Focus on Thinking
Engaging Educators in Higher-Order Thinking
By (author) Paul A. Wagner, Daphne Johnson, Frank Fair, Daniel Fasko
Publication date:
31 January 2017Length of book:
128 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersISBN-13: 9781475833515
In the wake of initiatives such as No Child Left Behind and the use of high-stakes testing, the emphasis in schools has been on drill and practice for the test. Genuine understanding and critical thinking have been increasingly shortchanged. As a result, students have fewer opportunities to advance their insight into cognitive and emotional challenges, even though both teachers and parents recognize the importance of developing deliberative and reflective thinking skills.
This book uniquely combines two things. First, it provides resources for classroom teachers in middle and secondary school that make it possible to, at a moment’s notice, take advantage of a teachable moment by drawing students into productive intellectual discussions. Second, it gives the reader an overview of the rationale and the research base for engaging students in educational activities that are truly intellectual and that are not limited to training for testing success.
This book uniquely combines two things. First, it provides resources for classroom teachers in middle and secondary school that make it possible to, at a moment’s notice, take advantage of a teachable moment by drawing students into productive intellectual discussions. Second, it gives the reader an overview of the rationale and the research base for engaging students in educational activities that are truly intellectual and that are not limited to training for testing success.
Focus on Thinking makes a valuable contribution to teachers who are committed to encouraging their students to think more critically about their day-to-day learning experiences and about their worlds in general. The scripts provide powerful and appropriate exemplars of stimuli that can be used to encourage students to explore the meaning of concepts and effectively develop their reasoning skills. Focus on Thinking also provides a clear underpinning of practice within a well-grounded theoretical framework. This text supports and empowers teachers to adapt the guidelines given so that their teaching practice can be developed to encourage more skillful thinking in their students, while at the same time meeting the realities of core curricula and high stakes assessments. Focus in Thinking is clearly written, practical, wide-ranging yet focused, and it will be a welcome resource for teachers who are determined to support and challenge their students to think more critically.