Teaching Critical Thinking »

GRACE E. GRANT is Associate Professor and Chair of the Education Department at Occidental College, Los Angeles, California.

Teaching Critical Thinking presents case studies of teaching in four disciplines, demonstrating how teachers view secondary content and transform content knowledge into work tasks for students. Based on interviews and classroom observation, the volume identifies the relation between imagery embedded in content knowledge and the transformation of pedagogical content knowledge into curriculum. Although most educators argue for the primacy of pedagogy in teaching critical thinking, Grant asserts that teachers' content understanding shapes instructional functions and the selection of activities. Included is an analysis of four teachers' efforts to convey their content understanding to students through critical thinking tasks.

Introduction: Teaching Critical Thinking

Four Teachers of Critical Thinking

Cognition in Teaching

Teacher Knowledge for Teaching Critical Thinking

Transforming Content into Critical Thinking Tasks

Managing Critical Thinking Tasks

Teaching Critical Thinking as a Cognitive Act