Critical Skills

ASCD Smart Brief’s two leading articles this week focused on Waldorf Schools and Visual Arts. One explained how Waldorf-style teaching, that emphasizes student exploration, self-directed learning, and hands-on lessons, can boost test scores in the long run. The other emphasized how the arts build critical thinking skills.

Waldorf education seeks to match learning to natural development. Readiness, relationships, and an emphasis on a triad of head/heart/hands are at its core. So, maybe this doesn’t exactly dovetail with traditional schooling but there are useful take-aways. The strong focus on applications of content knowledge to critical thinking is relevant to all schools.

The discussion of arts education focused on how pressure to raise test scores has resulted in narrowing the curriculum and, for many urban students, the elimination of arts, music, and other electives. As this digital generation spends more time with visual literacy, it is vital to teach them how to “read” visual images and information and also to express their ideas visually. The arts can build students' natural curiosity and creativity, help them conceptualize their ideas, and strengthen critical thinking skills.

The assessment of these skills is not outside the realm of educational testing. The assessment of 21st century skills is possible. It is all within the reach of classroom teachers as well as standardized test developers. Our new mission in education is to build these skills in students
and equally as important, to assess these skills.