Integrate Critical Thinking

You can watch these two videos, just read the script below, or do both!  Click here for handout     Download Click here for handout and  here for a PDF of the video     Download here for a PDF of the video . If you are having trouble viewing the videos, or you would like to download them, click for  Part 1  (Links to an external site.)  and  Part 2  (Links to an external site.) .   Sometimes, you have to really think about something in order to fully understand it. This is especially true with complex ideas. Teaching practice is an excellent example of this. As teachers, we work in very complex systems. Each student has his or her own hopes, needs, problems, abilities, and interests . That is already extremely complex, but that’s just the beginning of it! The educational context includes issues of curriculum, standards, and more. Because teaching is so complex, teacher development requires reflective practice, which is a type o...

  You can watch these two videos, just read the script below, or do both!  Click here for handout     Download Click here for handout and  here for a PDF of the video     Download here for a PDF of the video . If you are having trouble viewing the videos, or you would like to download them, click for  Part 1  (Links to an external site.)  and  Part 2  (Links to an external site.) .   Sometimes, you have to really think about something in order to fully understand it. This is especially true with complex ideas. Teaching practice is an excellent example of this. As teachers, we work in very complex systems. Each student has his or her own hopes, needs, problems, abilities, and interests. That is already extremely complex, but that’s just the beginning of it! The educational context includes issues of curriculum, standards, and more. Because teaching is so complex, teacher development requires reflective practice, which is a ...

"Concentración"  (Links to an external site.)  by Eduardo Yepes via Flickr is licensed under  CC BY 2.0  (Links to an external site.) Click  HERE     Download HERE to download a PDF of this page. As critical thinkers, we must be able to know the difference between  what we have observed  and  our interpretation of what we have observed . This is important for us as educators too. Good teaching requires accurately understanding what is happening with our students on an on-going basis . We need to adjust our lessons so that they are pushing our students towards more learning but not so “above their heads” that they cannot follow what is happening in class. For example, imagine you are observing a class. You might, with your familiarity with classroom activity, look at the class and think, “They are learning,” while for one specific student you think, “She is unhappy” and for another student you might think, “He is bored.” But do you know...

  This is the end of Module 2 - thank you for your participation! Before moving on to Module 3, please check if you have completed all of the assignments for this week. It may also benefit you to take some time to reflect on your learning this week. Below, you will find ten questions to help guide your reflection. "to do list"  (Links to an external site.)  by  Marissa Grootes  (Links to an external site.)  via Unsplash is licensed under the  Unsplash License  (Links to an external site.) Did you... ☐  repost your cultural introduction from Module 1? ☐  read/watch a video about active listening/reading? ☐  reflect on and write about the active listening techniques you use, would like to use, and would like others to use with you and write a post about this? ☐  read/watch a video about micro-cultures? ☐  complete an identity wheel and write about your thoughts on it? ☐  think about the micro-cultures you participate in...

  Like most readings in this course, you can choose to just watch the video, just read the script (below, or  click here for a handout     Download click here for a handout ), or do both. Additionally,  here is a PDF of the video     Download here is a PDF of the video . This reading and video will introduce you to the concept of cascading new knowledge. If you are having trouble viewing the video, or you would like to download it, click  HERE  (Links to an external site.) . From this module until the end of the course, we will spend some time discussing how you can share your knowledge and experiences with colleagues who are not taking the course. We will also explore ways in which you can collaborate with other professionals in the field, both face-to-face and virtually. In this introductory video, we will: Explain the term “cascading” Discuss why cascading activities have been included in the course Consider how you may benefit from casc...

  As we have been discussing, culture influences every aspect of a person's life. Intercultural encounters can therefore be a site of conflict and misunderstanding in terms of emotional issues, stereotypes, and a difference in values. This does not necessarily need to be the case, however. Intercultural encounters can be very positive and can enrich the lives of all involved. Intercultural competence is needed to make intercultural encounters more likely to be positive. An essential part of intercultural competence is the ability to think critically. Critical thinking is necessary for understanding perspectives other than one's own and for effective problem solving. In this reading we will look more closely at what critical thinking is. Since we have examined the difference between high-context and low-context cultures already through the Frank (2013) article, many examples in this reading will use this contrast to illustrate the main points.  (Links to an external site.) Crit...