Introduction

Inevitably, methods of evaluation spawned by accountability movements (political movements) affect both teaching methodology and policy; teaching practice and the results of standardized testing, in turn, inform the future direction of policy as well as inspire various social and political responses. Each of the chapters in Part Four discusses this reflexive relationship among government platforms or initiatives (critical thinking and otherwise), teaching, policy, and society in order to explore the different program and policy options available to promote proper critical thinking education and assessment.

In Chapter Eleven, J. Anthony Blair asks whether K-12 teachers are qualified to teach critical thinking. He argues that there are good reasons for thinking that this is not the case, and proposes some possible ways to rectify this situation. Ultimately he suggests a mechanism that might be used to assess teachers’ critical thinking abilities and, by extension, Bachelor of Education programs for critical thinking content.

In Chapter Twelve, Linda Kaser considers the politics of critical thinking in light of her participation in the development of the critical thinking curriculum and policies in British Columbia, a province notable for its concerted efforts to consistently promote critical thinking in schools. Kaser outlines the politics and the educational innovations that characterize her experience as an educational policy-developer in this area.