AZALAS 2023

Transforming Tier I Instruction with Critical Thinking

The standards are an important part of preparing each student to read, write, and perform math tasks on grade level, but the standards alone are not enough to truly prepare students for the world they will face when they leave school. They are necessary, but not sufficient. Students need to approach material in more broad, deep, and complex ways in order to truly master critical thinking across academic disciplines. Learning strategies for asking and answering better questions in class can be a simple, but powerfully transformative tool to unlock learning potential and make the “basics” more interesting and engaging. In this workshop series, educators and instructional leaders will learn to boost Tier 1 instruction for all students by embedding culturally responsive critical thinking strategies into their existing curriculum and instructional model that will engage students in the highest level of thinking critically. Students will learn how to analyze content from multiple perspectives, and instruction will be transformed, allowing educators to immediately apply strategies that help students transition from asking “what” and “how to” to asking “why” and “what if.”