For many of you, today is the first day of school and I would like to firstly wish you the best of luck on your new school year! It is going to be exciting and renewing and at some times disappointing, but at all times rewarding.
Today's blogpost is taken from an issue I've seen growing considerably in my PLN (Personal Learning Network- Learn more here). That issue is of Critical Thinking. Are we teaching students valuable enough critical thinking skills? Or are we instead feeding them all of the information and expecting them to digest it and regurgitate it back to us? Well, me being the hyper-intellectual that I am (humor) have found a parallel in the gaming world. That parallel friends, is the NPC.
You may ask yourself, "Self, how does this equate to learners and education?" and I would tell you to A. Stop talking to yourself and B. quite simply, when learners aren't given tasks that test and exasperate their skills and are instead spoon fed information for, I don't know, say a huge standardized test, how are they any better than these NPCs? Learners are given set parameters which they are not to exceed for fear that we as teachers will be uncomfortable and that then robs the students of developing these important skills. Teacher your students to take the reigns, teach them to ask questions. Facilitate their learning and for once do not be the sage on the stage, but instead the guide on the side. Learning should be messy, so let's all get dirty together and teach students how to test limits. Teach them how to break the mold of what we expect and instead teach themselves how to reach.
Go here for 10 tips to encourage critical thinking among students: Edutopia
Find me on Twitter and expand your PLN: @chopork
