Critical Learning: Enhancing the Classroom Environment
By: William Ford
Jenks High School has facilitated education since 1907. Recently, the Common Core K-12 student curriculum has dominated almost every state. With recent discoveries in school and learning environments, multiple states have developed new school standards and withdrew from the Common Core, including Oklahoma, which runs under the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) that develops frameworks for required courses like mathematics, sciences, fine arts, english and social studies.
The difficulty that the school curriculum faces is its lack of emphasis on critical learning: a type of learning defined as personally meaningful to students and therefore effective, and it should raise further inquiry within students. Though the OSDE encourages inquiry, they define inquiry as ‘the skills necessary to carry out systematic thinking.’ The curriculums’ emphasis on systematic thought ties closely into a pedagogical method known as rote learning which is widely used today. The effectiveness of rote learning and its initial application is best stated by the Students for Social Change (S4SC) Organization.
“Rote learning, because it focuses solely on repetition and memorization of facts, is a largely ineffective teaching style…” said the S4SC, “In the earlier years of the education system, schools weren’t so focused on the real-world aspects of their teachings because there didn’t seem to be a lot of pressure to learn such aspects. Students could be fine with just learning the basic concepts of different subjects, which was just what rote learning could offer them.”
As an effect of this historical truth, rote learning is still used in many classrooms today and at Jenks, however, some instructors such as Jenks History and AP teacher Heather Reilly perform their work diligently by experimenting with multiple methods of delivering information for the betterment of their students' education.
Reilly's AVID member Katie Peterson, 12, Engaging in AVID IV.
“What’s unique about the Jenks district is that teachers are very autonomous,” Reilly said. “I’m told what to teach, but I’m not told how to teach it, and that’s where I come in with my own way to deliver it."
Of course, with the autonomy of teachers comes the dependency on your instructor to ‘make-or-break’ a class depending on your individual learning style and their enthusiasm on the subject as a whole. Reilly shares that she has done lots of work in professional development to help find the most effective way of delivering information with the content standards she is given.
“There is a set of content standards that we’re given, which kind of guide what we talk about and where we go,” Reilly said.“I use those as my guide posts and then bring the textbook in as a resource, instead of the other way around (using the book as my guide).”
Even with these strategies in place, an individuals’ preferred method of learning will vary just as much as the instructors’ method of teaching.You’ll sometimes find yourself in a class setting where it is difficult to stay engaged and listening. For most, this will directly affect the amount of understanding you are able to develop, but there are methods that students (and teachers) can utilize in the classroom to make it a more efficient and attractive environment:
Ask Critical Questions
Most questions that are asked are considered binary questions - questions that have a ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ ‘true’ or ‘false,’ or other two-category answer. The disadvantage of a binary question is that it creates an implication that the answer can only fall into a ‘right’ or ‘wrong,’ or ‘good’ or bad’ category.
A critical question will have a comprehensive answer. These are questions that typically include the words ‘who, what, where, when, why’ and/or ‘how,’ and do not have a specific answer, such as questions about someones’ personal perspective or inquiry about the importance of the topic at hand. To answer these questions, your instructor or peers are typically required to not only provide an answer to the question, but also share an explanation as to why.
“my goal is to transfer information from short term memory to long term memory, as an instructor… There's some research that says you have to see something five times to convert it from short term memory to long term memory,” Reilly said. “So I try to find different ways to do that: talk about it, question it, etc.”
These methods can also act as a form of review, an essential item needed to transfer and retain information in your long term memory.
The curve of forgetting and the influence of reassessment after some time (image from researchgate.net)
Critical questions can help increase understanding of events, facts, and perspectives. They also allow for further questions to be developed and asked. Engaging in a two-sided discussion and asking critical questions about a subject can help develop a broader understanding of a subject and reinforce these ideas to help convert them into long-term memory.
2. Unblur the Boundaries
People tend to categorize information in their memory into very rigid ‘boxes,' or think categorically. While this is an effective way to organize yourself and stay versed in multiple subjects, it disregards the overlap that often occurs between topics.
According to the Harvard Business Review on The Dangers of Categorical Thinking, creating rigid stereotypes in business can cause you to “amplify differences between members of different categories.” In the same way, this logic can apply to creating rigid boundaries in your mind: thinking of topics as divergent can prevent one from making crucial connections or ‘ties’ between the areas where differing subjects overlap, which could otherwise aid in developing a complete understanding of a broad spectrum of information.
3. Make Outside Connections and Anticipate Upcoming Subjects
When you unblur these boundaries, you are able to make external connections in the classroom. Relating the topics you are studying to other classes can further help you create one large understanding as opposed to multiple confined boxes of information.
You can use this broad idea as a foundation and anticipate upcoming subjects that will build on your current understanding. Being prepared for your next lesson both mentally and in terms of possessing the right material can greatly boost your success and attitude in a classroom environment. And remember, critical questions and outside connections are crucial to engaging yourself in a lesson and in your school and can lead to your ultimate success as a student. Read more about Common Core, OSDE, or the S4SC using the embedded links!