Improving critical thinking skills for student teachers’ transition into schools
Written By: Author(s): Susan Wyn Jones
8 min read
A project to develop and encourage CTS skills at university, for application in the classroom
Not everything you read is true. Advertisements often make extravagant claims, the internet abounds with ‘fake news’ and it’s often necessary to read between the lines to get at the ‘truth’. Indeed, to make decisions, to understand the world around us or to solve global issues, the evidence must be critically appraised. However, it is not unusual to hear academics despairing about students’ ability to ‘think’ (Birkenhead, 2009; Arum and Roksa, 2010).
In this article, I describe an intervention, carried out during Initial Teacher Education (ITE), to improve student teachers’ Critical Thinking Skills (CTS) in their university studies, following external advice that this aspect should be strengthened (Estyn, 2017).
Developing critical thinking – the challenges
There are many challenges when trying to develop student teachers’ CTS at university. As Wallace and Wray (2
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This article was published in April 2018 and reflects the terminology and understanding of research and evidence in use at the time. Some terms and conclusions may no longer align with current standards. We encourage readers to approach the content with an understanding of this context.
References
- Arum, R and Roksa, J. 2010. Academically Adrift: Limited learning on college campuses. Chicago: Chicago University Press.
- Bikenhead, T. R. 2009. We’ve bred a generation unable to think [Accessed 23 February 2017].
- Cohen, L., Manion, L and Morrison. K. 2010. Research methods in education. 6th ed. Abingdon: Routledge.
- Denscombe, M., 2014. Good research guide: for small-scale social research projects. Buckingham.
- Estyn. 2017. Follow-up Report.
- Estyn. 2015. Guidance for the inspection of initial teacher training [Accessed 7 April 2017].
- Furlong, J. 2015. Teaching tomorrows teachers [Accessed 5th November 2016].
- Halpern, D. 1999. Teaching for critical thinking [Accessed 5 November 2016].
- OECD. 2012. Strong Performers and Successful Reformers in Education: Lessons from PISA for the United States [Accessed 5 November 2016].
- Thomas, G, 2009. How to do your research project. London: Sage.
- Wallace, M and Wray, A. 2009. Critical reading and writing for postgraduates. Sage: London.
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