The Instructional Design Choices for Critical Thinking

 

The Instructional Design Choices for Critical Thinking

Author: Santosh Kumar Biswa, Sr. Teacher, Damphu CS, Tsirang, Bhutan

 

Students must engage in critical thinking to analyze problems, facts, observations, etc. to create an appropriate judgment and gain new knowledge. Walker (2003) defined critical thinking as the process through which students analyze problems using a combination of their knowledge, attitudes, and skills to understand sources and make self-regulatory judgments. When choosing the instructional design, teachers should be aware that critical thinking should be incorporated into the entire class because the instructional design is a systematic process used to enhance learning (Seel, Lchmann, Blumschien, and Podolskiy, 2017). To best meet the needs of students and the educational objectives, teachers must look for some of the most successful learning tactics while creating the instructional design. As a result, the focus of this essay will mostly be on the instructional design decisions that a teacher can make to promote critical thinking in the classroom.

For the process of instructional design, many things need to be taken into account. Before creating any activities, a teacher must research the students by analyzing, determining, and assessing their requirements (Isman, 2011). The process of planning the assessments and teaching materials to be used in classroom instruction comes next. I believe that a teacher should make plans during this planning phase for the integration of appropriate activities that incorporate technology, critical thinking, and student reflection in contrast to traditional learning methods. Any instruction should aim to improve pupils' verbal knowledge, attitudes, and motor skills. In contrast to pre-made content, Kuuk and Arslan (2020) contend that teachers should adjust their lessons to students' technological and scientific advancements. Students should be able to become independent based on the materials they are given, picking the necessary readings and writing materials for themselves rather than having teachers do it. To achieve this, collaboration among students in the classroom is essential, allowing for more effective hypothesizing and meaningful idea-sharing. It encourages deliberation, research, and a framework for improved decision-making (Boelryk, 2004).

Cooperative learning, activating prior knowledge, inquiry-based learning, effective questioning, field trips, flexible/strategic grouping, Jigsaw, learning centers, project-based learning, role-playing, etc. are some of the activities from the course that come to mind as ones in which students actively participate to develop critical thinking and reflection. They encourage students to think critically to accomplish the desired goal and reflect on their learning, as well as to work in groups through collaboration and discussion. Such activities engage students through communication with peers or group members, which motivates them through active learning and improves their capacity for critical and decision-making thought (The University of Waterloo, n.d.). They are learner-driven activities that encourage active participation from the students and include them in making observations, speculating about a subject, conducting research, and aggregating thoughts to reach a consensus. Students will be inspired to find solutions that will boost their output, creativity, efficiency, and perspective. The key to encouraging critical thinking and active learning in the classroom is to involve students in challenging assignments where they collaborate with peers who have more responsibility. Along with tackling complex challenges, they will also be involved in giving and receiving comments, which encourages introspection in them (Carnegie Mellon University, 2022). Therefore, for improved learning outcomes, instructional design decisions should promote critical thinking.

 

References

Boelryk, A. (2004). Critical thinking across the curriculum: Essential skills booklet. The Centre for Teaching and Learning. https://pbl101.weebly.com/uploads/3/1/3/1/31318861/critical_thinking_across_the_curriculum_1409.pdf

Carnegie Mellon University. (2022). What are the benefits of group work? https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/design/instructionalstrategies/groupprojects/benefits.html

Isman, A. (2011). Instructional Design in Education: New Model. The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology. Volume 10 Issue 1. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ926562.pdf

Kuuk, O., and Arslan, A. (2020). Cooperative Learning in Developing Positive Attitudes and Reflective Thinking Skills of High School Students in English. International Journal of Psycho-Educational Sciences. Vol. 9, No. 1

Seel, N. M., Lchmann, T., Blumschien, P., & Podolskiy, O. A. (2017). Instructional design for learning: Theoretical foundations, 1 - 17. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Instructional_Design_for_Learning/UmCwDgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover

University of Waterloo. (n.d.). Implementing Group Work in the Classroom. https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/alternatives-lecturing/group-work/implementing-group-work-classroom

Walker, S. E. (2003). Active learning strategies to promote critical thinking. Journal of athletic training. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/b68a/a3bde182f829774c4926f8ea724cf56fd633.pdf