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[ProfessionalDevelopment 2332] Re: Critical Thinking andLearnerLeadershipAndrea Wilder andreawilder at comcast.netThu Jul 17 09:35:55 EDT 2008
Bonnie-- This is really interesting, a jump from the literal to the abstract in a classroom student. I didn't expect this at all! Which is the reason I asked for examples of the thinking you are talking about. Does anyone else have more examples of critical thinking, either in the Catherine / Bonnie vein or some other equally promising vein? Thanks! Andrea:) On Jul 16, 2008, at 9:18 PM, Bonnie Odiorne wrote: > Andrea, > > I was tutoring an English 102 student, composition and literature. > She is someone who must be learning disabled in some way because > her spelling is erratic (she has L1 interference but speaks perfect > English, has lived here in the US for many years.) Her reading > comprehension was always on the literal level, and she was trying > to understand the concept of metaphor in Hemingway's "The Hills are > like Elephants." I made her slow down, read attentively, and notice > the comparisons and how they changed throughout the story. All of a > sudden she said, "You mean....?" and then she took the opposite > tack, and started comparing everything to everything and completely > going wild, to the point of misinterpretation. But she got it. > Somehow she knew she'd gotten to some kind of different level, and > it was like falling in love, a kind of infatuation with language > that was a joy to see. > > Is this more what you were looking for? > > Or, in an ESOL workforce program at a factory, I was teaching a > group of men "going to". Of course, I was in my perfect > pronunciation mode. Then I inadvertently said "What are you gonna > do after work?" Of course, that's what they would have heard among > their fellow workers, so they were able to make the connection, and > the light went off. > > Best of luck with your qyeries. It was fun remembering these times. > > Bonnie Odiorne, (now at) Post University, Waterbury CT > > > > ----- Original Message ---- > From: Andrea Wilder <andreawilder at comcast.net> > To: Catherine B. King <cb.king at verizon.net>; The Adult Literacy > Professional Development Discussion List > <professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov> > Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 4:52:46 PM > Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 2326] Re: Critical Thinking > andLearnerLeadership > > Hi Catherine, > > Thank you very much for your full example and explanation. > > What I had in mind was some examples from your classroom or any > teacher's classroom--empirical descriptions which would give me a > clearer idea of what is being discussed. > > If anyone has that, I would appreciate it. > > However, what I have gotten in your extended discussion is a > fascinating reflection on learning. > > Thanks! > > Andrea > > > On Jul 16, 2008, at 10:43 AM, Catherine B. King wrote: > > > Hi Andrea: > > > > The study of cognitional theory and surrounding philosophical > > meaning comes > > from the work of Bernard Lonergan's Insight: A Study of Human > > Understanding > > (1958 & 2000) and a massive collection of other related works. > > > > However, do you mean by "useful examples," more ideas of questions > > to pose? > > As far as examples of insights is concerned, I use my own examples > > where I > > have had "aha" moments--but a common example is when we finally > > "get" a joke > > we didn't understand before but that everyone else understands. > > And all > > adult students have minds and, thus, have had various kinds of > > insights > > about concrete events in their lives over the years. The "insight" > > is a > > general/universal term for what everyone has in the particular > case as > > experience. > > > > But in this arena of learning, the point to stress in reading--for > > instance, > > stories, novels, poetry, etc.,--is not to objectify-to-analyze what > > the > > meaning of the writing is (a valuable thing to do in its own > > right), but > > rather to self-reflect--to consider what the poem or story brings > > to mind in > > my own life--how does it relate or inform my own experience, what > > did I > > learn from it?--and we can note how such stories, etc., can inform > > our own > > depth of thinking and our critical judgments (critical thinking)? > > This is > > besides just the joy of reading. > > > > As an aside, I am myself a "late" adult learner. All through K-12 > > I thought > > school was a horrible thing--socially and educationally (a later > > insight). > > I never experienced it as being for me. What caught me onto my own > > education was my realization of how good I felt when I really > > understood > > something well (had insights). > > > > It's a great feeling to really grasp something--and that > > experience--now > > reflectively understood itself as something valuable FOR ME--was > > what gave > > me the impetus to want more--learning and reading and studying > > became a real > > discovery process for me instead of something boring and horrible to > > memorize and spit back--I learned to love learning, as it were--I > > felt my > > mind breathing--quite literally; whereas my own K-12 background was > > a horror > > story of not only neglect of learning potential, but actual > > quashing of that > > potential by teachers and others who either didn't know what they > were > > doing, or teachers who had 36 kids in a classroom for 55 minutes at > > a time. > > Shuffled from room to room with no connection between rooms or my > past > > experience. Enough. > > > > If I missed what you meant by "example," let me know? > > > > > > Catherine > > > > > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Andrea Wilder" <andreawilder at comcast.net> > > To: "The Adult Literacy Professional Development Discussion List" > > <professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov> > > Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 7:16 AM > > Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 2316] Re: Critical Thinking > > andLearnerLeadership > > > > > > Catherine-- > > > > Do you have any useful examples of this? it's a lovely idea. > > > > Andrea:) > > > > On Jul 16, 2008, at 9:27 AM, Gabb, Sally S. wrote: > > > >> I agree absolutely, Catherine - we use such exercises on a regular > >> basis in college developmental reading, to enable students to > >> reflect on their own knowledge and thinking process. Thanks for a > >> clear explanation of this kind of exercise. Sal > >> > >> -----Original Message----- > >> From: professionaldevelopment-bounces at nifl.gov > >> [mailto:professionaldevelopment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of > >> Catherine B. King > >> Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 8:37 AM > >> To: The Adult Literacy Professional Development Discussion List > >> Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 2314] Re: Critical Thinking and > >> LearnerLeadership > >> > >> Hello Sally: > >> > >> One way to distinguish merely memorizing for a test, and the more > >> remote > >> development that will help open horizons and create the basis for > >> more and > >> better understanding (and critical thinking)--is to focus a session > >> on the > >> activity of understanding itself. One way to "focus on > understanding > >> itself" is to have them do some self-reflective exercises, for > >> instance, > >> where they locate and write about (or talk about) having had an > >> INSIGHT (an > >> Aha! moment) in a real-life situation (we've all had them), or > >> where they > >> discovered they had been on the wrong track, and righted their > >> view, or just > >> didn't see the whole story or problem, and then REALIZED it, and > that > >> realization sent them off in a different direction. > >> > >> What was the experience like? What were the circumstances? What > >> made them > >> have the insight? What changed because of it? How does it feel to > >> have > >> such an insight? > >> > >> Part of the "self-esteem" problem (across the board in education) > >> is that > >> such moments of clarity and sometimes-critical judgment AS > >> EXPERIENCED are > >> taken for granted, not reflected on, and not valued by the learner > >> themselves. This judgment is fostered by our sometimes-obsessive > >> assessments environment and by us, the educators, who continue to > >> give the > >> implicit message through our focus on testing, that such learning > >> is really > >> not that important--wink/wink, nod/nod. And yet, these moments > >> are the > >> substantial internal movements, without which, all education is > >> "rote" and > >> meaningless. > >> > >> In my view, it's not that testing and assessments are bad; it's > >> rather that > >> an over-focus on assessments has erased its own substantial > >> center. If we > >> cannot directly test for it, then it must not be important? > >> > >> Catherine King > >> Adjunct Instructor > >> Department of Education > >> National University > >> San Diego, CA > >> > >> > >> ----- Original Message ----- > >> From: "Gabb, Sally S." <Sally.Gabb at bristolcc.edu> > >> To: "The Adult Literacy Professional Development Discussion List" > >> <professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov> > >> Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 5:04 AM > >> Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 2313] Re: Critical Thinking and > >> LearnerLeadership > >> > >> > >> Great answer as always Wendy! Since being able to think > >> 'critically' is > >> indeed 'on the test', you have hit the nail on the head (great > >> metaphor or > >> cliché??) Thank - and an important part of 'transition to college' > >> learning > >> as well. Sally Gabb, Developmental Reading, Bristol Community > >> College, Fall > >> River MA > >> > >> -----Original Message----- > >> From: professionaldevelopment-bounces at nifl.gov > >> [mailto:professionaldevelopment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of > Wendy > >> Quinones > >> Sent: Tuesday, July 15, 2008 5:36 PM > >> To: professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov > >> Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 2312] Critical Thinking and > Learner > >> Leadership > >> > >> David and all, > >> Anyone who's ever taught a GED class will tell you that English > >> language > >> learners aren't the only ones with opinions about how their classes > >> should > >> be taught -- "Is this going to be on the test?" is the mantra of > >> the GED > >> student. Their assumption is that the GED consists of discrete > >> items that > >> can be taught, and on that basis they want to learn "stuff" rather > >> than the > >> habits of thought that will benefit them both on the test and in > >> future > >> life. How do we challenge that assumption when it is precisely > that > >> challenge that a great many GED students want to avoid? In my > >> experience, > >> telling students that the GED is not about content is a lost cause; > >> at least > >> at first, they simply don't believe it. I'm afraid I have taken to > >> abusing > >> my position as an authority figure, and I simply answer "Yes" to > that > >> question whenever it's asked, no matter what crazy (to them) thing > >> I'm > >> asking them to do. My reasoning is simple: most haven't had the > >> experience > >> of being in a situation where they are valued as thinkers, so they > >> don't > >> know what that kind of classroom environment looks like. Without > >> that > >> experience, how can they make informed judgments about how they > >> best learn? > >> If telling them that everything in the class will be on the test > >> will open > >> them to new methods that do value their thinking, I will certainly > >> do it. > >> Eventually we do get to practice on GED test items, but by then > >> they have > >> learned that getting the "right" answer (and what is more > >> discouraging to > >> critical thinking than that!?!?!) is more a matter of critical > >> thinking and > >> clear reasoning than of memorizing "stuff." > >> > >> Wendy Quinones > >> > >> ---------------------------------------------------- > >> National Institute for Literacy > >> Adult Literacy Professional Development mailing list > >> professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov > >> > >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > >> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/professionaldevelopment > >> > >> Professional Development section of the Adult Literacy Education > Wiki > >> http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/ > >> Adult_Literacy_Professional_Development > >> ---------------------------------------------------- > >> National Institute for Literacy > >> Adult Literacy Professional Development mailing list > >> professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov > >> > >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > >> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/professionaldevelopment > >> > >> Professional Development section of the Adult Literacy Education > Wiki > >> http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/ > >> Adult_Literacy_Professional_Development > >> > >> > >> ---------------------------------------------------- > >> National Institute for Literacy > >> Adult Literacy Professional Development mailing list > >> professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov > >> > >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > >> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/professionaldevelopment > >> > >> Professional Development section of the Adult Literacy Education > Wiki > >> http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/ > >> Adult_Literacy_Professional_Development > >> ---------------------------------------------------- > >> National Institute for Literacy > >> Adult Literacy Professional Development mailing list > >> professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov > >> > >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > >> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/professionaldevelopment > >> > >> Professional Development section of the Adult Literacy Education > Wiki > >> http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/ > >> Adult_Literacy_Professional_Development > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > > National Institute for Literacy > > Adult Literacy Professional Development mailing list > > professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov > > > > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/professionaldevelopment > > > > Professional Development section of the Adult Literacy Education > Wiki > > http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/ > > Adult_Literacy_Professional_Development > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > > National Institute for Literacy > > Adult Literacy Professional Development mailing list > > professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov > > > > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/professionaldevelopment > > > > Professional Development section of the Adult Literacy Education > Wiki > > http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/ > > Adult_Literacy_Professional_Development > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Adult Literacy Professional Development mailing list > professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov > > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/professionaldevelopment > > Professional Development section of the Adult Literacy Education Wiki > http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/ > Adult_Literacy_Professional_Development > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Adult Literacy Professional Development mailing list > professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov > > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/professionaldevelopment > > Professional Development section of the Adult Literacy Education Wiki > http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/ > Adult_Literacy_Professional_Development -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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