Get Your Students Hired
Discipline, common sense, dedication, effort, contrast, time management, and judgment are very important as students grow in different aspects of their lives.
Philip,
Right you are and the news is filled with examples of teaching to the test. Yesterday in a major address Arnie Duncan the Secretary of Education got a lot of attention with his statements about the need for even more testing in the "common core" areas. So this is an ongoing debate that we are going to be hearing about in the future.
The results of these students coming into our post secondary settings is that we have to start almost at ground zero and build up their problem solving skills. Tough assignment but one we need to tackle.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I agree with you, but with too many schools/districts, courses like this would be put on the back burner because the schools tend to focus on the state-wide exams, and essentially "teach to the test". The biggest reason - often times funding is affected by the results of these tests.
Sharon,
Good point about the critical nature related to being critical thinkers. They need to work through situations as clearly and concisely as possible because as you say the life of the animal may depend upon it. By getting them to make such connections you will be preparing them for success in their field.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I have encouraged my students from the start of my teaching career to think critically. In their intro courses I keep it simple, but by the time they are seniors I expect them to be able to think critically. They are in the vet med field, so critical thinking can make the difference between life and death of an animal.
Debra,
Right you are. We need to do more at the secondary level to get students start using their critical thinking skills. I hear school officials talk about this need but I don't see a lot of curriculum reform coming in this area.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
It would be nice if a courses in critical thinking were given to high school students -- by the time you are college-age it is difficult to "teach an old dog new tricks"!
Cecilia,
What a great list you have provided us. Wish all our students could work through activities that would enable them to use the mentioned list. If they could then we would have some critical thinkers out there working toward solutions.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.