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| Increase Maximal Performance by Activating Critical Thinking (IMPACT). A staff development program fusing critical thinking with content area instruction. |
Audience Approved for students grades 6-9, and effectively used by teachers of students at all grade levels (K-college), subject areas, and ability levels.
Description Meeting national standards for basic skills achievement requires training in critical thinking. Increase Maximal Performance by Activating Critical Thinking (IMPACT) focuses on staff training to infuse the direct teaching of critical thinking into existing core subjects and across curricula areas. Program adopters are empowered to initiate classroom reforms in learning and instruction crucial to meeting the National Goals for Education, specifically Goals 3, 4, and 5 as identified in America 2000. IMPACT's instructional approach has three essential components: (1) a framework of 22 critical thinking skills, (2) a model lesson format, and (3) ten teaching behaviors that activate student use of critical thinking.
The IMPACT training and materials model proven methods for integrating subject-matter content with such thinking skills as Comparing and Contrasting, Classifying, Ordering, Patterning, Identifying Relevant and Irrelevant Information, Cause and Effect Relationships, and Predicting and Logical Reasoning.
Evidence of Effectiveness Program validation has shown that IMPACT students significantly (p>.05) outperform similar control students in mathematics applications, reading comprehension, and critical thinking skills after only one semester in the program.
Requirements The IMPACT Level I seminar is presented in six consecutive sessions, and includes: review of literature and research, lesson simulation, demonstration of technique, and group interaction. During Level I training, experts demonstrate teaching behaviors that engage and reinforce thinking skills (e.g., Cuing, Probing, and Reflection with wait-time). Trainees receive supervised practice for lesson reinforcement and integration. Following the seminar, participants further develop their skills by: (1) teaching the thinking skills listed in the IMPACT Universe of Critical Skills; (2) practicing the strategies using sample lessons published by Phi Delta Kappa; (3) observing each other teach IMPACT lessons in the classroom; (4) receiving/reviewing feedback on the peer-observation findings; and (5) creating original IMPACT-based lessons.
Teachers easily integrate the three key IMPACT components into their instructional program by first adapting sixty model practice lessons based on either Language Arts or Mathematics and then creating their own lessons. The curriculum materials, available only to IMPACT graduates, demonstrate both planning and instructional elements. The planning elements include: the identification of the thinking skills implicit in the standard curriculum, prerequisite thinking skills, behavioral objectives, materials, and equipment. The lesson design, based on the Hunter model, highlights the instructional elements of Orientation, Direct Instruction, Guided practice, and Closure.
IMPACT training occurs at two levels. First, for classroom implementation, the program recommends that a district enroll a team of at least two teachers and their site administrator in Level I training, an intensive 18-hour inservice (three days) that models the infusion of the IMPACT approach. Secondly, to become a Level II District/Site Trainer, a Level I graduate must have: (1) been appointed by the district; (2) taught 20 IMPACT lessons; (3) filed a plan to disseminate IMPACT within the district for two years; and (4) completed a Level II seminar.
Services Awareness materials are available at no cost. With advance notice, arrangements can be made for visitors to observe the program in use at demonstration sites located nationwide. Program personnel are available to make out-of-state awareness presentations. Training is conducted nationally at the program site, adopter sites, and prearranged advertised locations. IMPACT curriculum materials published by Phi Delta Kappa are available only to IMPACT Level I graduates. The registration and materials fee for Level I training is $350 per person, or $750 per team of three. The Level II training fee is $425 per person. When 25 or more attendees are enrolled, the registration fees defray all training costs. Awareness presentations, technical assistance, follow-up, and evaluation services are available to adopters on a cost-recovery basis. Three semester units of graduate credit are offered by the University of San Diego for completion of Level I and Level II training.
Developmental Funding: USOE ESEA Title IV-C.
JDRP No. 83-17 (3/8/83)
Recertified (6/12/87)
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