What exactly does it mean to think critically? Since thinking is "invisible," how can teachers identify it and recognize when it's taking place? Susan BarahalSusan Barahal's Thinking About Thinking article was published in the December 2008 edition of the Phi Delta Kappan Magazine. I've included a link here for download. Click on the article image to download a copy.
After reading this article I realized that Susan's challenge to student teachers could also be a call to veteran teachers to think about how we are planning for, and assessing if our students are thinking critically. When you think about the arts in our schools and the arts teachers role in providing the experiences our students need in order to develop critical thinking skills, you realize how important it is for arts educators to consider Susan's question:
What exactly does it mean to think critically? Since thinking is "invisible," how can teachers identify it and recognize when it's taking place? Susan Barahal
I will open these questions to all arts teachers out there. What's your answer?
It seems to me that critical thinking and metacognition go hand in hand. I have often realized that having an arts background really prepared me for the "deep thinking" that is so necessary to enrich and continually renew one's practice as a teacher as well. It is my belief that students are entering into that realm as well, whenever they look at a piece of art, watch great dance, learn a monologue or play an instrument.
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