Critical Thinking: Is It "Critical" In The Elementary Classroom?

Are Alberta elementary students learning the media literacy and critical thinking skills necessary to become effective and responsible consumers and and users of media and technology for e-learning and digital futures? This reflection on an article entitled "Critical Thinking Is Critical: Octopuses, Online Sources, and Reliability Reasoning" (Pilgrim, et al. 2019) endeavours to offer teachers some practical tips for encouraging and developing healthy skepticism among our elementary students.

A reflection on the journal article "Critical Thinking Is Critical: Octopuses, Online Sources, and Reliability Reasoning" by Pilgrim, Vasinda, Bledsoe, and Martinez (2019).

Alberta Elementary students have moved into the digital age rapidly in the years since the start of the Covid pandemic. While students and teachers adjusted to a post-pandemic world of doing more and more of their learning online, Alberta Education revamped its curriculum for elementary students to reflect the increased use of technology and online educational platforms in the classroom. School districts purchased more technology for student use as well as technology tools and platforms to enhance and support curriculum outcomes.

This positive movement toward an informed and accessible digital future for our students is certainly a step in the right direction. But is it enough? Are students learning skills beyond accessing technology for achieving curricular outcomes? Are they learning to critically think about what they read and view online? 

In a larger scale qualitative study conducted by researchers Pilgrim, Vasinda, Bledsoe, and Martinez (2018), how students process what they read online and how they determine the credibility of the information they consume was examined. The analysis of student responses identified three key themes of student evaluation: application of prior knowledge of a given topic; the use of digital text features; and what students know about factual information. This study concluded that "elementary students reflected a lack of skepticism about online information" (Pilgrim et al., 2018) and that the majority of our students lacked one or more of these key evaluative skills.

A previous study (Krane, 2006) found that "even the most proficient online readers lacked the skills to determine credibility of information". This is certainly cause for concern in classrooms that are relying more heavily on technology and the internet as a primary curricular resource. The need for critical thinking skills "is amplified in the Information Age" (Pilgrim et al., 2018).

Critical thinking as defined by Dewey in 1933 is "the disposition of being actively reflective". Our students must be able to gather information from multiple sources, verify the accuracy and credibility of the information, and reflect upon their own stance with respect to this new information.

"The ability to think critically is the foundation of students' evaluative thinking, creativity, and innovation". (University of Connecticut Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, n.d.)

How do teachers ensure that these skills are learned in the classroom? 

Teachers can model the following and think out loud to demonstrate the evaluative process:

1. 1) check the website by modifying the URL to show only what is before .net;
2. 2) click on links within the website to examine more closely what the website is about;
3. 3) check two or three other trusted websites to try to locate the same information - cross-checking;
4. 4) inspect the dates of the information; and
5. 5) locate the name of the author and photographer identified as the source and check their information.

How often should students have the opportunity to evaluate digital text?

Students should be engaged in this evaluative process regularly in all subject areas, reflecting on relevant text. They should be encouraged to adopt a healthy skepticism toward the digital text that they source and use in their daily e-learning.

Critical thinking is critical in our elementary classrooms!

References:

Dewey, J. (1933). How We Think.  Chicago, Il.: Henry, Regnery

Krane, B. (2006). Researchers find kids need better online academic     skills. Advance, 25(12). http://advance.uconn.edu/2006/061113/06111308

Pilgrim, J., Vasinda, S., Bledsoe, C. & Matinez, E. (2019). Critical Thinking Is Critical: Octopuses, Online Sources, and Reliability Reasoning. The Reading Teacher, 73(1), 85-93. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1800