Critical Thinking in Classrooms

“We only think when we are confronted with a problem.” –John Dewey

Instead of simple instruction in the classroom. Students should learn how to piece different bits of information together to complete a task or problem.

Students are not being challenged enough in the classrooms, they are assigned work where the answers come straight out of the books and the students are not forced to actually think but they just find an answer and write it down.

Instead of telling me the cow is gray, tell me the cow is gray because its father is homogonous black and its mother is homogenous white, through codominace the offspring is gray.

Students need more practice with critical thinking skills. Much too often students get so use to not having to think and when they are confronted with an issue that requires thinking, they freeze and don’t think they can do it.

If students are exposed to critical thinking a little at a time, throughout high school, they will be able to stretch their mind farther and complete harder tasks.

The more students are required to use critical thinking skills, the easier it will be for them as they get farther into their school career. By the time they enter college it should be just second nature to them.

Tips for teachers• Create an environment where questions are

encouraged• Incorporate students into lively discussions• Choose topics and ideas that spark interest

with students• Step out of the discussion and force the

students to step up ▫Students can then turn the content to

something that may be more relevant to them and they will become more interested

Reference Articles• Effects of Inquiry–based Agriscience Instruction and Subject

Matter–based Instruction on Student Argumentation Skills. Journal of Agriculture Education. http://www.jae-online.org/

• The Impact of Preparing Agriculture Faculty to Influence Student Critical Thinking Disposition. Journal of Agriculture Education. http://www.jae-online.org/

• Scientific Basis vs. Contextualized Teaching and Learning: The Effect on the Achievement of Postsecondary Students. Journal of Agriculture Education. http://www.jae-online.org/

• Ten Takeaway Tips for Teaching Critical Thinking. http://www.edutopia.org/stw-kipp-critical-thinking-10-tips-for-teaching