Developing Critical Thinking

This is my 5th grade classroom on Kwajalein Atoll, when the president of the Marshall Islands visited. The students were asked to tell about their experiences living and going to school on a Pacific Island. I was at George Seitz Elementary School for 8 years, which provided me with a huge range of professional learning experiences, and the opportunity to follow some trends and assessments over time. The general trend was lower test scores every year, with the assumption being that educators were over simplifying material in favor of higher grade averages and student success.

The coursework entitled "Critical Thinking and Formative Assessments, Increasing the Rigor in Your Classroom", is based on a book by Betsy Moore and Todd Stanley. It identifies the need to raise standards in the classroom, and gives practical ways to help students achieve them. Much of it revolves around critical thinking activities and discussion. I started implementing these in my classroom and saw improved test scores and more motivated students.

Kwajalein is a missile base and many of the residents are part of the space program. I saw this, as well as our unique location,  as an opportunity to build the elementary school's Science program.

We held field trips to radars and launch sites. We took advantage of a visit from NASA to find ways to interest students in rocket science. We had Science Fairs. We went out and explored the environmental impact of our community. This led to the creation of Science units and labs that I could use in my next position, where the Elementary School was attempting to set up a Science lab for teachers to use as part of their curriculum.