6Cs of education – Critical thinking with Book Creator

A few months ago, I found myself critically thinking about critical thinking in order to continue writing this series about Professor Michael Fullan’s 6Cs: communication, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, character development, and citizenship. Fullan considers critical thinking to be closely aligned with the act of problem-solving and recommends that students use digital tools to not only explore and solve problems but also to make decisions. However, in digging a bit deeper, I found that other scholars have associated critical thinking with analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information as well as mitigating personal bias by thinking rationally and empathetically.

The 6Cs of education

Across subject areas and grade levels, I think that all teachers want their students to develop these critical thinking skills. The challenge is how. As educators, all of us have had those moments when we ask our students what they think only to be met with a shrug or a mumbled, “I don’t know”. Engaging in the processes of problem solving, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation is difficult - even for adults.

Researchers at Harvard’s Project Zero recognize the challenges associated with critical and creative thinking. To address this challenge, they have created a series of visible thinking routines as structures or scaffolds. Much like other class routines such as exit tickets or bell-ringers, when used regularly, thinking routines help students by offering a series of questions or prompts.