Episcopal Knightly News

  EPISCOPAL
  • Home
  • Blog and news
  • About us
    • Who We Are
    • Episcopal Identity
    • Leadership and Governance
    • Employment Opportunities
  • Our Program
    • Academics
    • Athletics
    • Arts
    • Spirituality
    • College Counseling
    • Student Support Services
  • Admission
    • Welcome to Admission
    • Affording Episcopal
    • Dates & Deadlines
    • Visit Episcopal
  • Reopening Plans
  • Giving
    • Spirit Mind Body Campaign
    • Quest Center
    • The eFund >
      • 2019-20 Donor List
    • Tributes and Memorials
    • Give Online
    • Development Team
  • e-Resources
    • Student Resources
    • Parent Resources
    • Teacher Resources
    • Library Resources
  • School Store
  • Alumni
  • Parents' Guild
  • Squires
  • Lunch Menu
  • Contact

Raising Tomorrow's Critical Thinkers Today

2/21/2018

1 Comment

 
Picture
Every year, I take a moment to ask my 9th grade Honors Biology classes: “Why do we have to learn all this biology, anyway?” It was a question posed by a former student, and I’ve found it an important one to explore each year. Often student responses revolve around ideas such as: “we need to know biology if we want to go into medicine or science” or “because we have to take it to get into college.”

At that point, I counter these arguments by reminding them that not everyone goes into medicine, and certainly there are many people who make a great living without going to college… so why do we “make” them all take biology? For those who are still stumped, I broaden the question to ask: why do we need to learn any science, or history, or languages and culture, or mathematics? Why do we learn anything in school?

Eventually, they come to realize that they have to learn all of these subjects because it is important to understand the world around them. Through our discussion, they realize that one day they will be asked to make important decisions - medical decisions, financial decisions, decisions that affect our broader community. They will need to be able to take the information they have, analyze it, and draw their own conclusions. They come to realize that the courses they are taking now give them both the context and the skills to prepare them for that future. The context, the facts, taught in courses are important, and those facts are often what we remember learning when we think back on our own time in school. However, the critical thinking skills developed are just as important, if often less obvious.
Picture
Picture
There has been a lot of talk about critical thinking skills over the years, both in education and in the broader world. Critical thinking, the ability to draw logical connections between different ideas, to solve problems systematically, and to ask questions about our own beliefs or assumptions we encounter1, is inherent to so much of what we do in the classroom. It is interwoven not only into scientific, mathematical, historical, cultural, and moral thinking, but also leads to creative thinking. To question what you know and how you know it allows us to think “outside the box”, as it were.

We, as a school, understand the importance of developing these critical thinking skills in our students. In fact, we view it as so essential, we have developed design studio courses in collaboration with a group from Cambridge, MA called  NuVu. One of the main purposes of these classes is to develop critical thinking skills in our students. In these courses, students are given a topic, asked to identify a problem related to that topic, analyze that problem, and design a solution. When designing their solution, they must look at current methods of dealing with such problems and question how things could be done differently, done better - to think creatively. They are asked to analyze their project design and process critical feedback to improve that solution. Our design studio courses put the focus squarely on helping students develop these essential thinking skills.
​

Picture
But our design studio courses aren’t the only place where critical thinking skills are developed at Episcopal. As a science teacher, I don’t want students to only memorize facts; I want them to see the systems that connect everything, the systems that work both inside and outside of us. I want them to see how each part is connected, and how changes in one area can have downstream effects. They are asked to analyze real-world data and draw their own conclusions. But I, and my students, recognize that critical thinking does not belong to science alone. These skills are developed in every one of our classes: when students are asked to explain the cultural and historical forces that led to a particular event, or to explore the social context behind a literary work.
These realizations and others about the “why” behind taking biology are eye-opening for many 9th graders, and such discussions are always popular with my classes. They enjoy exploring the purpose behind the different areas of education, and the realization of the important tasks they face provides greater motivation for some. And even though it isn’t technically time spent learning biology, I value these discussions as time spent helping them develop their critical thinking skills.

1Lau, Joe, and Jonathan Chan. “What Is Critical Thinking.” [C01] What Is Critical Thinking?, Philosophy Department, University of Hong Kong, philosophy.hku.hk/think/critical/ct.php.
Natalie Macaluso, William Guffey and Ellie Sim have all participated in Dr. Fenske’s discussion on how learning helps students understand the world around them.  Watch the video to see the trio reflect on the impact of that discussion and the critical thinking strategies they’re gaining now in preparation for adulthood.

​

Picture

Dr. Sara Fenske

Dr. Sara Fenske pursued a career in education because of her love of science and desire to share that passion with others. Knowing the impact a great education can have, Sara chose to focus on teaching and curriculum design, with a focus on continuous improvement. Currently, she is a member of the science faculty at Episcopal, and the Academic Programs Special Projects Manager. Previously, she was the science department chair and taught at Linden Hall in Pennsylvania. She has a Bachelor of Science in cell and molecular biology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a PhD in biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ​

1 Comment
Alex Harvey
6/2/2018 05:56:28 am

Such a pleasing info. I think it is a great news for the business individuals. Because a strong critical thinker not only does his job effectively but also plays a vital role in increasing the overall productivity of the business. To become an effective critical thinker, you must have the following characteristics.
1)Curiosity, 2)Compassion, 3)Awareness, 4)Honesty, 5)Willingness, and 6)Creativity.
You have to do your disc assessment correctly- http://www.reginafasold.com/executive-coaching.php that is indispensable for crafting critical thinking traits.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.


    Follow @EpiscopalBR

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Admission
    Athletics
    College Bound 2017
    College Bound 2018
    College Bound 2019
    College Bound 2020
    Counselors Corner
    Diversity
    Episcopal Alumni
    From The Library
    Giving
    Head Of School Messages
    Lower School
    Middle School
    Project Based Education
    Science
    Spirituality And Service
    Sports
    Student Work
    Technology
    The Teachers' Lounge
    Upper School
    Visual And Performing Art

    Tour our Campus

    Subscribe to our mailing list

    * indicates required
    Email Format

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015

About Episcopal

Head of School Corner
Who We Are
​
Episcopal Identity

Our Program

Academics
Lower School
​
Middle School
​
Upper School
​
College Counseling 
Athletics
Visual & Performing Arts

Admission

Admission Team
​Dates and Deadlines
​Affording Episcopal
​
Visit Episcopal
​Online Payment Portal

Resources
Employment Opportunities
​​
Employee Portal 

Giving Opportunities 

Giving
The Capital Campaign
The e Fund
Legacy Giving
Tributes and Memorials
Give Online 
Development Team

Explore
Blogs and News
Alumni Affairs
Parents Guild

Contact

Episcopal School of Baton Rouge
3200 Woodland Ridge Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA 70816
Phone: 225.753.3180
​
communications@ehsbr.org

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required
Email Format
Photos used under Creative Commons from Ben Taylor55, EpicTop10.com, EpicTop10.com
  • Home
  • Blog and news
  • About us
    • Who We Are
    • Episcopal Identity
    • Leadership and Governance
    • Employment Opportunities
  • Our Program
    • Academics
    • Athletics
    • Arts
    • Spirituality
    • College Counseling
    • Student Support Services
  • Admission
    • Welcome to Admission
    • Affording Episcopal
    • Dates & Deadlines
    • Visit Episcopal
  • Reopening Plans
  • Giving
    • Spirit Mind Body Campaign
    • Quest Center
    • The eFund >
      • 2019-20 Donor List
    • Tributes and Memorials
    • Give Online
    • Development Team
  • e-Resources
    • Student Resources
    • Parent Resources
    • Teacher Resources
    • Library Resources
  • School Store
  • Alumni
  • Parents' Guild
  • Squires
  • Lunch Menu
  • Contact