A new teaching exercise called See Think Wonder is picking up steam in several Metro Detroit schools. Part of an approach called “visible thinking,” See Think Wonder promotes class discussion and invites students to explore their critical thinking skills.

This new method sharply contrasts the current teaching trend that’s developed as a result of the No Child Left Behind Act; according to researchers at Harvard University, there’s “less thinking going on, as schools have been worried about the testing.”

Robert Floden, co-director of the Education Policy Center at Michigan State University, agreed that K-12 education has focused too much on drilling the basics, instead of deep thinking.

“It’s a real challenge,” Floden said. “If you look at education in the United States, one of the persistent criticisms is that things remain pretty superficial … They don’t get into a deeper analysis of the subject areas.”

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Tags: critical thinking, Floden, policy, teachers, teaching