LCI Senior Consultant Angela Lalor worked with New York City's District 26  to deepen their understanding of critical thinking and identify specific actions for providing all students with the opportunity to engage in critical thinking.  The program was designed for principals and “thought partners” – teachers or assistant principals who would assist the principal in thinking about and applying the work in their own schools.

Angela helped participants identify different types of questions, and connect them to Bloom’s taxonomy and Webb’s Depth of Knowledge. They practiced using the standards to generate scaffolded questions so students could access deeper level of critical thinking.  The group engaged in an analysis of a videotaped classroom session, delving into the question: how does this teacher engage students in discussion?   Building on this knowledge, and working in school teams, participants determined where their school falls on the continuum of learning by highlighting the level of impact, characteristics and evidence of learning, and planned next steps.

As a result of this program, participants’ understanding of the importance of critical thinking in learning was deepened. One participant wrote in the end of session reflection: “I used to think critical thinking was something to be used for higher level students or to challenge students. I used to think it was something that could only be incorporated sometimes… Now I think (know) that critical thinking is necessary for all students in all curricular areas. All the time.”

If you're interested in our Critical Thinking program, read more about it in our program guide, or contact us.