[ProfessionalDevelopment 2312] Critical Thinking and Learner LeadershipWendy Quinones wbquinones at comcast.netTue Jul 15 17:35:47 EDT 2008
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
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