Critical Thinkers (that's YOU)...on your mark...

In sixth grade I had this teacher - Mr. K. Many students didn't like him but I saw the twinkle in his eye and caught his smile and knew that he really cared about us. One of my coolest memories was when he devoted an entire day to reading. We were allowed to bring in sleeping bags and pillows. I can still picture the classroom and where I set up my sleeping bag and stash of books. We didn't do any other work that day - the only requirement was that we read. I think I could easily say that one day was my favorite day of sixth grade.

Another instrumental teacher in my life was my 11th grade English teacher - Mr. C. We spent 11th grade studying tragedies - reading John Milton's Paradise Lost, Job from the Bible, C. S. Lewis' Perelandra, Shakespear's Othello. We also read Oedipus and Tess of the D'urbervilles. Really depressing material. We also analyzed some U2 songs - With or Without You was one and I'm forgetting the other one right now. Now here is the crazy part - I loathed this class. Even though I loved reading I dreaded every minute of this class time. I always believed that it was because of Mr. C and how he ran the class room. There was always discussion and he would push us - even take the role of the antagonist. I hated it! And yet, now, I see that he definitely played a vital role in teaching me how to think critically and analyze. Most of this learning was taking place inside of me - in my thoughts and ideas. I didn't participate much in class - due to my own insecurities and the unsafe environment that did exist. Regardless of the good that came out of his teaching, he did not create a safe environment. There was definitely a firing squad of students and it hurt when your idea/thought went up in flames. It hurt even more when it seemed that they were affirmed in the process.

It was another English teacher that helped to give me my voice. Her name was Mrs. L. She too pushed us to think critically but also created a safe haven for us to express our thoughts. She would still challenge us in our thinking but you didn't get charred in the process.

Crazy isn't it - my English teachers played such a great role in developing my ability to think critically and analyze!?! Bet you thought my heroes were my science and math teachers. But that's the point. Critical thinking is not synonymous with the sciences. That is a myth. One that I would like to dispel.

I did teach Biology for eight years and yes, there were some units that required memorization but my number one goal was to promote critical thinking. I featured a weekly quote on the board that we would discuss. Students were periodically required to select current news articles and I taught them how to analyze it. I didn't want them to just believe something because it was in print or because it was reported on the news. What evidence did the author provide to support his/her claim? Was it biased or not? My favorite units were those on modern genetics - discussing the Human Genome Project, Genetic Engineering, Gene Therapy, etc. Controversial issues? Sure. But relevant to our lives. Ignoring the topics don't make them go away. Maybe 5% of my students would go into the scientific industry. Maybe more. But ALL of them have the ability to think critically and each one has an opinion that is relevant.

I guess you could say I'm a bit passionate about thinking critically and encouraging others to do so. You may argue that people have different levels at which they analyze - some tiptoe around the edge of over-analysis while others claim that thinking makes their head ache. But I still believe that we all have something relevant to contribute and we each can learn from one another through sharing our various levels of analysis.

This then leads me to the next part of Calling Out the Critical Thinker in You. Right now the plan is to post a quote or excerpt on Friday's. This allows you to think about and ponder the information throughout the weekend. Then write down your thoughts in a post for Monday (or if you don't have a blog you can leave it in Monday's comments) - maybe I'll call it 'Monday's Musings' or something like that (anyone want to create a cool banner or button for me?!?). Responses may vary. Some may agree or disagree and give reasons why. Others may be able to cite times when it was applicable in their life. All of this depends on a variety of variables (topic of excerpt/quote, person's life, type of analysis, etc.) BUT that is the FUN in this!!!

I'm hoping that the 5 of you - and maybe the rest of you hiding in the cracks and crevices will join me in this venture. If there is a bigger response I may have to talk to my Blogging Mentor about using Mr. Linky but I'm not going to put the cart before the horse. Still interested???