Teaching and learning without limits can seem like a task that can be impossible.

(ADD YOUR PERSONAL INTRO HERE)

One of the most sophisticated and complex machines known to man reside inside of his own head. Your brain is more powerful than any computer in existence today yet myths of limitations of the brain persist still today. Everyone has heard the myth that we as humans only use 10% of our total brain power and it has been repeated so often that it has been accepted as a scientific fact. Since the realization of tools such as the MRI and PET scans the true fact is that we use far more than 10% of our brain power. 7.Studies suggest that we use 100% of our brain power. Even when we sleep we use a substantial bit more than 10%. 8.It has been estimated that the brains memory storage capacity is somewhere around 2.5 petabytes (a petabyte is 1 million gigabytes, or 1000 terabytes). To put that in perspective for you the entire print collection of the U.S. Library of congress is estimated at around 10 terabytes which is minuscule compared to your own brain. A mind is truly an extraordinary thing to waste with its awesome far reaching capabilities. The brain is made up of billions of cells called neurons. These cells have nerve endings called synapses and dendrites. The nerve endings release chemical and electrical stimuli for communication with each other. This brain communication forms neuro- pathways in the brain and is the basis for how the brain works. When you initially learn something the pathway or connection is weak. The more frequently you think a particular thought the stronger the pathway becomes, forming an automatic habit of thinking. Lets take riding a bike for example at first you must pay attention to staying balanced, keeping your eyes on the road, holding onto the handlebars and steering in your desired direction. Then the more you practice, the stronger your bike riding pathways become. Eventually you are able to get on your bike and ride without thinking. Youre operating on auto pilot. A strong brain pathway has been created as though new brain software has been uploaded and is

seamlessly operating in your mind. We are creating new pathways every moment of everyday. Now you may ask what this all has to do with critical thinking? Two very important keys to unlocking the mystery of the mind are critical thinking and creativity. It may seem that creativity and critical thinking are not interdependent yet in my research I have found this to be the case. It is not my intention to explore all aspects of creativity because it is such a broad topic. Yet I will touch on the aspects of creativity that directly affect critical thinking. To be an effective critical thinker you must also be a creative thinker as well and this is solely my opinion and there are few if any supporters of this idea. Without critical thinking skills it is very easy to be deceived. Yet a complacent attitude or a herd mentality is fostered from the time a child is born. By the time a child begins their school career social norms are perpetuated and indoctrinated in the individual. From the time of birth family, friends, and associates help to unwittingly keep you in mental bondage. One of the biggest and most deeply imbedded causes for the suppression of critical thinking skills is religion. Religion is very much a part of almost every culture. It does a dynamic job at extinguishing critical thinking in several ways. Many religious people are taught not to question God or the world around them because things are the way they are and thats the way it is. A better way of saying that would be that is our fate. Even though religion has many far reaching positive benefits this is something I see as a challenge that must be overcome. I have come up with this ideology about Religion through personal experience growing up as a son of a minister. Also through television and other media sources we are told what to think, what to buy, and how we should think which goes a long way in suppressing our innate critical thinking skills. What is the most effective way to use creativity and critical thinking together?/

One of the few individuals who believe that critical thinking and creativity are interdependent is an African American activist, educator, and writer who writes books by the pseudonym of bell hooks. Her

name given to her by her parents 12.is Gloria Watkins Professor of English at New York City College. Engaged pedagogy is something that is possible no matter what the subject matter may be. Engaged pedagogy is the involvement of using a more creative mode of critical thinking and to question and to challenge authority. Questioning authority gets at the heart of liberatory, democratic education.

There is an imbedded political resistance to genuine intellectual development in this country and around the world. The banking system of education is bankrupt; it is a system that deposits information into a student as one might deposit money into a bank but with the current standard educational modes of teaching the student or the teacher has little or no return. The advantages of engaged pedagogy far outweigh the disadvantages of making students feel deeply challenged and unsettled. Some say a key aspect that is missing in our educational system is the teaching of critical thinking skills. Engaged pedagogy is an expression of freedom in education. It takes a real commitment on the part of the teacher to become truly involved with each student sometimes away from the learning environment and to take responsibility for the power they have to influence the lives of those students.

Teaching in this way is beneficial because you dont have to wonder if the student is grasping what you are teaching. You will receive constant feedback giving the opportunity to augment your approach if necessary. There are some barriers to overcome when working with engaged pedagogy for example knowing the difference between good and bad authority and being able to acknowledge that.

6. The minds of students must be freed by engaging in pedagogical praxis and celebrated for their new found critical thinking skills. This can be a daunting task for teachers though. As bell hooks Stated Pedagogy can be taxing to the spirit which I agree. It requires a great deal of energy to be that involved in a way that matters to your students. When practicing engaged pedagogy it is essential to create a classroom that students know they are learning a particular story coming from a real person and this is what opens up the possibility for critical thinking. Engaged pedagogy can lead to a student being deeply challenged, unsettled, and changed but isnt this the goal of learning? It can leave a student bewildered but the key for students is to remain neutral and open minded. This approach allows students to question teachers and encourages teachers to join their students in the learning process. Learning is asking questions. In this day and age questions are discouraged and you are expected to follow the predetermined social norms. We are taught to follow society blindly without asking questions for ourselves on the faith that everything that we are taught is whats best for us. Yet how do you know what is best without questions. 11.Questions and contrast is the basic framework of the experience of learning or reality depending on who you are speaking with. Exploring the concept of contrast lets take a plant for example to become and grow to its greatest potential it must have darkness as well as light in a certain balance to thrive. Unless there was sadness how could you ever know or experience happiness. Finding a balance among this broad spectrum of contrast can be a definite challenge. Students must understand that learning is asking questions and they must learn to equip themselves with the tools necessary to succeed. The suppression of creativity starts at a young age as well with parents, friends, and teachers telling you to grow up and to act more like an adult. For example a child may have an imaginary friend that they play with often but their parents insist on them not have one and if it does not stop they may take them to get some mental assistance. I know this may seem like an extreme example yet I know someone personally that has done this to their child. Your imagination is your passport to any life that you choose to experience. All it takes is to use your innate creative abilities and

to combine them with action. What I mean by this is act out the scene you may see in your reality; be the person that is in your imagination and your physical reality will make it so critical thinking skills is of the utmost importance and age and gender dont play a role in the a. 1. Developing bility to become an effective critical thinker. Creativity is an important aspect of this process but limited learning capacity is achieved in subscribing to a herd mentality. Creativity is suppressed and the questions stop. Without questions there would be no learning and students must be encouraged to critique, evaluate, and make suggestions in every avenue of learning. Now lets look at the different types of questions which I feel is an important key to engaging students in any learning environment. Now in the exploration of questions I found 3 different types of questions.

*Factual Questions: This has only one correct answer. *Interpretive Questions: Which has more than one answer, but they still must be supported with evidence. *Evaluative Questions: Asks for some kind of opinion, belief, or point of view so they have no wrong answers. 10.Critical thinking is a developmental process that can begin at an early age so it is good to keep in mind what constitutes critical thinking for elementary students would be different for an adult. 9.The art of precise quality questioning abilities may be the worlds most unused talent. You can ask the right questions in the right way and engage people or you can do it differently and put people off. Something that I have heard is that learning doesnt actually begin for an individual until a spark is ignited within them. Without this spark an individual will not be actively be involved in the learning process or the learning experience. Active involvement is achieved by understanding the subtle art of the question that is often times overlooked by far. Educators must learn how to structure questions that *Invite opinions, thoughts, and feelings *Encourage participation *Establish rapport *Stimulate discussion

*Maintain a balance between teacher and student

Open ended questions are better for the exploration of ideas, yes or no usually are a dead end and is Counter-productive to the integration of critical thinking skills into a productive learning model. Critical Thinking is essential if we are to get to the root of problems and develop reasonable solutions. After all the quality of everything we do is determined by the quality of our thinking. Critical thinking and the learning of it is not just important on an educational basis, but it is excellent for social reform. To be an efficient and effective critical thinker requires a truly open mind and constructive self-reflection. In life there is only one thing that you can really count on is change and everything changes. 10 Without an open mind and stubbornness toward change educators stifle the next generation from reaching the heights that only their imagination can stop them from realizing. In this age of information a herd mentality will not cut it. Innovators and critical thinkers are needed for the evolution of our society as a whole. Critical thinking is only one type of thinking though other types include the use of random methods of arriving at a conclusion, rote memorization, day and night dreaming and just plain sloppy thinking. I am not here to advocate that critical thinking is by any means a new idea. Critical thinking is just as diverse as the teaching methods that are essential and should be employed because everyone learns differently. There are an infinite number of ways to learn and to think critically but there are three basic types of learning styles. The most common are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. To learn we depend on our senses to process the abundant information around us. The majority of people tend to use one of their senses more than the others. This is where the awareness of the learning styles comes into play for the teacher and the student. If the teacher realizes what style the student uses more often the teacher will be more able to adapt to the specific needs of the student. And for the student if they know what style they learn in they can seek out tools and help be more aligned with their particular style.

(ADD 1 PAGE TO 1 PAGES OF A PERONAL EXPERIENCE THAT HAS TO DO WITH CRITICAL THINKING AND HOW YOU USED YOUR CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS AND CREATIVITYFOR EXAMPLE HOW YOU MAY HAVE USED YOU CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS TO DIS SPELL A RUMOR OR AN OLD MYTH BUT REMEMBER MAKE IT GOOD)

No matter the limitations that the educational system may have there are still great opportunities to use our imaginations and practice the freedom of choice in how we would like to further our educations. Ecstasy and joy can go hand in hand with learning if only we allow it to be so. But this is where free will comes into play. A time for a paradigm shift on the educational front is inevitable in my opinion because the old ways of learning are no longer efficient in this age of information. Where effective and efficient learning does not exist; the ability to keep up with society and the desires of you heart almost dont exist either.

Works Cited

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9. Reed, Jenny H. "Effect of a Model for Critical Thinking on Student Achievement..." Diss. University of South Florida, 1998. Effect of a Model for Critical Thinking on Student. Foundation For Critical Thinking, 26 Oct. 1998. Web. 12 Mar. 2012. <http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/effect-of-a-model-for-criticalthinking-on-student-achievement/596>.

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