Teaching Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is viewed by most people as a core objective of education. Good critical thinking skills are related to numerous key factors including being able to navigate life successfully, citizenship, creativity, lifelong learning and empathy (Browne & Keeley, 2007; Moon, 2008; Terenzini, Springer, Pascarella & Noura, 1995). However, teaching critical thinking is a major challenge in a fast-paced world where students are continually bombarded with information. Some say that we are downing in information but starved for knowledge.

There are a number of strategies for teaching critical thinking but here are five of the major ones (Browne & Keely, 2007; Moon, 2008; Terenzini et al, 1995).


1. We need to give students an understanding of the theory of critical thinking. Most people only have a very superficial knowledge of critical thinking.

2. We need to encourage critical thinking using discussion topics that are meaningful and rich in subject matter to students. This means using topics that they can relate to their peronal experiences and interests.

3. We need to challenge students to question their views and take them “beyond their comfort zone of learning.” Pretty much everything is subjective and comes down to philosophy.

4. We need to ensure that we have a class atmosphere that will tolerate risk-taking. Questioning needs to be valued at all levels of learning - why, why, why?

5. Teachers need to model critical thinking. This means not only teaching the content of a subject but questioning that content. The textbooks will change but critical thinking will never go out of style.

Thinking critically should be a major goal for all of us, all the time. As Paul, Elder & Bartell (2004: 2) note, “Human thinking left to itself often gravitates toward prejudice, over-generalization, common fallacies, self-deception, rigidity, and narrowness.”

References:

Browne, N. & Keeley, S. (2007). Asking the right questions: A guide to critical thinking, 8th edition. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Moon, J. (2008). Critical Thinking: An exploration of theory and practice. New York: Routledge.

Paul, R.; Elder, L., & Bartell, T. (2004). Study of 38 public universities and 28 private universities to determine faculty emphasis on critical thinking in instruction. Executive summary. Retrieved September 15, 2012, from www.criticalthinking.org/about/ centerforCT.shtml

Terenzini, P.; Springer, L.; Pascarella, E. & Noura, A. (1995). Influences affecting the development of students critical thinking skills. Research in Higher Education 36 (1), 23-39.

Values to Actions

How should you live? What do you stand for? Determining what is important to us can be difficult and then there is the greater challenge of putting our words into actions. The most important task is to figure out what we value. Values can be divided into two categories, terminal values and instrumental values. Terminal values are the things we want to achieve in life, such as, having a family, making a sum of money, etc. Instrumental values are more about how we want to live our lives, such as, being honest, humble, loving, etc. Terminal values are nice to achieve. It feels good to achieve our goals. But the feeling we get from achievement doesn't last and goals can be susceptible to many outside forces. And we know that suceess and achievement goals doesn't automatically make our lives meaningful and happy. However, instrumental values are about how we choose to face the world and this we can control. We have the power to choose how we face each day. And ultimately, our life is made up of those daily experiences.

Work & Meaning

For the most part, work has been traditionally regarded as a “separate” sphere of life (work/life balance) however work is only one aspect of life and only part of a much greater context within which we reside. Therefore, we cannot understand work separate from our existential self; that work must be viewed in terms of its relationship to the formation of who we are. Most scholars agree that a meaningful life is determined by how the individual subjectively experiences his or her “puzzle of life,” and therefore makes sense of his or her life. It is clear there are no absolute answers when it comes to the meaningful life, and that there is more confusion than ever with what is considered a meaningful life. For many people, work is a major, if not the most important, piece of that puzzle. Ultimately, the pieces that make up our lives, especially our work life, must fit coherently together in order for us to feel that life is meaningful.   

Death

From an existential point of view, how we view death is of paramount importance to how we view life. If we do not face death we may put off new choices believing that it is not the “right time” for change. We may live an inauthentic life and console ourselves with the belief that “someday” I will live a different life and thus, live authentically. For example, despite engaging in a type of work that we know is not what we want to be doing and knowing we are in a state of inauthenticity, we may stay in this circumstance for many years. This is especially true of those who want to deny their freedom, those who live as if they will live forever, not realizing there is a time limit on their existence. Without facing the fact that we are mortal and will eventually die, we may not make the difficult choices towards living authentically but instead opt for the path of least resistance. Maybe the most important aspect of life is how we die. Do we die with contentment for the life we have lived or do we die with many regrets for experiences not lived? Perhaps it is easier to accept death if we feel that we have experienced life, even briefly, the way we had pictured it for ourselves when we were young, and we did not live a state of continuous desire for something more or different. 

What is the purpose of a university education?

There is currently a dilemma within higher education. What is the purpose of a university education? Is it the pursuit of knowledge or is to prepare people for jobs? Historically, universities were for the elite and the purpose was the pursuit of higher knowledge. But times have fortunately changed, and now a university education is within the grasp of many people. Students today view a university degree as a necessary requirement to finding valued employment. For them, it's about job preparation, what formerly was the domain of trade schools and community colleges. On the other hand, most academics would still argue that the purpose is the pursuit of higher knowledge, not job preparation. I suggest that we need to do both but this means changing the current system. We need to figure out a way to combine the pursuit of knowledge with the development of the skills required for work. To do this we have to revamp the current curriculum so that the degree program includes the development of the skills the work world requires. We need to review the core objectives of each degree program. Then we need to ensure that the individual courses within the program align with the objectives of the degree. This is a challenging task and will involve much thought. Most importantly, it will take a new attitude from the people involved at all levels in higher education. The reward is that we will end up with a university program that has regained its relevance, one that encompasses both the pursuit of knowledge and the development of the key skills needed for the work world.

Work-Life Balance?

"Reflecting on the meaning of life may be spurred by psychological crisis but it may also arise from an acute awareness that Henry David Thoreau was correct: most people do lead lives of quiet desperation" (Belliotti, 2001: 10).

Albert Camus’ legendary Myth of Sisyphus demonstrated what could arguably be the predicament of the human condition, in relation to work but also to life in general. Sisyphus is condemned by the Gods to push a stone up a hill only to have it roll back down, and this continues forever (Camus, 1967). Although some people love their work and their life, this picture of the futile life is undoubtedly the case for many others whether they would choose to admit it or not. For a significant number of people, life and work, can be mostly daily drudgery, a treadmill of existence from which they cannot get off, and from which they gradually watch time and their life pass by. As has been frequently pointed out life is an unpredictable journey, and we are not given a set of rules to help us make choices and ultimately, live our lives. A life is made up of various parts and work is only one of potentially many “places” where meaning is created or found. The challenge for all of us is to make sense of the puzzle of life, choose the pieces of our lives and determine how they fit together.

References:

Belliotti, R. A. (2001). What is the meaning of human life? Amsterdam: Editions Rodopi B.V.

Camus, A. (1967). The myth of Sisyphus (J. O'Brien, Trans.). In A. Camus (Ed.), The myth of Sisyphus and other essays (pp. 1-138). New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Jack Layton

Like most people, I have been affected by the recent death of Jack Layton, the federal leader of the NDP party. I didn't follow the details of his career that closely however as I read more about him, I am very impressed by his life and the humanity he demonstrated throughout. He lived a principled life and sought to make a better world for all, one that provides equal opportunity for all people. It is easy to lose ourselves in our own daily problems and immerse ourselves in our lives. Jack Layton cared deeply about others and the future of Canada and the world. Even on his deathbed he was thinking about others and how the battle for social justice would be continued. He left us with a simple but powerful message.

"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world." - Jack Layton

It is a great message for all of us.