tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966416614024319025.post8670974376725090605..comments2023-04-05T02:01:10.220-04:00Comments on Ignite. Incite. Inspire.: An Open Stance to LearningNeil Finneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01786005229455864695noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966416614024319025.post-20748609546216810482018-02-01T20:08:36.634-05:002018-02-01T20:08:36.634-05:00You are so right about not giving students the ans...You are so right about not giving students the answers. I love your line, "I'm a teacher-not a teller." I have a great group of grade 4/5 students this year. But, many of them won’t think through a simple problem and ask me for help with things they already have the tools to figure out. I've recently started explicitly teaching critical thinking skills. What a difference it's making. Now when they ask a question they can answer on their own, I say, "Are you thinking critically?" Nine times out of ten, they are able to solve their problem. I've realized that I was doing their thinking for them!<br /><br />Same thing goes for your description of what an open stance looks like. A critical thinking skill is to be able to ask clarifying questions. Attentive listening (eye contact, nodding, positive body language) is needed before you can question. You need to hear what is being said before you can clarify anything. Many of my students struggle with just the attentive listening aspect. We need to explicitly teach it.<br />Karen Evanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16875352855920394347noreply@blogger.com