- a children’s book writer…
- a poet…
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Seriously? A children’s book about turtles is philosophical? Oh yes it is! Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss), was not just a writer of children’s books, but a profound philosopher, a poet, a political advocate (sometimes controversial), and a promoter of critical thinking on all levels.
We all know by now (pretend that you do, even if you don’t!!!) that teaching critical thinking is a never-ending job. Critical thinking strategies are domain sensitive, which simply means that a strategy that works in art may not work in history, and a strategy that works in for a verbal deliberation may not work in a situation that requires physical movement, etc.
We look at all this as an opportunity to expand our practice. We can take this as an excuse to widen even further the variety of strategies we use in our classroom activities so that when our students go out into the world, they’ll be more prepared because of this little extra effort we put into our lessons.
We all know by now (pretend that you do, even if you don’t!!!) that teaching critical thinking is a never-ending job. Critical thinking strategies are domain sensitive, which simply means that a strategy that works in art may not work in history, and a strategy that works in for a verbal deliberation may not work in a situation that requires physical movement, etc.
We look at all this as an opportunity to expand our practice. We can take this as an excuse to widen even further the variety of strategies we use in our classroom activities so that when our students go out into the world, they’ll be more prepared because of this little extra effort we put into our lessons.
Using information wheels in lessons is a wonderful way of giving our students the opportunity to learn through, among other learning styles, kinesthetic interaction. They’ll be pulling from past knowledge, using deductive reasoning, negotiating meaning, and learning new subject matter, all at the same time. Studies show that learning is enhanced when students acquire knowledge through active processes that engage them. Literacy is a combination of recognising and matching oral and written language. The most effective ways of promoting literacy is to make vocabulary visible and to create high encounters with these words for your students – in interactive ways. Using wheels to scaffold vocabulary before you read a story can help. Below you’ll see how you can help your students to match words with images with an information wheel. information wheel.
Using information wheels in lessons is a wonderful way of giving our students the opportunity to learn through, among other learning styles, kinesthetic interaction. They’ll be pulling from past knowledge, using deductive reasoning, negotiating meaning, and learning new subject matter, all at the same time. Studies showthat learning is enhanced when students acquire knowledge through active processes that engage them. Literacy is a combination of recognising and matching oral and written language. The most effective ways of promoting literacy is to make vocabulary visible and to create high encounters with these words for your students – in interactive ways. Using wheels to scaffold vocabulary before you read a story can help. Below you’ll see how you can help your students to match words with images with an information wheel. information wheel.
Sequencing is a concept that needs to be repeated throughout the education process. We need to intentionally give our students the opportunities to be able to recognise and express sequences, and we need to provide the phrases they can use to clarify the ordering of events. It might be motivating to know that studies show that students are able to recall information more accurately if they´ve been schooled in sequencing.
The art of ordering is a skill that requires critical thinking as it obligates the students to see both sides of an issue, be open to new evidence, and deduce and infer conclusions from available facts.* Inferential reasoning enables students to construct new knowledge by considering, connecting past knowledge to new. If we want to delve into the biology of the skill, you might be interested to know that the dynamic activates the hippocampus, which is the part of the brain responsible for retaining short-term, long-term and spatial memory. So, the more we give students the opportunity to develop this part of the brain, the more we are aiding them in strengthening neuron connections.
Sequencing is a concept that needs to be repeated throughout the education process. We need to intentionally give our students the opportunities to be able to recognise and express sequences, and we need to provide the phrases they can use to clarify the ordering of events. It might be motivating to know that studies show that students are able to recall information more accurately if they´ve been schooled in sequencing.
The art of ordering is a skill that requires critical thinking as it obligates the students to see both sides of an issue, be open to new evidence, and deduce and infer conclusions from available facts.* Inferential reasoning enables students to construct new knowledge by considering, connecting past knowledge to new. If we want to delve into the biology of the skill, you might be interested to know that the dynamic activates the hippocampus, which is the part of the brain responsible for retaining short-term, long-term and spatial memory. So, the more we give students the opportunity to develop this part of the brain, the more we are aiding them in strengthening neuron connections.
An important factor in translanguaging is knowing the different registers – when to use different tones, words, phrases. It’s important to know which terms are appropriate for specific circumstances. Especially in those languages (such as English) in which there is no formal or informal pronouns, register and tone transmit crucial information. To give our students an even wider prospects in their scholastic and professional lives, being comfortable with – or at least recognising – register is of the highest importance.
An important factor in translanguaging is knowing the different registers – when to use different tones, words, phrases. It’s important to know which terms are appropriate for specific circumstances. Especially in those languages (such as English) in which there is no formal or informal pronouns, register and tone transmit crucial information. To give our students an even wider prospects in their scholastic and professional lives, being comfortable with – or at least recognising – register is of the highest importance.