BECOMING A CRITICALLY REFLECTIVE TEACHER

Stephen Brookfield Distinguished University Professor University of St. Thomas www.stephenbrookfield.com

WHAT IS IT? 4 FUNCTIONS

IDENTIFYING OUR ASSUMPTIONS CHECKING THEIR ACCURACY & VALIDITY VIEWING IDEAS & ACTIONS FROM ALTERNATE PERSPECTIVES
TAKING INFORMED ACTION - THE
SURVIVAL SKILL OF ADULT LIFE

4 LENSES ON PRACTICE

STUDENTS EYES COLLEAGUES PERCEPTIONS THEORY/RESEARCH AUTOBIOGRAPHY

STUDENTS EYES
CRITICAL INCIDENT QUESTIONNAIRE ONE MINUTE PAPER MUDDIEST POINT AFTER HOURS GROUP CLICKERS LEARNING AUDIT

COLLEAGUES PERCEPTIONS

TEAM TEACHING CRITICAL REFLECTION GROUPS TALKING TEACHING RECIPROCAL PEER REVIEW

THEORY/RESEARCH
Resistance Diverse Learning Styles Racial Formation/Identity Credibility & Authenticity Cognitive Development Discussion Participation

AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Professional Development Conference Attendance Graduate Study Learning Something New

WHY FOCUS ON IT? To Take Informed Action

Action Based on Evidence That Can be Cited & Considered By Others Action That Can be Explained & Justified Action That Has Its Assumptions Known & Checked Action That Stands a Chance of Achieving Its Intended Consequence Action Thats In Our Best Interest

TYPES OF ASSUMPTIONS
CAUSAL - purports to explain a sequence of events PRESCRIPTIVE - assumptions about how we wish things to be PARADIGMATIC - framing, structuring assumptions viewed as obvious, natural, common sense

ASSUMPTIONS
Of Power critically reflective teaching unearths power dynamics & considers how power is used responsively or abused Hegemonic assumptions we embrace thinking they are in out best interest when in actuality they harm us

WHAT SHOULD WE REMEMBER AS TEACHERS?

Modeling, Modeling, Modeling Resistance is Normal & Predictable Critical Thinking is Often Taught Incrementally - Start Well Away From the Students Reasoning & Actions, Help them Learn Critical Protocols, and Over Time Move Closer and Closer to the Students Own Reasoning & Actions

Beyond the Novice Level After Initial Assimilation When Classroom Skills and Knowledge Have to be Applied in the Real World When Independent Judgment is Called for and No Trusted Authority is at Hand

Circle of Voices
Groups of 4-5 Go round the circle - Each person has up to a minute to respond however they wish to the question no interruptions allowed Move into open conversation you can only talk about what someone else said in the opening round of talk

QUESTION
When critical thinking happens in your classroom what does it

LOOK LIKE SOUND LIKE FEEL LIKE

WHEN IS IT BEST TAUGHT?

When Alternative Explanations and Interpretations are Possible When Actions, Decisions, & Judgments Need to be Informed When Thinking on Your Feet & Improvisation is Called For When Venturing into New Territory With An Old Road Map

CIRCULAR RESPONSE
Groups of 8-12 Go round the circle: each person has up to a minute to talk - NO INTERRUPTIONS What you say must respond to the previous speakers comments (can be a disagreement or expression of confusion) Once all have spoken move into open conversation with no ground rules

QUESTION
HOW

DO YOU MODEL CRITICAL THINKING FOR YOUR STUDENTS?

WHAT STUDENTS SAY IS HELPFUL

MODELING
Seeing it MODELED & Named When Teachers Talk Out Loud Their Assumptions Behind Practices When Teachers Do Regular Assumption Audits When Teachers Say When Their Assumptions are Confirmed & Challenged

MODELING
When Teachers Critique Their Own Positions - Moving Around the Classroom When Teachers Speak in Tongues at Different Stations in the Classroom When Teachers Consistently Discuss Their Criteria for Judging Credibility of Authoritative Sources

MODELING
When Teachers Use the CIQ to Check Their Assumptions in Front of Students When Teachers Bring in Real Life Experience When Assumptions Were Confirmed & Challenged In Team Teaching - When Team Members Take Different Positions and Clarify Each Others Assumptions

SNOWBALLING
Quiet individual reflection on a question Share responses with another person Pair joins another pair to form quartet Quarter joins another quartet to form octet (and so on ) Each time groups join up they share emerging differences, issues & questions

QUESTION
WHAT

MOST GETS IN THE WAY OF / SABOTAGES YOUR ATTEMPTS TO DEVELOP CRITICAL THINKING?

CRITICAL INCIDENT QUESTIONNAIRE

Most Engaged Moment as Learner Most Distanced Moment as Learner Most Helpful Action (Prof. or Peer) Most Puzzling Action (Prof. or Peer) What Surprised You Most

HOW ADMINISTERED
Final 5 minutes of last class of week Summary provided at start of the 1st class the following week Demonstrates Student Diversity Early Warning Device Models Critical Thinking Negotiation NOT Capitulation

STUDENT PRACTICES
Conversational Roles : Devils Advocate, detective, textual focuser, evidential assessor Conversational Moves : Disagree respectfully, develop a counter argument, clarify assumptions, provide authority source Spot The Error: 1 per lecture or discussion Assumption Audits: written or spoken Critical Conversation Protocol Critical Debate Scenario Analysis

CRITICAL REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Epistemological - Truths grounded in what evidence? Fusing descriptive & prescriptive? Paradigm predetermines conclusions? Culturally skewed? Experiential - Metaphors? Omissions? Communicative - Whose voices are heard? Unjustified jargon? Political - Whose interests are served?

QUOTES TO AFFIRM & CHALLENGE

AFFIRM Well Expressed Empirically Accurate Produced A New Understanding CHALLENGE Incomprehensible False Protocol Empirically Inaccurate Ethically Dubious Omitted Evidence

Stephen Brookfield Books

Developing Critical Thinkers (1987) Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher (1995) The Power of Critical Theory (2004) Discussion as a Way of Teaching (2005, 2nd. Ed.) With Stephen Preskill The Skillful Teacher (2006, 2nd. Ed.) All titles published by Jossey Bass, San Francisco.
To order:http://stephenbrookfield.com/books.html

Home Page:www.stephenbrookfield.com