Standard 4

This indicator addresses the teacher's ability to draw students into skillfully applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information to reach a conclusion or solve a problem. Promoting critical thinking and problem-solving skills is difficult and fairly uncommon in typical classrooms. Yet there are a variety of ways teachers can promote critical thinking.

• asking challenging questions (not just yes/no questions)
• giving students complex, demanding tasks that require persistent effort, concentration, and various
• cognitive and metacognitive strategies
• requiring students to determine what makes an argument valid, assess possible solutions, categorize problems, map concepts or explain a worked example
• asking students to justify or evaluate their thinking (or other's thinking)
• asking students to generate questions and problems, independently collect and assess relevant information in the content and come to an extended conclusion/justification that works to solve complex issues

Not every incident of the phrase "solve a problem" involves critical thinking. For example, in math classes a teacher may ask students to "solve the problems on page 17" or "come to the board and solve the problem." Such tasks only qualify as critical thinking if they have the properties listed above. However, if they merely involve a student applying a scripted algorithm, such "problem-solving" is not critical thinking.

In the classroom, this might look like:

• Teacher uses instructional strategies that promote student involvement
• Teacher uses engagement strategies that maintain or increase student thinking
• Teacher incorporates learning processes students can use to build prior knowledge into advanced applications
• Teacher develops questions that lead to deeper thinking and/or problem solving for students
• Teacher facilitates and organizes instruction to encourage problem solving
• Teacher requires students to justify their answers, weigh credibility of evidence, develop an informed argument, or ask higher-order questions, etc.

A student might say this teacher:

• asks "how?" and "why?" questions to make us think more
• makes us explain our answers
• waits a while before letting us answer questions, so we have time to think
• makes us compare different ideas or things
• makes us use what we learn to come up with ways to solve problems

In the unit of instruction, teacher includes essential or guiding questions that all clearly promote depth-of-knowledge levels 3 and 4 or the higher levels in Bloom’s Taxonomy.

The teacher effectively uses developmentally appropriate instructional resources to enhance learning for students. Many partner districts are particularly emphasizing use of electronic materials in the classroom as they are moving toward one-to-one technology. Almost all U.S. classrooms have computers and Internet access. In some ways technology is simply another tool in the classroom, much like paper or a whiteboard. Technology also affords unique opportunities, such as allowing virtual field trips across the globe, simulating experiments, or contributing to digital books, blogs, and wikis. Students learn more in classrooms with technology when it is used in effective ways.

In the classroom, this might look like:

• Teacher uses available technological tools and communication strategies to engage most students, and to assist them in becoming critical users of quality information
• Teacher develops learning processes that students can use to build prior knowledge into more advanced applications
• Teacher takes maximum advantage of the potential resources for enhancing student learning
• Teacher sets up lesson so that students use resources in a meaningful way. Instructional resources may include technology, online resources, primary source documents, manipulatives, supplementary readings, video or audio, etc.

A student might say this teacher:

• uses lots of different things to help us learn (such as readings, maps, or objects)
• uses the things in this classroom in ways that help us learn
• uses materials in class that help us understand the subject

In the early childhood classroom, materials are always accessible to learners. Learners have complete flexibility to take materials from one center to another. Instructional materials may include technology, art materials, sensory materials, blocks, big books, puzzles, dramatic play, props, variety of writing materials or models/anchor charts, open-ended materials used to promote creativity, etc.

In the unit of instruction, the teacher includes a full array of appropriate, supporting materials. The teacher fully describes how optimal use of available and appropriate technology promotes student engagement and learning.

Indicator 4.2b addresses the teacher’s ability to effectively use appropriate technology to facilitate student learning. This indicator is about high-quality use of technology (i.e., hardware, digital tools, and digital content) that enhances learning in ways that only technology can do, rather than simply using it as a substitute for older tools.

Indicator 4.2 addresses effective use of all resources in the classroom, including technology. Indicator 4.2b specifically addresses only technology use. It is intended for school districts and buildings heavily focused on implementing technology, such as 1:1 programs. For school districts that view technology as just one among many important resources, we recommend using Indicator 4.2.

Technology is one of many resources a teacher may use, but technology provides some unique learning opportunities. Indicator 4.2b is about maximizing those opportunities. It is also about quality of use and not about frequency of use. Frequency only matters to the extent that opportunities are missed. It is possible that digital tools may only be used for a brief time during a 10-minute classroom observation, but the brief use must be both appropriate to the lesson content and further student learning and experiences.

A successful teacher on this indicator will fully integrate technology into lessons as a way to further student learning and expand opportunities beyond that of a classroom without 1:1 capabilities.

There are a variety of ways teachers can promote the high-quality use of technology.

• Collaboration across space and time.
• Publish student work to a wider audience.
• Provide choice and individualized student experiences.
• Encourage creativity.
• Develop the capacity to locate, access, and evaluate sources and information.
• Promote computational thinking.
• Develop digital citizenship.

A student might say this teacher:

• often uses technology (e.g., tablets, computer, blogs, email, PowerPoint) in a way that helps us learn
• uses technology in a way that helps us learn better
• shows us how to judge the quality of information on the internet
• helps us learn to use computers and other technology better

Additional aspects of high-quality use of technology integrate with other Classroom Observation Indicators, including critical thinking (4.1), student choice (5.1), civil behavior (5.3), equity (planning for diverse learners is contained in the Unit of Instruction), and formative assessment (7.4). When addressing these teaching practices, the corresponding indicator should be used.

The teacher almost always effectively combines flexible, independent, cooperative, and whole-class learning situations to maximize student learning. When cooperative learning is employed, it is exceptionally well-organized.

In the classroom, this might look like:

• Teacher fluidly directs independent, collaborative and whole class learning situations that maximize student learning
• Teacher fully applies all principles of effective CL (e.g., makes evaluation criteria clear, monitors and provides feedback, applies PIES [personal and group accountability, interdependence, equal participation, simultaneity])
• Teacher uses grouping strategies to help students interact with others from different cultures and backgrounds when possible
• Teacher may serve as a resource to colleagues in the use of independent, collaborative and whole class learning situations

A student might say this teacher:

• makes sure we each know exactly what we are supposed to do when assigned to work in a small group
• makes sure everyone does some of the work when we work in small groups
• makes sure we learn a lot when we work in small groups