Critical Thinking

Enterprise Learning, Problem Solving, Project-based Learning. While each has its own description and subtle differences, these labels are a pseudonym for making the learning for students real and relevant. In our attempt to develop these critical thinking skills in our students we often develop a “Project” or contrive a “Problem” to solve that is as close to the real world as we can manage – but it is still in all reality - just another task.

So how do we do this well? The truth is we can’t when we try to fit curriculum into our project/research task.  To develop the critical thinking, collaboration, technology skills listed in the Shergold Report we must allow the students to choose problems, from our surroundings, that interest them. Sometimes we will need the help of industry or other tertiary educational institutions. If we are not assessing specific curriculum, then what are we assessing.  We are assessing the skills developed through how well they can apply the process to come up with a solution to the problem they have chosen.  Most of the learning area’s have a process strand that describes very clearly how to problem solve.  The Mathematics one, for example, listed below, is universal to solving any problem.