ASCD SmartBrief Special Report:
Teaching Students to Think (Part 2)
As it's becoming clear that thinking skills will be increasingly important to the next generation, educators are finding creative ways to deepen students' reasoning abilities even in an era of standardized tests. While some schools -- and even whole districts -- are revamping their curriculum through transitions to an International Baccalaureate curriculum, other educators are simply creating debate teams or integrating new thinking-based methods into their existing lesson plans.

This two-part ASCD SmartBrief Special Report on "Teaching Students to Think" explores the many ways educators are developing students' thinking skills. Part II of this report looks into such successful programs and then explores professional development opportunities to help introduce other educators to such methods. Part I, published Tuesday, looked at the role of thinking in the curriculum as well as some instructional and assessment strategies for teaching thinking.

If you don't receive ASCD SmartBrief on a daily basis and find our report on teaching students to think useful, we urge you to sign up for our timely e-newsletter. ASCD SmartBrief delivers the stories making news in your profession directly to your inbox -- for FREE.

At a Glance

Historical models of education no longer fit
Far too many educators believe the main purpose of educating is to "cover the material" in math, science, and social studies, writes Marion Brady. In an information-based economy, he says, schools should look to the real world for their subject matter and teach students to think critically. Educational Leadership (2/2008)

Report: Overemphasis on rigor derailing U.S. high schools
By requiring all students to take advanced courses and score higher on standardized tests, states are missing out on deepening learning and teaching vital critical-thinking skills, write two University of California education professors in a new paper. "Any gains come at the expense of other goals for high school reform, including equity, curricular relevance, and student interest," they write. Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) (10/5)

What would Einstein say about standardized testing?
As educators and politicians argue about alternative measures of accountability, former Michigan state teacher of the year Nancy Flanagan notes that most primarily consider the big picture, without examining the effects of such policies on individual students or educators. She wonders what Albert Einstein, with his famous declaration that imagination is more important than knowledge, would think of standardized tests. Teacher Magazine (free registration) (1/9)

Best Practices

Researcher outlines framework for teaching thinking skills in any subject
Teaching that pairs critical-thinking strategies with deep consideration of classroom content has been proven effective, writes Robert J. Swartz, director of the National Center for Teaching Thinking and a University of Massachusetts at Boston professor emeritus. Not only do such methods improve thinking, they greatly improve student understanding of subject matter, he says. Educational Leadership (2/2008)

Minnesota district poised to become first to require IB for all
Minnesota's 3,200-student South St. Paul district is neither wealthy nor exclusive, but it is on the verge of becoming the first public school system in the country to require the rigorous International Baccalaureate for all students. "These are skills that typical adults don't achieve until their 30s or 40s," said the IB's director general, Jeffrey R. Beard. "Parents tell us, 'I can't believe my kid is thinking this way.'" Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) (10/30)

• Wisconsin magnet for gifted to launch elementary IB program: School leaders at Wisconsin's Jefferson Lighthouse Elementary hope $25,000 budgeted by the Racine district to launch the state's second elementary-level International Baccalaureate will encourage students to think critically and develop a global outlook. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (tiered subscription model) (1/19)

Presidential election offers opportunities to test thinking skills
Learning to think critically about politics is a vital part of becoming an informed citizen, educators say. "Don't be afraid to let them speak out loud," says Utah high school government teacher Jenicee Jacobson. "Let them articulate the other side of an issue, or explain the qualities of a candidate for themselves. They should be able to explore, and parents shouldn't feel too threatened, because they can enjoy watching their children go through that process." The Salt Lake Tribune (Utah) (2/5)

Professional Development

Teach students to think like the experts
In a world filled with more information than any one person can possibly hope to learn, students need to learn how to interpret the world through the distinctive ways of thinking that characterize the work of experts -- historians, scientists, mathematicians and artists. Harvard Graduate School of Education researchers Veronica Boix Mansilla and Howard Gardner show educators how to explore essential themes from disciplinary perspectives. Educational Leadership (2/2008)

Looking at historical objects stimulates observation skills
Students think surprisingly deeply when asked to examine once-common objects and then reason and test their hypotheses about how they were made and used, writes Shari Tishman of the Harvard Graduate School of Education's Project Zero. Such exercises -- for example looking at the now extinct sock darner -- can stimulate invigorating discussions of culture, art and human creativity. Educational Leadership (2/2008)

Opinion: Promote student-to-student interaction
One school district in Arkansas is training its teachers to foster student interaction in the classroom to promote learning and engage students. "Learning is a social act," said Linda Auman, the district's professional development coordinator. "Kids should be talking [to each other] half the time." The Morning News (Springdale-Rogers, Ark.) (1/20)

Thinking can be taught as part of any subject
Teaching students to plan, reflect and use reason doesn't require advanced or "intellectual" courses, writes Stanford University professor emerita of education Nel Noddings. Instead, students in any subject can learn critical thinking skills when teachers ask them to read, write and debate about the subject rather than memorize soon-to-be forgotten facts. Educational Leadership (2/2008)

ASCD Resources

Online resources for teachers and students

Ideas for thinking-based lesson plans:

Harvard's Visible Thinking: Research-based lessons for developing thinking skills.

Harvard's Artful Thinking: Integrate art-based thinking into regular classrooms.

National Center for Teaching Thinking: Offers a variety of lesson plans infused with critical thinking.

National Debate Project: Use debate as a foundation to promote student reason.

Teachable Moment -- Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility: Aids teachers with study questions and resources to help students learn how to think critically about current events.

Thinking Maps: Eight tools to help students categorize their thoughts.

General resources:

Critical Thinking: What It Is and Why It Counts: Paper introducing the importance of critical thinking.

Foundation and Center for Critical Thinking: Offers research, professional development and assessment tools meant to improve thinking-based instruction.

Books, articles and other ASCD resources

Book: Developing Minds: A Resource Book for Teaching Thinking

Book: Developing More Curious Minds

Audio: Teaching Thinking Skills: The Connection to Increased Student Learning

Video: How to Engage Students in Critical Thinking

Video: How to Spiral Questions to Provoke Student Thinking

DVD: Learning to Think ... Thinking to Learn: The Pathway to Achievement

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