Contemporary Teacher Leadership – Project Proposal
Project Team Number – Team 3A: Ojasvita Handa, Christopher Tyrokomos & Maysah Dib
Title: Creating Critical Thinkers
The strand: Critical Thinking
Background
The project proposes to enhance the critical thinking skills of stage 4, Year 7 students, at
Granville Boys High School, who have transitioned from primary to secondary school setup, a
crucial step in students’ lives, that can affect their wellbeing and learning (Evangelou et al.,
2008). The goal of this project is to ensure this smooth transition into a growth mindset and to
lay a strong foundation for students as independent critical learners. This will be achieved by
designing an integrated learning development program focusing primarily on PDHPE, relating it
with real life mathematical content beyond the classroom perspective. This program will
comprise student centered practical modules that will enable them to apply and evaluate through
observing, experiencing and reflecting (Scriven & Paul, 2007).
Scenario
Granville Boys High School is a secondary government school located in South Western Sydney.
After collecting and analyzing the Quantitative data collected from My School website, it can be
observed that there is currently a shortage of staff with only 51 full time equivalent teachers. In
2020, Granville Boys High School had 497 boys enrolled, of which 98% belong to language
backgrounds other than English. Additionally, GBHS saw no indigenous student enrolments.
More than half (65%) of the student population belongs to the bottom quarter of Socio-
Educational Advantage Index. Just over half of the students (52%) in GBHS attend school for
90% or more of the school year, this possibly indicates disengagement of students.
It is evident through NAPLAN results for the last 5 years at Granville Boys High School, that
students do not perform as well as the average year 7 grade student in Australia. Not only are
students underperforming, but students are not showing sufficient improvement.
It is stated in the school plan (2018-2020) and throughout the school website that there is a rich
and dynamic sporting culture in Granville Boys High School. In addition, it is evident that
students achieve higher in PDHPE and extracurricular project-based programs compared to other
theory subjects such as Mathematics. Granville Boys High School regularly undertakes and
participates in a range of PDHPE and sport focused activities and programs. These include
regular integrated sports activities as well as community building and structuring programs.
These help students to refine their academic and interpersonal communication skills. Each term
has a specific focus on various activities, with some spanning over the course of the entire term
or year; these include sports carnivals and events as well as the Groom Room, which acts as a
community building centre, helping curb negative aspects such as alienation; fostering an
environment which critical thinking and inclusion is valued.
The school aims to involve students in rich learning experiences in order to create problem
solvers and critical thinkers. This is achieved through the development of challenging and
engaging learning where students are immersed in projects that are collaboratively developed
within the community. The school currently undertakes a collaborative planning process that
operates regularly including project-based learning teams, technology and finance teams; and
STEM project teams.
Our proposed action research project aligns with the school’s vision and planning process of
enhancing critical thinking and problem skills of students through the development of student
centred modules, integrating sport and PDHPE with real life Mathematical skills. This will not
only improve student engagement but also, provide students with the opportunity to be
successful and effective in other areas (Snyder & Snyder, 2008). Additionally, it will generate an
interest in Mathematics as students will view the subject beyond the boundaries of the classroom
when linked with PDHPE, their strength area.
Project Plan
(a) Goal of the action research project to be undertaken outside the faculty.
The goal of this action research project is to develop and strengthen critical thinking skills of
Year 7 students as they transition to high school and enable them to effectively deal with social,
and practical problems (Shakirova, 2007). In addition, the development of critical thinking skills
is essential as it will support students in study and empower them to engage and contribute
creatively to their chosen profession (Aizikovitsh-Udi, E., & Cheng, D. 2015). This would be
achieved through practical student oriented integrated learning modules that are specifically
designed to incorporate PDHPE (rich school performance and culture) with Mathematics (poor
school performance).
The action research project aims to achieve the following goals:
1) To develop critical thinking skills through modules that require students to rationally
think, problem solve, make judgements, make decisions and take action (Sezer, R) as
individuals and collaboratively as a team.
2) To move beyond a focus on basic competency in core subjects and promote
understanding at a higher level by weaving 21st century interdisciplinary themes into the
content (Kay & Greenhill, 2011)
3) Ensure the modules are realistic, relatable and valuable to the student culture
(Aizikovitsh-Udi, E., & Cheng, D. 2015) while they learn and develop critical thinking
skills through “play” and collaborative work. This provides students with the best
learning experience to express themselves and experience new concepts, especially for
the majority that are not high achievers (Ali, Aziz &Majzub, 2011)
4) To provide a learning atmosphere where students want to be in the classroom and can
derive clear benefits from participation in order to deeply engage students and improve
student attendance (Stoner & Fincham, 2012).
5) To enhance and facilitate lifelong learning of students by engaging learners in addressing
real-world issues, while developing the skills necessary to succeed in the 21st century
(Kay & Greenhill, 2011)
(b) Type of intervention that you intend to undertake?
The proposed collaborative integrated learning intervention approach (Fung et al., 2016)
envisions fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills of stage 4 learners through the
following sequential process:
1. Team of PDHPE and Mathematics teachers will be formed. Teachers will be given a self-
assessment questionnaire comprising questions that assesses their views and
understanding on the inclusion of critical thinking; and if their current teaching methods
foster students’ critical thinking skills (Kay & Greenhill, 2011). The professional learning
of staff will be undertaken through the teachers collaborating to do backward mapping
keeping in mind the end goal of ‘creating critical thinkers’. They will begin with the ideas
for projects that students will do by determining whether or not the project is realistic,
timely, financially viable and relevant to the real world.
2. Teachers will then plan the pre assessment task to assess students’ current level of critical
thinking skills and problem solving abilities.
Pre assessment tasks will help evaluate students’ current level on the basis of two
parameters:
a) an online assessment task with a range of questions based on various types of
reasoning (inductive, deductive, logical), problem situations, making judgements and
taking decisions, directions and instructions, interpreting information and drawing
conclusions based on the best analysis
b) self-assessment questionnaire for students to reflect on their current level of critical
thinking and problem-solving skills. The same questionnaire will be given at the onset of
the program and at the end of the program to analyze the development of students’ skills
during the course of the modules
3. The team will then analyze students’ understanding on effective reasoning, ability to take
decisions, make judgements and solve problems both in conventional and innovative
ways; based on their performance in pre assessment tasks. The students will then be
grouped and the teachers will be allocated to each group. There are approximately 60
year 7 students; and 12 Math and PDHPE faculty members at Granville Boys High
School currently. Hence, 6 groups of 10 students assisted by 1 Math and 1 PDHPE
teacher will be formed for each module undertaken.
Teachers will also be briefed about the SOLUTION FLUENCY process and will help
students apply it during the modules (Wabisabi Learning, 2016):
a) DEFINE: to understand what needs to be solved (What are the details of the challenge
we face),
b) DISCOVER: analyze the given problem (What do I need to know and what do I need to
be able to do? Why do we need this to happen?)
c) DREAM: lay possibilities to arrive at a solution (What’s our best-case scenario for the
end goal),
d) DESIGN: design the actual mechanics of the solution (How will we create and
implement it? What are the steps we must take)?
e) DELIVER: the action for completing the product(Produce),and presenting the proposed
solution(Publish).How do we bring this idea into functional reality?How will we know
it’s working?
f) DEBRIEF: The reflection stage (What were the results of our efforts? How did we
succeed or fall short of accomplishing our goal? What went well, and what didn’t? How
can we improve our efforts and outcome in the future? How can we apply what we’ve
done to similar problems?)
The teachers will provide necessary scaffolds to students during the course of the modules
using the solution fluency approach.
4. Based on this, the team of teachers will collaboratively develop an integrated learning
curriculum in the form of student centered modules, integrating sport and PDHPE with real
life Mathematical skills (Kay & Greenhill, 2011). These modules will be divided into four
main categories:
a) Real-time worst-case scenarios
Example: Students will be exposed to different scenarios. For instance, students are stranded
on an island. They are given a budget to buy the essential items they need. They are divided
into 4 teams io 4 different islands. They all have to try make it to one final destination.
Students in teams are to devise strategies to survive and roles of team members and are to
come on and write their strategies on how they will reach their destination and survive.
b) Real time case study:
Example: In this students will be exposed to real time case studies integrating PHDPE and
Math components. It will involve making judgements on real issues such as use of drugs in
sports or performance of the sports team. Students can be asked to share their views on the
issues, discuss in teams how could they have been avoided, what could have changed and
what would you have done instead. A Mathematical survey of other team members can be
conducted to find out their opinions. Moreover, statistics can be used by checking the past
data of the athlete, their performance record and comparison can be made with the current
data available online.
c) Project based learning tasks
d) Flashcards for collaborative decision making
(An example of Project based learning tasks and flashcards for collaborative decision
making has been shown in the video)
During the collaborative tasks undertaken by students, teachers will assist students in:
i) demonstrating the ability to work effectively and respectfully with diverse teams,
ii) exercise flexibility and willingness to be helpful in making necessary compromises to
accomplish a common goal
iii) assume shared responsibility for collaborative work and value the individual
contributions made by each team member (Fung et al., 2016; Kay & Greenhill, 2011).
This will be communicated to the students at the end of each module
5. The planning process will consist of 4 main strands: student directed modules, pre and post
assessment tasks, student reflections and feedback.
a) Student reflection will be undertaken after the completion of every module, alternating
between verbal discussions at the end related to their experience in the modules and self-
reflection sheets comprising simple questions such as:
● What did we learn from the module that we can apply in our everyday life?
● Were these modules helpful in equipping us to take better decisions when a problem
arises
● What went well, and what did not?
● How can we improve our efforts and outcome in the future?
● How can we apply what we’ve done to similar problems?
● Did we demonstrate ability to work effectively and respectfully with our diverse teams?
● Did we exercise flexibility and willingness to be helpful in making necessary
compromises to accomplish a common goal?
● Did we assume shared responsibility for collaborative work and value the individual
contributions made by each team member?
b) Student feedback will be taken through a mentimetre poll and word cloud after at the
end of week 5 and week 10.
c) Teachers will meet after every 2 modules to discuss if anything needs to be modified in
the implementation of the modules based on student feedback.
d) Self-Assessment Questionnaires in the form of surveys, will also be administered both
pre and post modules in order to collect Qualitative Data about the students’ experiences
with the program.
e) As a result of examining students’ pre and post module academic performance,
Quantitative data will be collected and examined in order to help measure success and
change as a result of the program.
6. Post assessment tasks will be held in week 9- a complete assessment of student’s thinking.
The format will be similar to the pre assessment task to analyze the improvement after
undertaking the program. The assessment will be in the form of a kahoot quiz. Additionally,
students will fill the same self-assessment questionnaire in Week 10 that was undertaken in
Week 1.
7. Students and staff meeting on a cycle of continuous improvement meeting at the end of
the program- Through these modules, a collective conclusion will be drawn both by students
and teachers on how the participation in the modules will help in improving not only
education but also the quality of life for students.
(c) How you intend to measure improvement? Measure outcomes
To measure enhancement in critical thinking and problem-solving skills of students, the team
of teachers will carry out the following measures:
a) assess students’ skills and mindset, the ability to approach the given problem and how
they arrive at solutions, and strategies they employ during the collaborative tasks during
the course of the modules (Kay & Greenhill, 2011)
b) analyze the performance of students during pre and post assessment tasks- A valid and
reliable assessment of an students’ critical thinking skills that must challenge them to
demonstrate these skills over a range of difficult problem situations that is calibrated to
match the level of their decision responsibility (Sarigoz, 2012).
c) understand student progress through self-assessment of students before and after the
modules.
d) Scaffold the tasks for students by applying Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development
and probing questions (Sanders & Welk, 2005)
e) analyze the responses students provide in reflection sheets.
f) discuss in teams the feedback obtained by students and make necessary modifications in
conducting the modules, based on the feedback received.
(d) Outline the timeline for the project?
The Creative Critical Thinkers (CCT) class will be a recurring class which will take place once a
week every Wednesday. This class will have the duration of 1 period and will be held in either
the 3rd or 4th period of the day. The basis of these classes will have an emphasis on Student
Centered Learning (SCL), additionally the modules will be constructed in accordance with SCL
principles.
Along with students progressing through these modules, they will also be required to regularly
reflect on the content within the CCT class in order to deepen their understanding and to enhance
the skills. In regards to content, while this will already be generally decided upon; Teachers will
have students undergo Pre-assessment tasks during week one in order to understand students’
levels of problem solving and critical thinking skills.
Staff direction meetings will begin before the start of the school term and will be held every 2
weeks or as needed throughout the term. This will allow for teachers to consult peers and to
ensure student engagement and progression for successful completion. There will also be
specific development curriculum meetings before the commencement of the school term and also
during the second week. The PDHPE and Math staff will plan the modules in week 7 to week 10
of first term and in the first week of term 2 (after two weeks break). This planning process will
be for a duration of 5 hours, 1 hour each week. The program will be implemented from week 2
of term 2. This will be followed up by 2 Key sessions for staff and student feedback which will
be held during the 5th and 10th weeks of the school term respectively.
Post assessment tasks will be held in week 9- a complete assessment of student’s thinking. The
assessment will be in the form of a kahoot quiz. Additionally, students will fill the same self-
assessment questionnaire in Week 10 that was undertaken in Week 1. At the end of the school
term, a final meeting will be held for teachers. This meeting will be to discuss the CCT class,
how they believe the class was received, and to plan and prepare for future iterations of the CCT
course, which will include possible future improvements.
From week 7 onwards into the new term, teachers will participate in professional development
meetings. The purpose of these meetings will be to discuss the continuous growth cycle of the
CCT proposal, as well as to voice various possible developments and possible evolutions to the
program. These may include changing the length of specific topic areas etc.
Term 1 (Week 7 to 10); Term 2 (Week 1 to Week 10)
(e) How does this lead to a cycle of continuous improvement?
Initially, teachers will facilitate students during group cooperative tasks to equip students with
strategies to analyze the given situations appropriately in the modules. Moreover, during the
modules teachers will track students’ progress through student responses during the tasks and
reflections at the end of the task. Students will also monitor their thinking process, check
whether progress is being made toward an appropriate goal to ensure accuracy (Ku & Ho, 2010).
With continuous student reflections and staff discussions at the end of modules, the students’
thinking is expected to improve considerably.
While we believe our project is a great way to develop critical thinking skills for stage 4
students, there is always room for continuous improvement. After analyzing the factors, we have
decided that stretching out the modules to be completed in 2-3 lessons rather than 1 lesson each
would be a great stepping stone in ensuring the lessons are challenging, rich and in depth. This
will allow students to think deeply and critically into complex group activities which will
hopefully enable them into asking more ''How" and "Why" based refined questions (Synder &
Synder, 2008).
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