Supporting Student Problem-Solving and Critical
Thinking in the ECC:
Presentation at CEC 2015
Kim T. Zebehazy, Assistant Professor, The University of
British Columbia, Vancouver, Kim.zebehazy@ubc.ca
Deborah L. Butler, Professor, The University of British
Columbia, Vancouver, Deborah.butler@ubc.ca
U.S. Common Core State Standards, as well as many Canadian
provincial standards, have a focus on teaching higher-order thinking skills and
problem-solving within the core curriculum (BC Ministry of Education, 2013;
Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2015). As teachers of students with
visual impairments, we are in a unique position to be mindful about helping
students engage in thinking skills within the expanded core curriculum (ECC)
as well. Figure 1 shows a conceptualization that highlights the importance of
attending not just to the skills students need to learn but how they think about
what they are learning and how they approach learning situations. Once the
school supports surrounding students are gone, the thinking skills that
surround what a student learned in the core and expanded core are what will
help carry students into successful transitions.
31
