Ask any teacher and they’ll tell you that teaching critical thinking skills are of utmost importance in any subject. When your students interpret Corn Dog Art images, they are practicing critical thinking skills. There are many interpretations of this term, but generally they include students being able to:
While looking at and analyzing Corn Dog Art images, students are using all of these skills. When they develop ideas about the meaning of the image, they are making inferences. This process involves students participating in three ways:
Fundamentally, we want students to trust themselves enough to share their thoughts with the group. Often, students are reluctant respond to questions because they think, “There is one right answer, and I don’t have it.” While using these images, teachers can promote multiple answers to the question, encouraging reluctant students to participate. Simply ask, “What is happening in the image?”
When children learn how to think critically, they learn how to rationalize and interpret what they are experiencing.
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It is important to build time into lessons for looking, thinking and making connections. This may seem obvious but unfortunately it is not common practice. Observation is the first step in thinking. It is important for us as educators to teach children how to observe with intention – learn to look with a purpose. The images we are bombarded with every day contain limitless information that we must sift through, prioritize, decipher and act upon. Observation requires stamina and focused thought, skills which can be taught and improved upon.
The more details students see and interpret, the richer their writing will be. Keen observation is an important part of the writing process.
Asking kids to look critically and observe their environment is fundamental to critical thinking. In Learning and Leading With Habits of Mind, the authors Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick argue that there are at least 16 specific intelligent behaviors that we all can (and should ) use when posed with challenges. They include – persisting, managing impulsivity, thinking and communicating with clarity and precision, gathering data through all senses, creating, imagining, & innovating, responding with wonderment and awe, and listening with understanding and empathy, among others. All of the ‘intelligences’ address the fact that students of all ages need to be aware and intentional about their thoughts and how they problem solve. Using Corn Dog Art images and videos in the classroom can help students practice all of these intelligences.
When we ask students to interpret an image, what we are really asking them to do is to make inferences. Simply put, making an inference is the act of drawing conclusions based on clues. Using Corn Dog Art Video Story Starters, you can teach children to infer in a fun and exciting way.
To infer, students must deduce, guess, interpret, read between the lines, understand, reason, analyze, judge, draw conclusions and make connections. Whew! These skills are crucial for students to learn. Younger students can be walked through a series of questions to guide their thinking and help them analyze the picture. When questioning, it is helpful to start with the concrete and then move to the abstract.
When children learn how to think critically, they learn how to rationalize and interpret what they are experiencing.
Time should be taken every day to teach critical thinking skills and strategies. Students must know that there are more than one right answer to a question, and that it is desirable to share divergent ideas. They also need to take time to think about why they have these ideas… ask students to use details in the image to ‘back up’ their thoughts. This guides children to reflect on their thinking and not simply react. As the teacher, your attitude is very important. You must create an environment of safe risk tasking, where students feel they can share their thoughts without fear of judgement. This starts with students thoughtfully listening to the ideas of others, and then responding to those thoughts. This doesn’t mean that they must- or should- agree. It simply means their goal should be to respond in a thoughtful way. When children actively listen to each other, it validates their opinions, and they are truly ‘heard’. Children want to be heard.
Often heard by teachers, this thought strikes fear in the heart of students. Is there anything more intimidating than a blank piece of paper? Corn Dog Art Images help students generate ideas, gain confidence, and develop stories. Whether you are teaching character development, setting, mood, plot, sequencing, cause and effect, etc., using these images in class can make it more effective, and more fun!
Students create stories based on what the see, hear and feel. Ideas are turned into words, and these words are crafted into stories. Rather than students thinking, “I don’t know what to write,” they are looking at and discussing art. Looking at art is an experience, and when children share their thoughts about this experience, they have countless writing opportunities.
Download my free “Questions to Elicit Thoughtful Observations” worksheet!
