Critically Thinking about our Thinking

Hi, As a Science teacher in the UK, global warming and other such terms come up frequently. Science teaching in the UK, from my experience, has been edging further and further towards debating ideas and allowing our students to have their own opinion, formed through analysis of data and other information. This it the case when I teach a topic about the Greenhouse Effect, and other opportunities regarding Climate Change and Global Warming. Depending on the specifics of the topic, the pupils will be given a variety of data, sources, opinions etc. and come up with their own ideas and debate it out. A fantastic resource is Upd8 - www.upd8.org.uk - which has (usually) well-written and attractive worksheets, teacher notes and other resources included for a variety of topics. Included in that is a monstrous amount of Global Warming resources - e.g. http://www.upd8.org.uk/activity/185/Global-warming-do-'the-facts'-stand-up.html - simply search the website for Global Warming and you'll be bombarded with ideas. Allowing students the freedom to construct their own arguments, based on more than just emotion, is so important. Students that perform highly love it, and students that are on the lower end of the ability scale take a lot out of it - even if their arguments might be less well-formed. I'd recommend open-endings (as above post) with "messy and difficult" situations. It's such a great learning opportunity.

Critically Thinking about our Thinking

I must say this is a very interesting scenario. First of all, I am nowhere near an expert on global warming. I am not even a science teacher, however, I was drawn to these discussion posts because of the topic of critical thinking. In my classroom, I make sure that all of my students learn the basics of critical thinking. To me, this is a great part of education that sometimes goes untaught simply becuase there are so many standards that need to be taught and covered. As educators, we sometimes forget the big picture and simply teach to a test. I, on the other hand, like to make sure my students know how to think for themselves, come up with rational arguments based on evidence, and being able to analyze an issue or topic from multiple angles. This is critical thinking and without these skills, I believe our students will not be fully prepared for the real world. I realize that this comment is not adding to the discussion concerning global warming, but I do have a great interest in teachers teaching good critical thinking skills.

Critically Thinking about our Thinking

Learning through internet would not make us stupid, rather it would make our learning faster, but it will just makes us lazy, because people tends to make it through the internet rather than doing the exploration naturally.

Critically Thinking about our Thinking

Lots of great detailed information and good reasoning here. So needed. Thanks especially for the link to the article on skewed information on climate change. I love the emphasis on getting and understanding the information. But ... this isn't, in my experience as a college prof, where the block is, in terms of getting students to think critically. It is that, here in Canada anyway, most of them have learned that critical thinking is not to be done - all opinions are equal, who are we to say, my opinion is as good as yours. These may be good ways to avoid conflict - but they are not ways to get to any understanding of a situation. I remember initially being shocked at the wall against critical thinking. Now I'm seeing it as a current dangerous taboo. And I've been putting more and more emphasis in getting students to explore their own approach to thinking about thinking: http://www.elsas-word-story-image-idea-music-emporium.com/how-to-think.html So thank you for all the information you present. It gives me a lot to think about.

Critically Thinking about our Thinking

Lots of great detailed information and good reasoning here. So needed. Also much to think about - especially in the article on skewed information on global warming. My experience, though, is that the biggest block in student learning is not the overwhelming amount of information - but a taboo on thinking well about it, in learning how to sift through. Instead I get: I know what I think, all opinions are equal, who are we to judge ... and lots more along those lines. Why does this happen? Avoiding conflict is a priority. So is, among some students, the challenge of doing the work of good thinking. But what strikes me most is the avoidance of critical thinking among some of the brightest and most caring students. They don't want to be judgemental, critical, and so on. Who are they to say? More and more, a concern has become: how to get students to realize that good thinking, far from something awful, is one of the biggest human strengths?

Critically Thinking about our Thinking

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Critically Thinking about our Thinking

In the interest of "information literacy," Rheingold isn't the originator of "BS detection." See http://stager.tv/blog/?p=753

Critically Thinking about our Thinking

I'm going to ignore the content of the global warming article to focus on the point you're making with it. "Imagine if we gave kids the conflicting data and causes and positions of scientists who are debating this issue and had them work to figure it out." A thought very similar to this sparked the work I've been doing in developing my Master's proposal. There's a wealth of information available online. There's never been an easier time to connect directly with experts. Why not use those facts to our students' benefit? For anyone to be able to truly critique or support an article like the one you link to on global warming requires at minimum a fair grasp of the scientific disciplines included in global warming research- from atmospheric science, to volcanology, to climatology, to statistics and data analysis techniques. You couldn't just give students the article and a week to come up with a position that is truly based upon the best data & information that's out there. Part of my concern with the unit I've designed for my Master's proposal (which focuses on creating a self-directed learning environment) is what happens when a student decides they want to, say, prove global warming's existence? How do I get them to realize they need to focus on some of the smaller pieces before taking on the big one? Secondly, what do you do if a student looks at all the data and comes to some crazy totally incorrect conclusion (i.e the planet Nibiru in conjunction with the reptilian humanoids are causing global warming)? Is that okay? How do you push students away from following emotionally-driven conclusions (which is quite common within the topic of global warming) and toward data- and research-based conclusions? Creating open-endings in our classrooms is an invitation for "messy and difficult" situations. However, I feel most messes lead to better critical thinking skills and better learning environments for our students. I'm sure there will be students who won't succeed in the messy and difficult classroom, but I believe the overall positive effects of a rich learning environment outweigh the potential negatives. I've been far too "safe" of a teacher to date. I'm hoping the implementation of my Master's proposal will change that (Shameless plug: You can read a bit about what I'm doing here: http://blog.benwildeboer.com/2010/science-and-self-directed-learning/).

Critically Thinking about our Thinking

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