Once upon a time…

FRANK THE TEACH

“Critical teachers must be seen to be critical learners too.”

- Stephen Brookfield

Stephen Brookfield, Chapter 9, Storming the Citadel, in Becoming a Critically Reflective

Teacher

In this chapter:

• Five reasons why teachers need to read theory (or How Reading Theory Helps Critical Reflection)

• Four ways to evaluate it

Five reasons you need to read theory?

1. Helps us label our challenges or affirm our insights

2. Helps us think outside of the box

3. Can be as sounding board (contrasting perspectives)

4. Can preempt “groupthink”

5. Helps us see the big picture

Evaluate theory around four categories of questions

1. Epistemological questions—how author found his or her “truth”

2. Experiential questions—recognize risk of distortion in depictions based on author’s experiences

3. Communicative questions—check form, presentation, and style for political influence

4. Political questions—examine whose interests may be served by the article

Get it?

HOW NICE FOR YOU…

Stephen Brookfield

understands my pain!

EPISTEMOLOGICAL

PEDAGOGIC

POLEMICAL

AXIOMATIC!

LIMITATIONS

• SEVEN fancy words that make digesting

the article difficult for new researchers

• SIXTEEN pages to explain just four

categories of questions for evaluating

theory is too much for any new researcher

to apply in practice

CONTRIBUTION TO MY

LEARNING

Helps me with my weaknesses:

1. Builds on my academic jargon knowledge

2. Reinforces my understanding that I need to study theory to become a better teacher

3. Provided me with a theorist that may provide some insight related to my interest area (the benefits of critical thinking)

“If we as teachers hope to encourage

critical thinking in others, we must

engage in it ourselves. Throughout our

teaching careers we must participate in

an ongoing, collaborative process of

reevaluation of, and liberation from, our

taken-for-granted views.”

- Berlak, A. and Berlak, H. from Teachers Working with

Teachers to Transform Schools