Emerging Technology That Supports Critical Thinking and Problem Solving - Blog #6

As I read the beginning example in chapter 4 of Joy Egbert’s text, Supporting Learning with Technology, regarding the case of the “alligators in the sewers” (pp. 98-99), I was reminded of students at my own school. Each year, one of my lessons with fifth graders is to examine the reliability of Internet sites. I provide a few examples – some reliable and some not – and go over what to look for when determining reliability. In addition, I go over the types of Internet domains (.com, .gov, etc.). I then give them a sheet with more examples and ask them to pick two to evaluate. Again, some of the sites are good sources and some bogus. What always strikes me during this lesson is the complete surprise when they realize that just because something is on the Internet doesn’t mean it’s good information. I’m constantly battling their desires to start Internet searches with Google or Ask.com. Unfortunately, our students struggle mightily with critical-thinking skills, and usually have to be poked and prodded to even try. Since most of our students are minority, some of the problem may be the cultural differences. But even during lessons when I have them answer questions from an online encyclopedia, they seem to want the answers to jump out at them, instead of having to dig for them. Consequently, I was interested to read Egbert’s “Common Techniques to Support Critical Thinking” (Egbert, p. 106), as well as her list of challenges that teachers face (Egbert, p. 106). Our students benefit greatly from some of the scaffolding that Egbert describes – including using graphic organizers and allowing students to express themselves in their own styles.

Critical thinking and problem solving go hand-in-hand (Egbert, p. 157). You can’t solve problems without giving at least a little thought to your decisions. One significant challenge we have with our students is their seeming lack of confidence in their abilities in school. When you throw them a problem, many of them give up immediately if it seems difficult. However, when teachers take the time to make these problems interesting and relevant to the students, they forget their doubts about themselves and really dig into it. The technology tools that Egbert provides in chapter 6 would be a great way to engage the students up front so that they don’t realize they’re having to work hard (Egbert, pp. 166-170). An activity we do weekly in the media center is a game called InfoQuest, where a new question is posted each week and students have until the end of the week to find the answer to it. If they do, they get a prize. Most of the answers can be found in reference books, or on a reliable Internet site. Overall, students love this game (especially using the Internet), even though it requires some low-level critical-thinking skills. I guess it’s all in the way you present it.