DIG Deeper is striving to instill a mindset across all Broward county Public School educators that every student can Dig Deeper to learn. Dig Deeper aims to bring about the equitable spread of teaching practices that support BCPS students’ engagement in deeper learning through critical thinking.
DIG Deeper is a collaboration of BCPS and Outlier Research & Evaluation at UChicago STEM Education at the University of Chicago. DIG Deeper is funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
DIG Deeper focuses on three targeted teaching practices. These practices prompt students to:
Critical thinking is one of the most important 21st century workforce competencies in the United States and worldwide
They examine different points of view, call for evidence-based conclusions, question information, and solve problems. Employers, educators, and many in the general public note the importance of these skills. However, many feel that schools fall short in helping youth obtain the critical thinking skills they need.
Research shows that critical thinking skills can be taught. However, most efforts to help students develop critical thinking have focused far more on high school students, rather than elementary school students. More work is needed to create the foundation for critical thinking skills while learners are still young.
DIG Deeper is committed to ensuring that BCPS students have opportunities to engage in deeper learning by developing their critical thinking skills. This commitment is grounded in the belief that every student in BCPS is ready to DIG Deeper to learn and should have experiences customized to their particular learning needs.
