Cultivating critical thinkers in your classroom, starring Mitchell Brookins, Ph.D.
Meet Our Guest(s):
Mitchell Brookins, Ph.D.
Mitchell Brookins, Ph.D. is a nationally recognized educational consultant with 20+ years in K–12 as a teacher, coach, administrator, district leader, and thought leader. As a school administrator, he achieved impressive gains, including raising DIBELS scores from 43% to 72%. He has spoken at top literacy events including Amplify’s symposia, the Black Literacy Matters Conference, the Dyslexia Alliance for Black Children’s annual conference, and others. He leads a citywide fellowship supporting 25 literacy leaders in New Orleans, and serves as Managing Director of Leading Educators. He also serves on the Board of Directors for The Reading League. He holds a B.A. in Elementary Education, an M.A. in Teacher Leadership, and a Ph.D. in Educational Administration.
Meet our host, Ana Torres.
Ana has been an educator for 30 years, working in both the K–8 and higher education sectors. She served as an administrator and instructor at various public and private colleges and universities and as a bilingual and dual language teacher, dual language math and reading interventionist, dual language instructional coach, assistant principal, and principal in K–8 schools. Ana is currently the Senior Biliteracy and Multilingual Product Specialist at Amplify, and delivers literacy and biliteracy presentations across the nation. Ana’s passion and advocacy for biliteracy and support for all students from all walks of life has led her to educate leaders, teachers, and parents about the positive impact of bilingualism and biliteracy in our world.
Meet our Classroom Insider, Eric Cross.
Eric Cross is a middle school science teacher who hopes to someday be a lifelong educator, like the guests on Beyond My Years! In each episode, Eric connects with host Ana Torres to discuss her guests’ best insights, gleaned from their long and rewarding careers in the classroom. Then, Eric talks about bringing some of their wisdom into his current classroom and busy life.
Quotes
“When you are a school administrator, you can't be confused as to what your identity is. People expect you to step in with voice, with passion, with vision, and direct the path.”
“When we talk about knowledge building, when we talk about knowledge acquisition, it's actually predicated on critical thinking. That critical thinking is not just a higher-level task that we have kids do. It's deep thinking.”
“[Critical thinking] is actually cognitive support. It's a mental act, a process in which you acquire knowledge and understanding.”
“When I see questioning that really probes, that's how I know I'm in a classroom where a teacher honors students' thinking. It is an honor to hear what children have to think.”
“That's how you know you're in a classroom with critical thinking: We're not rushing the conversation. We're enjoying it.”
“There's an art and a science to teaching, and I think that they're two different things.”
“The importance of modeling can’t be overstated.”
“If you're engaged emotionally, that's going to help you be engaged cognitively.”