Stephen Brookfield

Distinguished University Professor

University of St. Thomas

www.stephenbrookfield.com

BECOMING A CRITICALLY REFLECTIVE TEACHER

WHAT IS IT? 4 FUNCTIONS

IDENTIFYING OUR ASSUMPTIONS

CHECKING THEIR ACCURACY & VALIDITY

VIEWING IDEAS & ACTIONS FROM ALTERNATE PERSPECTIVES

TAKING INFORMED ACTION - THE SURVIVAL SKILL OF ADULT LIFE

4 LENSES ON PRACTICE

STUDENT’S EYES

COLLEAGUES’ PERCEPTIONS

THEORY/RESEARCH

AUTOBIOGRAPHY

STUDENTS’ EYES

CRITICAL INCIDENT QUESTIONNAIRE

ONE MINUTE PAPER

MUDDIEST POINT

AFTER HOURS GROUP

CLICKERS

LEARNING AUDIT

COLLEAGUES’ PERCEPTIONS

TEAM TEACHING

CRITICAL REFLECTION GROUPS

TALKING TEACHING

RECIPROCAL PEER REVIEW

THEORY/RESEARCH

Resistance

Diverse Learning Styles

Racial Formation/Identity

Credibility & Authenticity

Cognitive Development

Discussion Participation

AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Professional Development

Conference Attendance

Graduate Study

Learning Something New

WHY FOCUS ON IT?To Take Informed Action

• Action Based on Evidence That Can be Cited & Considered By Others

• Action That Can be Explained & Justified• Action That Has Its Assumptions Known &

Checked• Action That Stands a Chance of Achieving

Its Intended Consequence• Action That’s In Our Best Interest

TYPES OF ASSUMPTIONS• CAUSAL - purports to explain a

sequence of events • PRESCRIPTIVE - assumptions

about how we wish things to be• PARADIGMATIC - framing,

structuring assumptions viewed as obvious, natural, common sense

ASSUMPTIONS• Of Power – critically reflective teaching

unearths power dynamics & considers how power is used responsively or abused

• Hegemonic – assumptions we embrace thinking they are in out best interest when in actuality they harm us

WHAT SHOULD WE REMEMBER AS

TEACHERS?• Modeling, Modeling, Modeling• Resistance is Normal & Predictable• Critical Thinking is Often Taught

Incrementally - Start Well Away From the Student’s Reasoning & Actions, Help them Learn Critical Protocols, and Over Time Move Closer and Closer to the Student’s Own Reasoning & Actions

Beyond the Novice Level After Initial Assimilation When Classroom Skills and

Knowledge Have to be Applied in the ‘Real’ World

When Independent Judgment is Called for and No Trusted Authority is at Hand

• Groups of 4-5

• Go round the circle - Each person has up to a minute to respond however they wish to the question – no interruptions allowed

• Move into open conversation – you can only talk about what someone else said in the opening round of talk

Circle of Voices

QUESTION When critical thinking happens in

your classroom what does it …

LOOK LIKE

SOUND LIKE

FEEL LIKE

WHEN IS IT BEST TAUGHT?

When Alternative Explanations and Interpretations are Possible

When Actions, Decisions, & Judgments Need to be Informed

When Thinking on Your Feet & Improvisation is Called For

When Venturing into New Territory With An Old Road Map

CIRCULAR RESPONSE

Groups of 8-12Go round the circle: each person has up to a minute to talk - NO INTERRUPTIONSWhat you say must respond to the previous speaker’s comments (can be a disagreement or expression of confusion)Once all have spoken move into open conversation with no ground rules

QUESTIONHOW DO YOU MODEL CRITICAL THINKING FOR YOUR STUDENTS?

WHAT STUDENTS SAY IS HELPFUL

MODELING … Seeing it MODELED & Named When Teachers Talk Out Loud Their

Assumptions Behind Practices When Teachers Do Regular

Assumption Audits When Teachers Say When Their

Assumptions are Confirmed & Challenged

MODELING …

When Teachers Critique Their Own Positions - Moving Around the Classroom

When Teachers ‘Speak in Tongues’ at Different Stations in the Classroom

When Teachers Consistently Discuss Their Criteria for Judging Credibility of Authoritative Sources

MODELING …

When Teachers Use the CIQ to Check Their Assumptions in Front of Students

When Teachers Bring in Real Life Experience When Assumptions Were Confirmed & Challenged

In Team Teaching - When Team Members Take Different Positions and Clarify Each Others’ Assumptions

SNOWBALLING• Quiet individual reflection on a

question• Share responses with another

person• Pair joins another pair to form

quartet• Quarter joins another quartet to

form octet (and so on …)• Each time groups join up they

share emerging differences, issues & questions

QUESTIONWHAT MOST GETS IN THE

WAY OF / SABOTAGES YOUR ATTEMPTS TO DEVELOP CRITICAL THINKING?

CRITICAL INCIDENT QUESTIONNAIRE

Most Engaged Moment as LearnerMost Distanced Moment as LearnerMost Helpful Action (Prof. or Peer)Most Puzzling Action (Prof. or Peer)What Surprised You Most

HOW ADMINISTERED

Final 5 minutes of last class of week

Summary provided at start of the 1st class the following week

Demonstrates Student Diversity

Early Warning Device

Models Critical Thinking

Negotiation NOT Capitulation

STUDENT PRACTICES• Conversational Roles : Devil’s Advocate,

detective, textual focuser, evidential assessor• Conversational Moves : Disagree respectfully,

develop a counter argument, clarify assumptions, provide authority source

• Spot The Error: 1 per lecture or discussion• Assumption Audits: written or spoken• Critical Conversation Protocol• Critical Debate • Scenario Analysis

CRITICAL REVIEW OF LITERATURE

• Epistemological - Truths grounded in what evidence? Fusing descriptive & prescriptive? Paradigm predetermines conclusions? Culturally skewed?

• Experiential - Metaphors? Omissions?• Communicative - Whose voices are

heard? Unjustified jargon?• Political - Whose interests are served?

QUOTES TO AFFIRM & CHALLENGE

AFFIRM

Well Expressed Empirically Accurate

Produced A New Understanding

CHALLENGE

Incomprehensible False Protocol

Empirically Inaccurate

Ethically Dubious Omitted Evidence

Stephen Brookfield Books Developing Critical Thinkers (1987) Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher (1995) The Power of Critical Theory (2004) Discussion as a Way of Teaching (2005, 2nd.

Ed.) With Stephen Preskill The Skillful Teacher (2006, 2nd. Ed.) All titles published by Jossey Bass, San

Francisco. To order:http://stephenbrookfield.com/books.html Home Page:www.stephenbrookfield.com