Critical: Literacy. Whose way of thinking is it

Is bias detection an effective way to improve the critical thinking skills of students "at-risk?" The research involved nine Grade Five students "at-risk" from a school in Ontario. These students were selected in order to provide the opportunity for them to participate in advanced skills instruction, rather than the more common basic skills practice. The students looked for bias in the pictures of three picture books, during twelve 40-minute sessions, over six weeks. Beyond the description of my work as a teacher-researcher, the students' oral participation was the only data gathered. In conclusion, bias detection provided the context for critical thinking (observation and questioning) however, the improvement of these skills was attributed more so to their practice over time, as well as to the teaching approach. Determining a direct connection between teaching bias detection and the improvement of critical thinking skills would require more research.