Module 4

Module 4: Critical Thinking, Reciprocal Questioning, Motivation and reinforcement

Concept 1: Critical Thinking

Summary

In chapter 9, page 364-365, Woolfolk discusses critical thinking.  She defines critical thinking as “’an effortful and deliberate cognitive process that entails reflection on and evaluation of available evidence.’” She states that guiding actions and influencing beliefs are the goal of critical thinking. There are three skill categories needed for critical thinking that Woolfolk cites from The Delphi Report. They are 1) cognitive skills which include evaluating and analyzing, 2) affective disposition which includes being open minded, inquisitive, and facing biases and 3) approaches to specific problems which includes keeping the focus on relevant information. Based on research Woolfolk says that critical thinking skills can be taught to students of all ages from first grade – graduate level. The three most effective elements she mentions are dialogue, authentic instruction, and mentorship. Using these skills over and over again is important to keep in practice and improve the critical thinking of the individual.

 Reflection

As a history major, I have had numerous opportunities to use the critical thinking skills Woolfolk outlines on p. 366 for history which are sourcing, corroboration and contextualization. When we analyze a primary source, we always use contextualization. Before reading the document, we look to see the place, time period, and events that took place in that time period. Using that information, we have the stage set for the document before we read so that when we do read it we can read the document within the context of the time period. We also use sourcing and look to see where the document originated from, and determine if the material will have any biases, and if the source is reliable. We also use corroboration to connect the material in the document to any other documents we may have read and determine if there are similarities or if any of the information contradicts something in the document.  

Critical thinking really is a different way of approaching a document, especially historical documents. I agree with Woolfolk that is takes a lot of practice to learn to analyze and form an opinion on things that are read. I have noticed since I have been taking a lot of history classes and using these different techniques to analyze documents, that I do find myself asking these same questions of information that I read on web sites, or when I hear politician speak, or even just when I am reading the daily news on my phone. I feel I am able to recognize bias so much more than before I have had this practice with critical thinking. Critical thinking is a good skill to practice even to evaluate stories your friends tell you, or with someone who is trying to sell something to you.

As a middle school history teacher, these critical thinking skills will be very important to teach to my students. After reading this section of Woolfolk’s book, I too now see how important it is to practice these skills often. I will encourage my students to use these skills to analyze news, things their friends tell them and advertisements, in addition to using the skills in class to evaluate historical documents.

Concept 2: Reciprocal Questioning

In chapter 10, page 405, Woolfolk discusses reciprocal questioning.  With reciprocal questioning, students of all ages can be put into groups and work together to answer questions about material that was just read or studied in class. Woolfolk shows a sample list of partial questions that the teacher can give to the students that they can use to create questions that they ask the other people in their group. The others can answer and then take turns going back and forth asking and answering the questions. This process produces better discussion in groups because it is guided by the question stems which are created to help the students think more deeply about the material and then also relate it to their lives or things that they already know.

Reflection:

I know from my own experience when teachers just put students into groups and ask them to discuss the material they read, it can be very hard to start up and continue the discussion. I think it is extremely helpful to have a set of stem questions like this to guide the discussion. This summer in the social studies class I observed in, the teacher often had the students break into small groups and discuss the material that had been presented in the lecture. The teacher would give each group three different questions and ask them to discuss those questions. Then he would have the groups report back to the class a summary of what they had discussed. Having the questions written out ahead of time for the students was very helpful to jump start the discussion. I think it is also a good practice to have each group report back to the class how they answered their questions so that the groups could learn from each other too.

Often times, I have been put into discussion groups with other students where we have not been given a list of questions to discuss, and the group has trouble getting started or goes off on tangents. I think the questions are really a good idea to help guide the discussion and keep the group focused on the important parts of the material to be discussed. The reciprocal questions are a good idea because they make sure that each person actually participates in the discussion. The questions also do not allow one person to dominate the discussion. Since reciprocal questions are with a pair or a trio of people, the group size is small enough too where each person in the group will be an active part of the discussion. I also like the idea of the teacher providing the stem of the questions. This will get the students thinking in the right direction, but it will also help them to formulate appropriate questions that will tie into what they have read. This is also good practice to help students learn how to create questions from material so they will eventually be able to think of questions like this on their own when they are in discussion groups in the future. I also think having the students formulate the questions from the stems helps them feel empowered to ask the questions of their peers.

As a middle school social studies teacher, I will definitely make use of reciprocal questioning. Middle school can be an awkward age for students to work with partners or groups, so I will be sure to assign partners or groups to remove the awkward aspect of finding a partner. I think this will also help the students to talk with others in the class that they normally wouldn’t talk to. Since the social studies curriculum involves a lot of reading, the stem questions can lead the students to think about the material in a deeper way and allow them to formulate questions around that material. Knowing they take terms asking and answering questions back and forth, I will know that each student is equally participating in the discussion.

Concept 3: Motivation and reinforcement

In chapter 11, page 431, Woolfolk talks about motivation and reinforcement. As we observe others, we see different behaviors, but usually we do not try the new behavior until something motivates us to try it. Then, to keep that behavior going, we need to be reinforced. Because, if we try something new and do not receive positive feedback or encouragement, odds are we will not continue the practice. Three forms of reinforcement that are discussed are direct reinforcement, which is when you are immediately praised with words of affirmation from someone else for completing a behavior that you saw modeled; vicarious reinforcement, which is seeing others receive praise for an action so it motivates you to continue; and self-reinforcement, which is receiving the praise from yourself to motivate you to continue a behavior. The self-reinforcement can be intrinsic, just feeling good that you completed something; or extrinsic, where you reward yourself with something tangible for completing a project. Woolfolk notes that as teachers “all that keeps you going in the face of difficult students and demanding parents” is self-reinforcements.

Reflection:

As students step out and try something new, it is important that they feel encouraged by reinforcement so that they will continue in that practice. I know for myself that sometimes it is hard to stay motivated to complete a task that seems very hard and overwhelming. When I was observing in a class last semester, one of the assignments was a research paper. At first, when the assignment was given to the students, several students felt overwhelmed by the thought of completing such a large assignment. To help keep the students motivated, the teacher decided to break down the research paper assignment to have checkpoints of reinforcements, and to help keep the students motivated. First, the students were to turn in their topics for the paper, and then the teacher would approve the topic and give them some guidance to move on to the next step which was the outline. In class the week before the outline was due, the teacher worked with each student on their outline to make sure they were on the right track. Once the students’ outlines were approved, and they received direct reinforcement from the teacher, they were ready to move on to writing their rough drafts. These steps of reinforcement made what at first seemed to be an overwhelming project, turn into a great learning experience for the students.

There are a lot of things that I have to do that I necessarily do not like to do, and I use extrinsic rewards to motivate me. I never really thought about how often I do this until I read this passage and realized that I do even on very small scales. One example is that I really like ice cream, so when I am starting to lose motivation on completing homework, I will often set a goal of getting so much of my homework done, and then reward myself with a break and ice cream, once I reach that goal. This extrinsic reward keeps me going to reach the goal, but also gives me a boost of energy to get back at my homework and continue to the next goal. I also motivate myself to complete a paper or a big assignment by remembering how good I will feel when it is completed.

After reading Woolfolk’s comment that self- reinforcements might be all we have during some years with “difficult students and demanding parents,” it will be important to remember this comment and even use this as reinforcement to know we are not alone. I know for me, just knowing someone else has been through what I am going through can help to keep me motivated too.