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ASCD SmartBrief Special Report:
Teaching Students to Think (Part 1) |
| Incorporating thinking skills into curriculums in an era of standardized tests is a challenge, but teachers across the country are making reasoning abilities a priority. In this information economy, many educators argue these skills will be more vital than ever. This two-part ASCD SmartBrief Special Report on "Teaching Students to Think" explores the many ways educators are developing students' thinking skills. Part I of the report focuses on the place of thinking skills in the curriculum today and offers some instructional and assessment strategies. Part II, to be published Thursday, Feb. 21, explores best practices and professional development. If you don't receive ASCD SmartBrief on a daily basis and find our report on teaching students to think useful, we urge you to sign up for our timely e-newsletter. ASCD SmartBrief delivers the stories making news in your profession directly to your inbox -- for FREE.
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| At a Glance |  |  |
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- Emphasize skills that matter
When we require our students to simply regurgitate memorized facts on standardized exams, we build analytic test-taking expertise, writes Robert J. Sternberg, a Tufts University psychology professor. Assessing
students for creativity and practicality in addition to analytical skills gives a more complete picture of student abilities and more accurately predicts academic success in college. Educational Leadership
(1/2008)
    
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Clarify education goals so critical skills aren't left behind: Employers highly value critical thinking, communication, technology and collaborative skills, but such skills go largely untested and sometimes untaught, writes Arnold Packer, a senior fellow at Western Carolina University and a former executive director of a special federal commission on necessary skills. Some states, like North Carolina, have started mandating that 21st-century skills be demonstrated to educators before graduation. Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org)
(11/6)
- Two-thirds of U.S. voters say 3R's no longer sufficient
Some 66% of U.S. voters say students need more than just reading, writing and arithmetic, and about 88% believe students are ill-equipped in critical-thinking, problem-solving and communication skills, according to poll results released by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. "Voters generally are not happy with the direction our schools are headed with respect to ensuring we have the skills to compete," the report's authors said. eSchool News
(10/15)
 | What does it take to become an effective questioner? The second edition of the classic book Asking Better Questions helps teachers encourage critical thinking and democratic participation by providing models, techniques, and activities that promote better questioning by both teachers and students. Click here to browse the entire book online! |
| Instruction & Assessment | | |
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- Teach thinking systematically to expand students' horizons
Thinking requires regular practice in reading comprehension, communication skills, collaboration and writing, say Terry Roberts and Laura Billings of the National Paideia Center. Such systems can be used to stretch students as well as prepare them to reason consistently and deliberately throughout their lives. Educational Leadership
(2/2008)
- Middle school IB program encourages critical thinking
Although the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program was controversial when it was launched four years ago in a Fairfax County, Va., school, some of the program's first graduates have boasted higher SAT scores. The coursework "definitely made us think, and not through rote knowledge, but making connections to the rest of the world," said one student. The Washington Post
(11/4)
- Computerized tests may better measure reasoning skills
Critical problem-solving and information-analysis skills that cannot be easily measured on traditional pencil-and-paper exams may be revived through computerized tests, according to a National Center for Education Statistics report. However, widespread use of such exams may be hampered by insufficient infrastructure. eSchool News
(10/3)
 | Travel with your students through time and imaginatively live through U.S. history with Eyewitness to the Past. Teaching strategies and activities focus on primary sources—letters, diaries, newspapers, speeches, and travelogues—and foster writing, critical thinking, and debating skills. Click here to read Chapter 1 online! |
| Perspectives/Strategies | | |
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