[ProfessionalDevelopment 2187] Re: What do we mean by studentinvolvement and critical thinking?Cynthia Peters cynthia_peters at worlded.orgMon Jul 7 12:07:36 EDT 2008
Hi Jackie — I've been replying to other people's posts, but let me make some general comments here.... > Both student involvement and critical thinking in adult literacy can > mean many things to many people. What do we mean when we say we're > teaching critical thinking? How do you teach critical thinking? To me, critical thinking is about using your mind fully. I think to have a true democracy, we can do with nothing less than everyone's fully functioning minds. That means we have to work to make sure that minds are not shut down by fear, by the feeling that maybe they're not good enough, by the worry that they don't have a right to their own voice, etc. Lots of msgs, in society (and in schools) instruct students to not trust themselves and to not believe in themselves and to buy the idea that *others* are experts. Teaching for critical thinking attempts to counter those msgs. and reverse those tendencies. > > What is student involvement? Where does critical thinking come in? > To me, true student involvement has to go beyond superficial gestures. For example, students should be empowered to figure out *how* they want to be involved. Let me leave it (briefly) at that for now. I'd like to hear what others think... Cynthia -- Cynthia Peters Change Agent Editor World Education 44 Farnsworth Street Boston, MA 02210 tel: 617-482-9485 ext. 3649 fax: 617-482-0617 email: cpeters at worlded.org Check out The Change Agent online at: www.nelrc.org/changeagent
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