21st Century Learning
Critical thinking skills
- The Importance of Critical Thinking for Young Children (Michigan State University Extension)
- Critical Thinking: A Key Foundation for Language and Literacy (The Hanen Centre)
- Preschoolers Grown Their Brains: Shifting Mindsets for Greater Resiliency & Better Problem Solving (Article)
- Problem Solving in Early Childhood Classrooms (Article)
- 21st Century Learning for Early Childhood Framework (Article)
- How Planning and Reflection Develop Young Children’s Thinking Skills
The children collaborated, communicated, used critical thinking to create this road map
Children collaborated in pairs to test items to see if they would roll and then documented their findings on paper.
Global Awareness
During a building study, the teacher brought in books showcasing buildings all around the world. After sharing and reading some of those books, the teacher chose three buildings the class had discussed and learned about. Children voted on their favorite building and worked together to make the building with the most votes.
The teacher provides a world map and pictures of various birds as children learn where birds live around the world. The materials are placed in the block center and children are encouraged to build countries and place the birds in their corresponding countries.
“Where can you buy shoes?” During a study of shoes, the teacher took pictures of local stores where you could buy shoes and aligned them with the map of the town.
This photo represents pictures of the children’s homes. The teacher posted it on the children’s eye level in the block center.