…is a stepwise process.
Hello and welcome to the 77th edition of our fortnightly newsletter, Things in Education. Isn't it ironic that almost everyone in India can enjoy this long weekend, but teachers need to come to school even on Independence Day? Teachers go above and beyond!
This edition is about critical thinking. And we have written about it earlier, but this time we really get into the nuances of how this would look in a classroom. Hope there is something for everyone in this one.
In the 8th edition of our newsletter, we had written about why critical thinking is so hard and some key requisites we need to keep in mind as teachers if we want our students to think critically, which is summarised in this graphic:
The NEP 2020 has emphasised the importance of a holistic, student-centred approach to education that goes beyond rote learning, and the development of critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills. It has also stressed the importance of experiential learning where students apply what they learn in real-world contexts. However, unless we as educators understand how to actually develop critical thinking skills in our students so that they are able to apply their learnings to the real world, these will remain just buzzwords.
So, in today’s edition, we dive deeper into the key requisites of critical thinking and present them in the form of a teaching strategy that culminates with real-world application, using examples from different academic disciplines.
Step 1: Deciding Learning Outcomes
We have talked about the importance of starting with clear learning outcomes in Episode 1 of TE Present Teacher and in the 9th edition of our newsletter, and we have also delved deep into the characteristics that make a good learning outcome in Episode 2 of TE Present Teacher and in the 47th edition of our newsletter. No matter what grade, subject or topic you are teaching, and no matter which pedagogical approach you are employing, deciding your learning outcome is the starting point. Here are some examples of learning outcomes from various subjects, and you will understand more about surface learning, deep learning and transfer learning further on in this newsletter.
Step 2: Teaching for Surface Learning
In the 8th edition, we had explained that ‘Our mind tends to prefer the surface structure of new information – the specific, concrete details and particulars.’ And this is where we must begin our teaching from, as well.
Aligned to these learning outcomes, you will focus on…
English: …ensuring that students are able to identify nouns, verbs, adjectives, prepositions and adverbs in sentences.
Political Science: …ensuring that students are able to name the branches of the government, list who or what they consist of and briefly state what their responsibilities are.
Chemistry: …ensuring that students are able to list properties of acids and bases such as taste, behaviour in the litmus test and pH value of the solution containing these acids or bases, and some common examples of acids and bases.
A Direct Instruction approach works best when teaching for surface learning, as students may be learning these concepts for the first time or revising these concepts after a long time. Building or recalling a student’s knowledge base is key here.
Step 3: Teaching for Deep Learning
Once you have spent adequate time on teaching for surface learning and have conducted formative assessments to ensure that your students are able to recall these surface details and have no misconceptions about them, it is time to move on to teaching for deep learning.
The deep structure of information is the general underlying principle that we can arrive at when we build relationships between ideas. So, this is what teaching for deep learning must focus on.
Aligned to these learning outcomes, you will focus on…
English: …ensuring that students are able to analyse, for example, how adjectives and adverbs enhance descriptions, such as in this sentence: The curious boy quickly runs towards the bright light.
Political Science: …ensuring that students are able to explain how the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government function independently yet interdependently to maintain balance and prevent abuse of power.
Chemistry: …ensuring that students are able to explain that when an acid reacts with a base, it produces salt and water, which ions dissociate and how they recombine, and why this happens (this part may not happen in grade 6).
Notice that for all three subjects, we have focused on a general underlying principle of the concept.
At this stage, it is best to use a mix of Direct Instruction and Inquiry-Based Learning or Constructivism. Understanding the relationship between ideas and arriving at a general underlying principle is not an easy cognitive process for students, and so giving them ample space to question, experiment, fail, try and discuss is key.
Step 4: Teaching for Transfer Learning
It is only after students have arrived at the deep structure of the information that they can transfer their understanding to real-world scenarios. And this, ultimately, is the aim of all education, or at least should be the aim of all education.
Aligned to these learning outcomes, you will focus on…
English: …ensuring that students are able to write, for example, a letter to the editor of a local newspaper, addressing a community issue such as the need for a new park in the neighbourhood, using precise nouns; strong, action-oriented verbs to express the importance of the issue; descriptive adjectives to convey the current state of the issue and the desired outcome; and adverbs to add emphasis or detail to actions.
Political Science: …ensuring that students are able to analyse a case where the parliament passed a law that had significant social impacts, discussing how the system of checks and balances worked in that scenario.
Chemistry: …ensuring that students are able to explain how antacids work to relieve heartburn by neutralising stomach acids.
At this stage, it is important to give students enough support as well as freedom, and using an Inquiry-Based or Constructivist Approach works best.
We would love to hear examples of surface, deep and transfer learning from our readers, and you can also use TEPS.school for ideas of teaching strategies across all academic subjects from Pre-K to G10, for a variety of pedagogical approaches.
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Edition: 3.25
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