https://padlet.com/kerri_connelly/ldzqnrcycjz3 Digital Portfolio en-us 2018-10-23 19:41:09 UTC 2025-12-27 08:09:52 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Templeball.png kerri_connelly https://padlet.com/kerri_connelly/ldzqnrcycjz3/wish/296170444 Critical anlysis means more than simply finding weaknesses in arguments for the sake of winning an argument. Rather, it is important that we look at the claims being made and look at the types of evidence submitted. Why was the evidence submitted? Does the evidence help or hurt the argument being made.

In the article “‘I Saw a UFO’ Buzz Aldrin Passes a Lie Detector Test Revealing Truth About Aliens”, the claim being made is that aliens are real. The evidence being provided is the anecdotes and testimonials of men who have been into space. Anecdotes allow a person to tell the story of what a person sees or experiences. In each story told, the astronauts recall seeing "strange objects" in the sky. Laboratory tests were conducted to see if the astronauts were telling the truth. Each passed because in their minds, they were telling the truth.

The trouble with anecdotes is that it is hard to prove or disprove them. In the storyteller's mind, he or she is absolutely telling the truth. However, without either physical evidence or other witnesses, anecdotes require the listener to accept the story at face value. Is it possible that what these men saw was real? Sure. Is it possible the what they though they saw wasn't what they thought. Yes, it is possible. Unfortunately, our mind does have the ability to play trick on our other senses. It's quite possible that the objects they saw were flashes of light some low-level satellites or meteors. Because we want to believe that aliens are real, we are more willing to accept evidence that still leave room of doubt.]]> 2018-10-23 19:42:36 UTC https://padlet.com/kerri_connelly/ldzqnrcycjz3/wish/296170444 kerri_connelly https://padlet.com/kerri_connelly/ldzqnrcycjz3/wish/296176061 I believe that this is true not just when working with gifted learners, but with ALL learners. 

When we think of gifted students, inevitably, we tend to have a certain picture in mind: the student who always knows the answer to the question; the student who makes straight As; the student in all advanced level class, etc.

But this is not necessarily true of all gifted students. What about the gifted student that doesn't like to talk/ hide the fact that he/she is gifted? What about the student who is gifted in areas outside of school?

Thomlison says it best, " We believe that our schools and the students in those schools would fare much better if educators created curriculum and instruction from the belief that virtually all students would benefit from".  The strategies that we use in improving the gifted student can also benefit those not labeled as gifted. If we can teach a gifted student to think critically about a piece of work, why not also the non-gifted student?

After all, when their education is complete, all people, gifted or not, will have to continue to use critical thinking skills in their every day lives. As teachers, we should ensure that ALL students have the skill sets they need to be able to analyze claims and evidence.

I believe this is especially true today with the popularity of social media sites, like Facebook, in which ANYONE can post an article without context. In a world in which people claim that something is "fake news" or not, we need to be able to analyze claims made on these articles. Most users of social media are/were not necessarily gifted students.]]> 2018-10-23 19:56:59 UTC https://padlet.com/kerri_connelly/ldzqnrcycjz3/wish/296176061 kerri_connelly https://padlet.com/kerri_connelly/ldzqnrcycjz3/wish/296253468 Critical thinking skills is something that can easily be incorporated in all parts of the lesson cycle. I want to discuss a few areas in particular.

Warm-up questions: When we think of the typical warm-up question, we tend to focus on whether or not the students retained the information learned in the previous class and if they can regurgitate it back to the teacher. These questions tend to be low-level questions as a result. Instead of that, perhaps we could pose a scenario to a student and have them write on that instead. Not only do the students have to be familiar with the material, but they also have to be able to apply the material in an unfamiliar real-life way. This forces the students to think about their learning material in a more critical way.

Whole-class discussions: Probably one of the easiest ways that we can incorporate critical thinking in a whole-class discussion is by allowing the students to debate over topics related to the curriculum. This allows students to not only present their argument but to analyze why they are making the argument that they are. What kind of evidence are they presenting? How does their evidence support their argument? Are the students able to provide a counterargument to the other side? The best part about a class debate is that no side has to "win" the debate for it to be meaningful to the student learning.

Extension opportunities: Extension opportunities are something that I provide for my students on a regular basis. As an environmental science teacher, it is important that I get my student to understand the importance that their actions have on both the local and global community. My extension opportunities include things such as analyzing their electricity usage habits, driving habits, and other aspects of their daily life and having them reflect on their habits. How can they make improvements to their lives that also benefits the environment. I also periodically provide links to videos and articles on topics related to the curriculum and have them write on those. For example, one of my extension opportunities was to have the students watch a debate on the benefits on nuclear energy vs. renewable resources. The students then had to write about which side they agreed with any why. This allowed the students to draw upon their knowledge while critically analyzing the arguments presented to them.

Exit questions: One way that students can continue to think critically at the end of class is to write a reflection of their learning. Why is the material they learned about important? How is is relevant to their lives? How can they apply this knowledge today. Another avenue that a teacher could take is to have the students relook at their work from the warm-up question and have them edit and revise their responses. By going through the lesson cycle, students can have another opportunity to critically review what they thought they knew and to demonstrate what they have learned since then.]]> 2018-10-24 01:45:55 UTC https://padlet.com/kerri_connelly/ldzqnrcycjz3/wish/296253468