Are you a critical thinker?

[Why Syzygy]

http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0312/p09s01-coop.html

Quality thought is vital. So why don’t schools foster it?
By Linda Elder
from the March 12, 2009 edition

Dillon Beach, Calif. - How can we hope to thoughtfully address the economic issues, conflicts, world poverty, and many other pressing concerns that trouble our planet, if we don't take the way we think seriously?

We can't. To effectively deal with these issues, we must cultivate the spirit of critical thinking throughout human societies.

Right now we are not even teaching the skills and dispositions of the critical mind in our schools. We are not cultivating the intellect.

Everyone thinks; but we don't always think well. In fact, much of our thinking, left to itself, is sloppy, distorted, partial, uninformed, or prejudiced. Yet the quality of our life and all of the decisions we make depend precisely on the quality of our thought. At present, the act of thinking is virtually ignored.

Critical thinking is self-guided, self-disciplined thinking that aims to take the reasoning we all do naturally to a higher level. It is the art of analyzing and evaluating with the goal of improving thought. When making a decision, it is the difference between weighing information to come to a logical conclusion and making snap judgments without understanding the information.
...

[Uben]

1. I think, therefore I am

....cept when I don't think, then I aint!

[rug]

2. People who don't think critically are Nazis.

[Why Syzygy]

4. Republicans?

Freepers?

[Jennicut]

3. This is why we have fallen behind in our schools

We teach kids step by step a math problem and then expect them to understand it. Yet the kids were not forced to work the problem on their own or think about it with the other kids. Memorization is not critical thinking. I am studying to be a teacher and we talked about this in our child development class, its a big problem.

[TahitiNut]

8. IS&R (Information Storage & Retrieval) involves almost no processing.

Lazy educators survey regurgitations, not processes. As a former math teacher, I sure as hell understand the greater effort required to evaluate the problem-solving process a student uses. Teaching it is also a challenge ... IF one adapts to the breadth of learning modes in the classroom. It's really remarkable how differently people learn.

[Jennicut]

9. There is way too much testing and not enough actual problem solving

and critical thinking going on in schools right now. All it does is make kids stressed out and still lacking major thinking skills.

[lumberjack_jeff]

5. Critical? Nay... on life support. n/t

[cobalt1999]

6. What happens when the kids start using their new skills and question the existance of God?

It'll make the school prayer fallout look like a gentle rain

[The2ndWheel]

7. "In fact, much of our thinking, left to itself, is sloppy, distorted..."

"Critical thinking is self-guided, self-disciplined thinking..."

So which is it? Is critical thought sloppy, distorted, etc? Does sloppy, distorted, etc, type of thinking lead to critical thought?

[Why Syzygy]

10. heh.

That would be an example of "critical thinking".

[redqueen]

16. Clearly, the first refers to the thought processees of one not yet using critical thinking skills.

And the second refers to the thought processes of someone who has.

[woo me with science]

11. This is stupid.

I get so sick of this false dichotomy between learning facts and learning to think critically. They absolutely depend on each other, and it is foolish to say that we need to choose between one and the other. Children CANNOT learn to think critically unless they are also building a base of facts from which to make connections and extrapolate.

Research on how children learn math shows clearly that it is the children who learn the facts by rote and have them down pat (i.e., forwards and backwards, without hesitation) who are best CAPABLE of moving to the next level of thinking and seeing the relationships between those numbers.

Same thing in history. You cannot think intelligently about history unless you have a strong foundation of facts from which to draw. "Critical thinking" lessons in a vacuum are utterly meaningless. They become indoctrination rather than true critical thought.

[Why Syzygy]

14. If there has to be a choice,

and I didn't get that from the article, critical thinking puts one ahead when faced with facts.
Memorizing facts, otoh, does not facilitate critical thinking.

[Dora]

15. Exactly.

:thumbsup:

How you doing?

[Why Syzygy]

18. Hey, lady!

Been thinking about cha. :hug:

[woo me with science]

19. No, you are exactly wrong.

Critical thinking is impossible in the absence of facts.

Research proves you wrong.

[Winterblues]

12. I remember in the early seventies the school in my town started teaching a Logic course.

I thought that was funny as hell at the time. I thought Logic was something that just came natural. Boy how wrong I was. I have learned over the years that Logic is in fact very unnatural and that few people in America use any. :shrug: Hence Bush* and his whole Cabal

[Why Syzygy]

13. Logic was never at least a Required course.

There may have been elective courses. Since I went to three different high schools, I know that curriculum varies widely across districts.

[Ron Green]

17. Media literacy.

Media literacy, I believe, is the most-neglected and most-needed discipline in schools, especially in the primary and middle grades.

Kids, who swim in an ocean of messages carefully designed by corporate interests to bypass the cerebral cortex and directly address the limbic brain, desperately need the skills to interrupt and examine those messages.

We're not doing much good applying the canon of literature, math and science to the frontal lobes while Nike and McDonald's are working on the Lizard Brain.

[CreekDog]

20. I think you can go to jail for growing your own tomato

so i guess i don't critically think. :eyes:

[Why Syzygy]

21. LOL

I'm invested in that thread. While initially going with the theme, I am certainly willing to take another look. You betcha I'll be wearing a critical eye!