criticalthinkingmethodologyintomyteachingpractice.
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 44
Asaresultofmyresearch,Ihavedevelopedsomeadvicefortheeducational
communitytoconsider.Myrecommendationsincludethefollowingmainpoints:
‐ Inpre‐serviceeducation,beginningteachersshouldhavearequiredcourse
thatoutlineswhatcriticalthinkingisandhowitcanbesuccessfully
implementedintoone’steachingpractices.Beginningteachersshouldsee
examplesofclassroomsinwhichteachingandlearningisachievedthrougha
criticalthinkingframeworksothattheycanexperiencefirst‐handthe
benefitsofdoingso.
‐ Practicingteachersshouldattempttocreateaclassroomcultureinwhich
criticalthinkingisembracedasamethodologyratherthananisolatedgoal.It
mustbeusedacrossthecurriculum,througheverycourseandallsubject
matter.Aseducators,wemustinviteourlearnerstothinkcritically,and
providethemwiththenecessarytoolsandstrategiestodoso.Indoingthis,
weareundoubtedlyimprovingstudents’chancesoflearningand
understandingtherequiredcontentonadeeperlevel.
‐ Schoolboardsandadministratorsneedtoprovideteacherswithmore
opportunitiestoattendandparticipateinprofessionaldevelopment
regardingtheimplementationofcriticalthinkingintheclassroom.Many
educatorspossessavagueideaastowhatcriticalthinkingmeansandthe
benefitsthatitcanhaveinourclassrooms.Furthermore,theylackthe
trainingtobeabletoembedcriticalthinkingintheirteachingpractices,even
iftheyhadadesiretodoso.
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 45
LimitationsandFurtherStudy
Iacknowledgethatthereareanumberoflimitationstomyresearchstudy.
Tore‐iterate,thesamplesizewaslimitedtotwoparticipantsfromthesameschool
board.Therefore,thefindingsarenoteasilygeneralizedtotheteachingcommunity
atlarge.Iwouldbeinterestedtohearaboutandlearnfromthepracticeofmany
moreteacherswhoincorporatecriticalthinkingfromavarietyofdifferentschool
boards.Additionally,bothparticipantsworkwithinschoolsthatencourageand
expectteacherstoimplementcriticalthinkingintoclassroompractices.Though
criticalthinkingismentionedineverycurriculumdocumentinOntario,itwouldbe
interestingtostudytheexperiencesofteacherswhoincorporatecriticalthinking
withoutthesupportoftheirfellowteachersandadministration.Mypersonalbiases
andpreconceptionsregardingtheuseofcriticalthinkingintheclassroomandthe
effectsthatithasonstudentengagementalsopresentlimitationstothisresearch
study.
Somefutureresearchstudiesmaydeveloparoundthefollowingquestions:
‐ Howcanteachereducationprogramsstructuretheirprogramstoinfluence
futureteacherstoeffectivelyintegratecriticalthinkingintheclassroom?
‐ Howcanschoolsprovidesupporttoteacherswhoareunsurehowto
implementcriticalthinkingintotheirdailyteaching?
‐ Howcanschooladministratorsinfluencecurrentandfutureteachersto
incorporateacriticalthinkingframeworkintheirteachingpractices?
‐ Howdostudentsperceivecriticalthinkingandhowdotheyvalueitasan
instructionalframeworkinwhichtheythinktolearn?
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 46
Conclusion Afterhavinganopportunitytoreflectuponmyfindings,Ihavecometo
understandthevalueinwhichcriticalthinkingholdswithintheconfinesofa
classroom.Iappreciatethepowerfulbenefitsthatcriticalthinkingcanhaveif
approachedandimplementedeffectively.However,Ihavealsocometorecognize
themanychallengesthatexistininfusingthisinstructionalapproachintoone’s
teachingpractices.Mygoalasaneducatoristoengagestudentsinmeaningfuland
authenticlearning,byprovidingthemwiththeopportunitiesandnecessarytoolsto
engageinqualitythinking,andinturn,qualitylearning.
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 47
REFERENCES
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(2008).Instructionalinterventionsaffectingcriticalthinkingskillsand
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1102‐1134.
Broadbear,J.T.(2003).Essentialelementsoflessonsdesignedtopromotecritical
thinking.JournalofScholarshipofTeachingandLearning,3(3),1–8.
Caram,C.A.,&Davis,P.B.(2005).Invitingstudentengagementwithquestioning.
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Case,R.(2005).Bringingcriticalthinkingtothemainstage.TheCriticalThinking
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Case,R.(2008).Beyondinertfacts:Teachingforunderstandinginelementarysocial
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Case,R.,&Daniels,L.(2008).Teachingthetoolstothinkcritically.Theanthologyof
socialstudies(pp.77‐88).Vancouver:PacificEducationalPress.
Chance,P.(1986).Thinkingintheclassroom:Asurveyofprograms.NewYork:
TeachersCollege,ColumbiaUniversity.
Chickering,A.W.,&Gamson,Z.F.(1987).Sevenprinciplesforgoodpracticein
undergraduateeducation.AAHEBulletin,3‐7.
Finn,J.D.(1993).Schoolengagementandstudentsatrisk.Washington,DC:National
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Fredricks,J.A.,Blumenfeld,P.C.,&Paris,A.H.(2004).Schoolengagement:Potential
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Hooks,B.(2010).Teachingcriticalthinking:Practicalwisdom.NewYork:Routledge.
Marks,H.(2000).StudentEngagementinInstructionalActivity:Patternsinthe
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Snyder,L.,&Snyder,M.J.(2008).Teachingcriticalthinkingandproblemsolving
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TheLiteracyandNumeracySecretariat(2008).Teaching‐LearningCritical
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UnpublishedPaper,AFrameworkfornurturingthinkingclassrooms,GarfieldGini‐
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CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 50
APPENDICES
AppendixA:LetterofConsentforInterview
Date:November19th,2013IamagraduatestudentatOISE,UniversityofToronto,andamcurrentlyenrolledasaMasterofTeachingcandidate.Iamstudyingcriticalthinkingandstudentengagementforthepurposesofinvestigatinganeducationaltopicasamajorassignmentforourprogram.Ithinkthatyourknowledgeandexperiencewillprovideinsightsintothistopic.IamwritingareportonthisstudyasarequirementoftheMasterofTeachingProgram.MycourseinstructorwhoisprovidingsupportfortheprocessthisyearisDr.SusanSchwartz.MyresearchsupervisorisDr.GarfieldGini‐Newman.Thepurposeofthisrequirementistoallowustobecomefamiliarwithavarietyofwaystodoresearch.Mydatacollectionconsistsofa40minuteinterviewthatwillbetape‐recorded.Iwouldbegratefulifyouwouldallowmetointerviewyouataplaceandtimeconvenienttoyou.Icanconducttheinterviewatyourofficeorworkplace,inapublicplace,oranywhereelsethatyoumightprefer.Thecontentsofthisinterviewwillbeusedformyassignment,whichwillincludeafinalpaper,aswellasinformalpresentationstomyclassmatesand/orpotentiallyataconferenceorpublication.Iwillnotuseyournameoranythingelsethatmightidentifyyouinmywrittenwork,oralpresentations,orpublications.Thisinformationremainsconfidential.Theonlypeoplewhowillhaveaccesstomyassignmentworkwillbemyresearchsupervisorandmycourseinstructor.Youarefreetochangeyourmindatanytime,andtowithdrawevenafteryouhaveconsentedtoparticipate.Youmaydeclinetoansweranyspecificquestions.Iwilldestroythetaperecordingafterthepaperhasbeenpresentedand/orpublishedwhichmaytakeuptofiveyearsafterthedatahasbeencollected.Therearenoknownrisksorbenefitstoyouforassistingintheproject,andIwillsharewithyouacopyofmynotestoensureaccuracy.Pleasesigntheattachedform,ifyouagreetobeinterviewed.Thesecondcopyisforyourrecords.Thankyouverymuchforyourhelp.Yourssincerely,Researchname:CarlySazant
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 51
Phonenumber,email:416‐786‐7200,[email protected]’sName:Dr.SusanSchwartzPhonenumber:(416)978‐0076, Email:[email protected]’sName:Dr.GarfieldGini‐NewmanPhone#:(416)978‐0193,Email:ggininewman.gini.newman@utoronto.caConsentFormIacknowledgethatthetopicofthisinterviewhasbeenexplainedtomeandthatanyquestionsthatIhaveaskedhavebeenansweredtomysatisfaction.IunderstandthatIcanwithdrawatanytimewithoutpenalty.Ihavereadtheletterprovidedtomeby_______________________(nameofresearcher)andagreetoparticipateinaninterviewforthepurposesdescribed.Signature:________________________________________Name(printed):___________________________________Date:______________________
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 52
AppendixB:InterviewQuestions
Interview#1–Classroomteacher:
BackgroundInformation
1. Whatgradedoyouteach?
2. Howlonghaveyoubeenteaching?
TeachingPractice
3. Tellmeaboutatypicaldayinyourclassroom?
Understandingofcriticalthinking
4. Whatdoescriticalthinkingmeantoyou?
TeachingPractice/Strategies/Methods
5. Whatisyourpersonalphilosophyregardingtheuseofcriticalthinkinginthe
classroom?
6. Wouldyousaythatyousometimes,regularly,oroftenincorporatecritical
thinkinginyourteachingpractices?
7. Whatmethodsdoyouusetostimulatecriticalthinkinginyourstudents?
UnderstandingofStudentEngagement
8. Howwouldyoudefinestudentengagement?
TeachingPractice/Strategies
9. Whatdoesstudentengagementlooklikeinyourclassroom?
10. Whatisoneofthemosteffectivestrategiesyouhaveusedinyourclassroomto
promotestudentengagement?
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 53
StudentOutcomes
11. Inyourexperience,whenyouutilizedcriticalthinkingstrategies,whateffectdid
ithaveonstudentengagement?
12. Whatimpactdoyouthinkcriticalthinkinghasonstudentachievement?
13. Iscriticalthinkingapplicabletoallstudents—includingthosewithspecialneeds,
andEnglishLanguageLearners?Pleaseexplain.
TeacherEngagement
14. Howdoescriticalthinkingaffectyourownpersonalengagementwhileteaching?
PossibleChallenges
15. Whatchallenges,ifany,doyoufaceinencouragingcriticalthinkinginyour
classroom?
ImprovingInstruction
16. Whatsupports,ifany,doyouhaveinimplementingcriticalthinkinginyour
teaching?
Thankyouforyourtimeandinput!
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 54
Interview#2–Schooladministrator:
BackgroundInformation
1. Howlonghaveyoubeenaprincipal?
2. Forhowmanyyearswereyouaclassroomteacher?
3. Whatgradesdidyouteach?
UnderstandingofStudentEngagementandCriticalThinking
4. Whatdoyoubelievestudentengagementlookslikeinaclassroom?
5. Whatdoescriticalthinkingmeantoyou?
PersonalPhilosophy
6. Whatisyourpersonalphilosophyregardingtheuseofcriticalthinkinginthe
classroom?
ImplementationofCriticalThinking
7. Whenyouwereateacher,wascriticalthinkingapartofyourphilosophyand
classroomteaching?Pleaseexplain.
8. Iscriticalthinkingapartofyourschoolimprovementplan?
9. Ifyes,howsuccessfuldoyoubelieveteachersareatembeddingcritical
thinkingintotheirroutinepractices?
10. Howoftendoyoufindthatteachersencouragecriticalthinkingintheir
students?(e.g.,sometimes,regularly,often)
ImprovingInstruction
11. Whatprofessionaldevelopmentareyourteachersreceivingintheareaof
criticalthinkingorcriticalliteracy?(Probe:supports,resources,consultants)
CRITICALTHINKINGANDSTUDENTENGAGEMENT 55
StudentOutcomes
12. Howdoyouseecriticalthinkingaffectingthelevelofstudentengagementin
yourschool?
13. Whatimpactdoyouthinkcriticalthinkinghasonstudentachievement?
14. Doyoubelievethatcriticalthinkingisapplicabletoallstudents—including
thosewithspecialneeds,andEnglishLanguageLearners?Pleaseexplain.
15. Whenyoudowalk‐throughs,whatevidencewouldyoulookforintermsof
criticalthinking?
PossibleChallenges
16. Whatchallenges,ifany,doyouandyourstafffaceinutilizingcriticalthinking
inyourschool?
17. Howdoyouthinkthatyouand/oryourstaffcanovercomethesechallenges?