Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by cmn32480 on Wednesday August 19 2015, @12:01PM   Printer-friendly
from the think-about-it dept.

"We aren't teaching students how to think critically!" So goes the exasperated lament you have probably heard and possibly uttered. The thing is, that's a crazy hard thing to do. It may seem like a logic class should teach you to think in a more disciplined way, for example, but the sad fact is that those mental habits are very unlikely to transfer [PDF] beyond the walls of the logic course. There are many different styles and contexts of critical thinking, and there is no magic subroutine that we could insert into our mental programming that covers them all.

But despair is not the only option. Effective coursework can build important and useful critical thinking skills. Doug Bonn at the University of British Columbia and Stanford's N.G. Holmes and Carl Wieman focused on good scientific, quantitative thinking when teaching a group of first-year physics students. And like good critically thinking educators, they put their strategy to the test and published the results so they can be evaluated by others.

Original article from Ars Technica .

[Related]: How to improve students' critical thinking about scientific evidence


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 19 2015, @04:37PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 19 2015, @04:37PM (#225070)

    "understanding opposing arguments so well that you can effectively argue for the other side."

    Agreed!

    I use to work with 2 other gentlemen. We had "arguments" about a technique or design change. One pro, One Con and One Referee. After few minutes (or hours) the roles changed naturally and fluidly, like Pro took up Con, Con was the Referee, and Referee became Pro. We came out with great meeting of the minds and creation of great code. But to show it was not always a quiet formal discussion, the attorneys in the next office, came in a few times to offer free mediation services.

    Now after the point, I do not agree. The teach should (at high school and college levels) NOT present anything, they are the ref and guidance. Should assign students to PRO and CON sides and run the debate. Student should research and present arguments for or against. If like the Supreme Court, when writing a PRO statement may actually turn a feeling to CON. The students can ask to be assigned to other but state the reason.

    Critical thinking is through USE, not lecture.

    Examples: Civil War Confederate Battle Flag:
    Does promote hated?
    Is it showing that the South was the side supporting the U.S. Constitution?
    If the flag must go, should the U.S. Constitution should also go because of 3/5 count of Slave Males. (Remember women do not count in the Constitution either)