Donor Gives Nearly $1.5 Million to Establish SDSU Institute for the Teaching of Critical Thinking Skills
“This contribution is a statement of confidence in and support for the outstanding work accomplished by our faculty, staff and students,” said Ric Hovda, dean of SDSU’s nationally recognized College of Education. “Critical thinking skills build the foundation for ethical decisions and democratic action.”
Critical thinking skills help students interpret, analyze and evaluate information in order to make a thoughtful and considered decision, according to Christianna Alger, assistant professor in SDSU’s School of Teacher Education, who recently was recognized for her work in promoting critical thinking.
Teachers are pressured to focus on skills that can be measured by standardized tests, Alger said. The sheer number of standards they must cover leaves little time to present other concepts such as critical thinking skills.
“Because time is limited, teachers must often focus on procedures rather than concepts, and students have many fewer opportunities to apply concepts, evaluate concepts, explore multiple viewpoints, and engage in inquiry-based learning,” Alger said.
SDSU’s Institute for the Teaching of Critical Thinking Skills will address these challenges and to help teachers integrate more of these skills into their curricula.
Planning for the development of the institute will begin immediately. Hovda said the institute’s goal is to demonstrate measurable improvement in the participants’ ability to teach critical thinking skills in preschool through grade six and the students’ increased skill in applying critical thinking.
SDSU’s College of Education offers a wide variety of programs, including those that prepare professional educators for elementary, middle, and high school positions. SDSU is a major provider of teachers working in the San Diego region and throughout the state of California. This year, four out of the five San Diego County Teachers of the Year graduated from San Diego State University. The 1994 National Teacher of the Year, Sandra McBrayer, is also an SDSU alumna.
