Student teachers in sections 04, 05, 06, and 07 of Ed. E 746 have agreed to share their drafts of critical challenges that they developed to support current British Columbia curricula (e.g., learning outcomes in the Social Studies K to 7 Integrated Resource Package (SS IRP, 1998) and in some cases, the Personal Planning Integrated Resource Package (PP IRP). We believe that it is through such interactions that our own understandings evolve. These samples, generously shared in the spirit of caring about education, provide a foundation for critical reflection and refinement. We invite you to build upon these critical challenges.

Critical challenges represent problematic situations that provide students with a reason to think critically about social studies content and issues in order to make sustainable decisions about what to believe or what to do. Instead of memorizing content, students 'work the content' (Case in Case & Clark, 1997) towards deeper understandings. With appropriate instruction, students will be better able to acquire the critical thinking tools and the experiences they need to become competent, well-informed and social responsible citizens.

Critical challenges, as much as possible, should satisfy the following six criteria (adapted from Bailin, Case, Coombs, and Daniels, 1993):

1. Represents a problematic situation--the answer is not readily accessible and the outcome matters to someone (a significant situation)
2. Supports the core of the social studies curriculum--significant social studies ideas rather than trivial notions
3. Is meaningful--the challenge (and/or related activities) make connections between new ideas and experiences that are relevant to students' lives; builds on students' prior understandings
4. Is provocative--sufficiently engaging to students to maintain their interest/involvement
5. Is doable-- the challenge is sufficiently focused so that students have the time and resources needed for success; students have or are able to acquire the tools they need to respond successfully to the critical challenge
6. Is acceptable--sensitive to significant stakeholders; fair-minded in the representation/consideration of relevant points of view (adapted by C. Ford, 1998; not included in Bailin et al., 1993)

If students are to respond successfully to critical challenges, the teacher needs to plan for instruction to ensure that students have the critical thinking tools that they will need. Critical thinking tools or intellectual resources include background knowledge, critical thinking concepts, criteria and standards for judgements, habits of mind, and thinking strategies (Bailin et al., 1993; see also elementary SS IRP, p. 7).

Background knowledge: Do students have the background information about the situation and the context to which it applies that they need to be successful in demonstrating the expected learning outcomes? If not, how will they get it (lecture, inquiry, working the content)? Should students' capacity to memorize and regurgitate information be interpreted as understanding? Will recall of such information be interpreted as knowledge? Or will students be making decisions about what to believe and be prepared to share evidence/reason why it should be believed?

Critical thinking vocabulary: Do students understand the vocabulary they need to make and evaluate decisions? For example, do students understand points of view, distinctions between observation and inference, what a justification is, and what counts as evidence?

Criteria and standards for judgment: Will students need to understand what criteria are important to their performances? For example, will students be evaluating (or be evaluated for) the accuracy/plausibility of information, the strength of fit among conclusions and support, the quality of sources used, and/or the acceptability or justice of actions? Will students be generating their own criteria, describing standards for criteria, and using these criteria and standards to evaluate their own performances and/or the performance by others? Will students be guided by criteria rather than surprised by criteria?

Habits of mind: Will students be expected to demonstrate:

• fair-mindedness--seek to understand conflicting points of view as if they were one's own before deciding what to believe or do?
• flexibility--open-minded to change if reason/evidence supports such change?
• an intellectual work ethic—persevere to do best to work systematically with as much precision as the decision or task requires toward the best (sustainable) answer?
• respect for other points of view and sensitivity to the level of knowledge of others?
• that they value the use of reasons and evidence and they qualify conclusions to fit the support (that is, they do not jump to hasty conclusions)?
• courage to stand up for beliefs, even if this is an unpopular thing to do?
• willingness to live with ambiguity--recognize that black and white answers may not fit the situation or that clarity may need time and experience to evolve?
• inquisitiveness--welcome new ideas, challenges?

Thinking strategies: Will students be expected to use different thinking strategies and to evaluate their effectiveness? For example, will students select from a range of graphic organizers those that best serve their needs (e.g., Venn diagram for sorting examples, non-examples and borderline examples; t-shirt strategy to systematically and fairly consider different points of view re-each option?), use a checklist to make sure they do not miss important items, and/or talk ideas over with others to gain additional information about available options and reasons?

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