Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters Copyright 2013
Looking Ahead
 Why are thinking and problem solving skills
the core purpose of social studies?
 Why do you believe “presentation-style”
teaching been used to develop students’
thinking skills?
 What are effective ways elementary teachers
can encourage and develop students’
thinking skills?
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters Copyright 2013
Can You –
 Explain three ways to teach students to think
logically?
 Identify the functions of the mind that relate to
critical thinking?
 Identify types of problem solving tasks?
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters Copyright 2013
Do You –
 Know how to help students to understand and retain
information?
 Understand the term “story map”?
 Know the functions of the mind?
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters Copyright 2013
Focus Activity
 Think back about your education and life
experiences.
 Can you recall an important decision you had to
make in your life?
 How did you go about finding the ultimate
solution?
 Share your decision making experiences and
compare with classmates.
 Does your decision making process share common
attributes with others? If so, what attributes?
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters Copyright 2013
Thinking Skills
 What are the two kinds of learning?
 Rote learning?
 Constructivist learning?
 What does the term “thinking skills” refer
to?
 What are a few principles a teacher could
follow to enhance students’ retention of
knowledge?
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters Copyright 2013
Logical Thinking and Analyzing
Skills
 What are ways elementary teachers can help
students gain logical thinking and analyzing
skills?
 Modeling
 Through discussion
 Through guided practice with feedback
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters Copyright 2013
Critical and Creative Thinking
 What is critical thinking?
 What is creative thinking?
 Why does creative thinking differ from
most thought required in school?
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters Copyright 2013
Problem Solving and Inquiry
 How can teachers utilize problem solving in
the social studies curriculum?
 How does an inquiry teaching model work?
 What is the best way to create active
problem solvers?
 What are some examples that teachers can
use to promote problem solving in the
classroom?
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters Copyright 2013
Promoting Critical Thinking with
Modules
 What are modules and how are they used?
 Develop definitional understanding of concepts
 Help students reach evaluation judgments
 Provide experiences that cause students to arrive
at a commonly shared generalization as a way of
thinking
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters Copyright 2013
Promoting Inquiry with Case
Studies
 What is a case study approach and who might use it?
Why?
 What are some basic procedures for preparing a case
study?
 Identify the problem
 Tentatively identify a research procedure
 Select the appropriate example (or case)
 Develop detailed procedural plans
 Collect resources related to the case
 Organize the materials and data
 Plan activities
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters Copyright 2013
Incorporating Thinking and
Learning Skills into Social Studies
 What skills are at the core of effective
teaching?
 What is the major thrust of social
studies?
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters Copyright 2013
Looking Back
 The major goal of teaching is to help students become
independent learners, therefore a real emphasis needs
to be placed on students’ ability to think and solve
problems.
 Obtaining, understanding, and retaining information
are among the thinking skills that are important to
social studies learning at the elementary level.
 Problem solving is the most essential thinking ability
and is an important part of the inquiry process.
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters Copyright 2013
Extension
 It is almost spring break and you are finishing the
third semester report cards. Your principal stops by
your classroom to express his enjoyment of your
problem solving based classroom activities. The
Monday after spring break he would like you to
share a new dynamic classroom activity with the
superintendent, assistant principal, and a local
reporter. You agree to the challenge, and say “I am
excited for the opportunity, thank you.”
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters Copyright 2013
Extension
 Develop a new and innovative problem
solving based classroom activity for the
elementary grade level and topic of your
choice.
 The activity should be in written form and
utilize the lesson/activity format required by
your school/district/university.
 Share your response with peers and/or
instructor.
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters Copyright 2013
Self-Test
1. What are thinking skills?
2. What does the term schema mean and
how does it relate to thinking?
3. What does the term critical thinking
mean?
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters Copyright 2013
Self-Test
4. What is meant by the expression “story
map”?
5. List five thinking skills and describe a class
activity for meeting each thinking skill.
6. Can you identify and describe types of
problem solving tasks?
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters Copyright 2013
Resources
 Boostrom, R. (2005). Thinking: The Foundation of
Critical and Creative Learning in the Classroom. New
York: Teachers College Press.
 Erickson, L. (2007). Concept-based Curriculum and
Instruction for the Thinking Classroom. Thousand
Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
 Kracl, C. (2012). Review or True? Using High-level
Thinking Questions in Social Studies Instruction.
The Social Studies, 103(2), 57–60.
 Sewell, A. M., Fuller, S., Murphy, R. C., & Funnell, B.
H. (2002). Creative Problem Solving: A Means to
Authentic and Purposeful Social Studies. The Social
Studies, 93(4), 176–179.
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
By Turner, Russell, Waters Copyright 2013