Building Level Plan for
Infusing Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum
Building: Sheafe Road
Team Members: Tiffany Devincenzi, Special Education Teacher
Susanne Lake, Enrichment Teacher
Erin Bellis, Third Grade Teacher
Mike Anderson, Assistant Principal, Wappingers Junior High
Mary Nicoletti, Coordinator of Student Services
Kristen Marino, Balanced Literacy Specialist
Cathy Kowalski, Parent
Franco Miele, Principal, Sheafe Road Elementary School
Where are we? How do we find out? (Be specific)
The staff of Sheafe Road elementary has worked diligently to implement initiatives such as Comprehensive Literacy, Six Traits Writing, and PNW Social Studies. We have also been working to identify what obstacles our students encounter when asked to think critically. Based on staff surveys, planbook checks, and faculty meeting discussions, our team has determined that there is a large amount of good instruction taking place in our school; however, the instruction is often disjointed and isolated. We’ve also determined that our students come to us with very little schema for the world around them. This schema deficit gets in the way of thinking critically about academics.
What more do we need to know in order to infuse critical thinking? How will we get/learn what we need to know? (Be specific)
We need to know how to increase a student’s schema and how to develop a student’s global knowledge. As stated in the article Critical Thinking: Why is it So Hard to Teach , by Daniel T. Willingham (distributed on the November 6 Superintendent’s Conference Day) schema is necessary to critical thinking. If a student does not have a broad base of knowledge on a subject, he will not be able to think critically about it. Our students do not seem to have been exposed to the kinds of experiences that students had twenty years ago. Some come to school with little or no knowledge of nursery rhymes. Others have little idea of how to engage in play with a group. Many students have rarely, if ever traveled.
In order to help us to build students’ schema, we will need to find instructional approaches that support broad based knowledge. We will need to know how to present information to students in a way that broadens their understanding of the world. For instance, instead of completing isolated lessons and worksheets on how a plant grows, we might investigate the types of plants growing in our area, and the effects of the weather on their growth. We might read books about plants and compare them to the growth of plants in our world. A holistic, integrated approach to instruction will help build schema. Once that schema is in place, we can offer students opportunities to think critically.
3. Professional Growth Methods
How will critical thinking be applied in the instruction of all subject areas? (Be specific)
Critical thinking will be applied in the instruction of all subject areas through the use of integrated instruction. The attached tree map lists the initiatives that will serve as resources. These include using the comprehensive literacy approach, Science 21, and PNW Social studies in an integrated way. Also, there will be training on the use of text sets (related picture books dealing with a determined topic) and using interactive read aloud to broaden schema. Superintendent’s Conference Days will also be used to investigate instructional tools that broaden schema. Renzulli training for parents, teachers, and administrators will also take place. Renzulli can be used as a resource for broadening schema through the use of its search engine.
How do we move forward? (Be specific)
The first year of this plan will be focused on building awareness of the importance of schema among teachers, parents, and administrators. There will be opportunities to be trained in Renzulli, Socratic Seminar, Interactive Read Aloud, and the use of Text Sets through inservice courses and parent nights. Superintendent’s Conference Days will also be used to investigate, learn about, and reflect on implementation of schema building instruction.
The second year of this plan will focus on integration of instruction and building a continuum of critical thinking skills that will build from kindergarten to fifth grade. Along with this continuum we will create an evaluation that will measure a student’s progress year to year related to their critical thinking.
The third year of this plan will continue to reflect, evaluate, and adjust practice to include more opportunities for critical thinking across subject areas. Once we’ve spent a great deal of time on schema building, we will be working to learn how to pose effective questions and give opportunity for critical thinking.
What will it cost to implement this plan? (Be specific)
|
Item |
Cost |
Resource |
|
Renzulli Training for staff and parents |
$7500.00 |
Title One Funds |
|
Interactive Read Aloud Text Sets |
$4000.00 |
Title One Funds |
|
Parent Training Dinners |
0 |
Donations |
|
Staff training |
Inservice hours |
District Funds |
How will we know if our plan has been effective? (Be specific)
We will conduct surveys of parents, staff, and students at the end of each year of implementation, in order to reflect and adjust the plan. We will also provide time for reflection, and seek feedback from staff during Superintendent’s Conference days and faculty meetings.
We will evaluate students’ growth as critical thinkers using the continuum and evaluation tool created in year two of our plan.