WHAT ARE 21ST CENTURY SKILLS AND HOW DO THEY RELATE TO TECH IN ED? 

The first question you should ask yourself is, what’s the relationship between tech and critical thinking in our classrooms? There’s so much curriculum and so little flexibility in my current teaching situations that we’re not even getting through the required scripted material. Let alone having the breathing room, or intentionally built-in time, to think critically about the skill-based learning we’re asked to teach day in and day out. The Pearson-owned tech platforms are drill and kill and repeat and repeat. The stories change, but the activities, assignments, and evidence of learning remain the same. Silver, Boutz, and McTighe (2022) note that real-world thinking requires tasks that “demand analysis, judgment, and transfer,” not just completion (p. 39). Yes, there’s an expectation gap; it’s created by systemic demands, and that system does not demand inquiry and critical thinking. So it’s not built into the prescribed curriculum—even if it is, it’s more of an afterthought than a priority.

 

What we should be doing with technology to encourage critical thinking:

Students should be using technology to critique technology itself. AI is exploding, students have access, and they need to learn how/when/why to use it. It can either be a powerful tool to support learning and growth, or you can try to use it to do the work for you. Seale emphasizes that critical thinking must be a “tier-one expectation, not an enrichment activity” (Laskowski, 2023, p. 16). Let’s teach our students how to find the flaws in AI’s logic, how to spot mistakes in how it answers questions, and what AI does particularly well so far.

 

Using websites as experimental tools to simulate scientific and mathematical principles. Websites that allow students to explore and manipulate variables to try and achieve certain outcomes are excellent sources of inquiry and critical thinking. Silver et al. (2022) argue that students develop deeper thinking when they are asked to “test ideas, examine consequences, and revise their thinking based on evidence” (p. 40).

Using digital tools in Language Arts to compare sources, dive into critical thinking on topics that challenge ways of thinking about the world, and provide students with sources to defend their reasoning on argumentative or research projects. As Laskowski (2023) explains, critical thinking involves “analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing information rather than simply recalling facts” (p. 14).

 

Current tech trends in education seem to be finding ways to speed up the learning process by quickly covering the curriculum. Inquiry and critical thinking occur when we slow down the pace and take the time to really analyze what we’re learning from different angles and perspectives. Innovation occurs when students have the time to synthesize their learning into actionable projects with tangible outcomes, echoing Silver et al.’s (2022) claim that meaningful learning requires “time, structure, and intentional design” (p. 38).

 

Let’s talk about this from the almighty equity lens. It’s often the case that fast learners, who finish their work early, are the ones who are given enrichment activities that allow for critical thinking as a higher-level add-on to their learning. 

This was the quote from Seale that chapped my hide. Let me know if I took this out of context or if I’m correct in thinking this is deficit-based thinking about teachers and not systems. Seale warns, “that when educators assume some students can’t engage in complex thinking, they essentially guarantee that they will not” (Laskowski, 2023, p. 15).