Sharing Good Practice
5 Ways to integrate critical thinking skills into your daily lessons
By Betina Fuentes
Critical thinking skills , or global skills , as they are now known , are essential for all students in order for them to be prepared to participate in an increasingly global economy . More than just basic memorization and recitation , the ability to reason and innovate are now the most sought-after skills by today ’ s employers . The good news is that , it is simple to integrate all of these skills into your daily lesson plans while also differentiating for abilities , learning styles and multiple intelligences . Keep reading , for easy ways to help your students learn to think critically and innovate in the classroom .
Bell-work
Brainteasers are some of the best strategies to encourage students to think around a problem or riddle instead of trying to memorize solutions . For example , use idioms such as “ ban ana ” ( banana split ) to challenge students . Playing a “ Boggle ” style game with the weekly spelling words is also a way to foster creativity and creation of original products .
Math
Present students with a number , then challenge them to find as many ways to reach that number as possible . For example , the number 48 can be reached by 12 x 4 , 40 + 8 , et cetera . Another way to think critically using math , is to use real-world examples , such as grocery shopping or household budgeting .
Language Arts
Using discussion in Socratic Seminars and literacy groups fosters higher level thinking skills by requiring students to defend statements with evidence from the text that is being read . Learners also benefit by using Frayer ’ s models for vocabulary , which include pictures , writing sentences , and creating synonyms . Budding writers can show their creativity by writing new endings to existing stories or rewriting them using another point of view .
STEM
Innovation is the key of STEM , which lends itself to so many interactive and creative activities . Experiments like the egg drop , marshmallow challenge , and craft stick bridge building make students really think about solutions to problems and work as a team . The critical thinking skills of hypothesizing , analysing and evaluating are all represented in an average STEM lesson .
Art / Music
Creativity is in full force in these classes , and students have the perfect opportunity to show their original ideas and talent . Composing music inspired by established artists while incorporating their own signature is one of the most innovative projects students can engage in . In visual arts , integrating themes from other curricula and adapting them in differing media is a good way to give relevance to all subjects while showing innovation .
There are endless ways to build your students ’ critical thinking skills . Check Google , Pinterest and other educational sites for ideas , and make it a goal to use at least one every day . If you are familiar with Kagan strategies , they are also a good way to help build skills in younger students . Helping learners to become global citizens with the abilities to compete globally is the best way we can serve our students . Good luck and keep innovating !
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