1. Building Critical-Thinking Skills
chapter 11
Building Critical-Thinking Skills

2. Building Critical-Thinking Skills

3. Teaching Styles
Direct—teacher tells students what to do, how to do it, and when to do it
Indirect—teacher involves students in problem solving by asking questions and posing movement problems

4. Educating the Whole Child

5. Indirect Teaching Encourages exploration, discovery, creativity
Stimulates higher-order thinking skills (analyzing, designing, comparing, explaining, applying, evaluating)
Provides enjoyment and cognitive involvement

6. Convergent Problem Solving
Guiding children to discover the solution to the movement problem
Example: “slanty rope” lesson
Guidelines: Never tell the answer; respond to incorrect solutions with a question; discuss movement problems verbally (“Checking for Understanding” DVD clips)

7. Divergent Problem Solving
Guiding children to discover many solutions to a movement problem
Emphasizing a breadth of responses
Example: “Find different ways to travel in general space.”
Questioning to guide response
Creating supportive environments
Pinpointing to show diversity of responses

8. Effective Problem-Solving Strategies
Callouts—asking children to respond by raising their hands
Wait time—pausing several seconds after asking a question to help all children focus on their answer
Having patience—taking time to explore solutions to problems
(continued)

9. Effective Problem-Solving Strategies (continued)
Content knowledge—knowing the subject well enough to ask helpful questions and choose appropriate concepts
Children’s developmental level—knowing what types of questions or problems will interest different grade levels
Positive and accepting—encouraging effort; refocusing off-task behavior