Peeling Back the Layers
Peeling Back the Layers
Using reading and research to help students learn to think critically
Welcome to From the Teacher’s Desk, where we take turns further reflecting on our episodes and applications to the classroom.
Critical thinking may be a state standard for nearly every single teacher across the country, but getting students to understand analysis and nuance has always been a challenge. Learning to think critically takes time, patience, and practice, and while getting our students to embrace those three realities can be difficult, it is possible.
One of the reasons Alicia and I love producing Lit Think is that it gives us regular opportunities to do just that with the media we are watching and listening to in our free time. We are demonstrating critical thinking isn’t just a classroom skill; it is a skill to be used in our daily lives.
Since much of my teaching interest lies in the field of rhetoric and composition, I’ve found that some of the best ways to teach critical thinking to teenagers comes in the form of non-fiction reading and research.
See How the Sources Change the Story
We like to blame the internet age for the way we have siloed ourselves into information vacuums. But the truth is news has always had an angle and been driven by political and social viewpoints. The Walter Cronkites of the world have been few and far between. The challenge in the internet age is the explosion of sources and the ease with which those sources can attract and keep an audience. Logical fallacies, an important lesson that needs to be retaught over and over again (red herrings, anyone?), should be taught as red flags for analyzing the validity of the sources students select for their research.
A few years ago, I decided to challenge my AP Language students to track news stories and the way those news stories were presented by sources from the left, middle, and right of the political and social spectrum. I had them choose the same three publications for an entire semester and give me bi-weekly reports on how they presented the same current events. The goal was to help them see how perspective can change the presentation of the facts. While time consuming, it was a good long-term assignment that forced many of them outside of their comfort zone and challenged them to consider their sources. The assignment can be found here.
Research, Research, Research
I will never stop believing research is one of the most important practical skills we can teach our students, regardless of their future career. Why? Because a citizen who can do solid research about any issue will be a more informed voter, a more responsible consumer, and a more compassionate human being.
Knowing where to get good information and how to synthesize that information into a meaningful argument will go a long way, whether the student plans to be a lawyer presenting to the Supreme Court or an electrician presenting a case against a potentially harmful city ordinance at a council meeting. And as we discussed in our episode over John Green’s Anthropocene Reviewed, it is important to encourage everyone to get more curious about the world around them.
Research is a process that involves compiling information, outlining a meaningful presentation of that information, and composing a paper that synthesizes all of that information while citing where that information came from. In a well-taught research writing unit, students will regularly practice critical thinking as they determine which information is both credible and useful and how it will help them defend their argument. One of my favorite assignments during the process is this synthesis assignment to be used as students are putting together their outlines.
Problem Solvers, Not Problem Proclaimers
It is really easy to complain about the things that bother us; it is far more challenging to come up with solutions for the issues that we want changed. It not only requires that students can evaluate sources and synthesize the information, but it also requires higher-ordered thinking skills as they critically examine problems and then argue for the best solutions, demonstrating how their solution (or better yet, combination of solutions), will fix the problem they find most troubling. This research project is one of my favorite projects to assign students because it combines my love for research and problem solving.
We believe that movies, television, and other media can teach our students important lessons about critical thinking, but once they are curious, it is time to help channel those questions to sources that will help them find answers and ask even more questions. And as you can see, the research possibilities are endless.
Don’t forget to listen to our episode about Glass Onion to hear more practical application of critical thinking skills.
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