American Civics and your future.

[AFK]

How about a parenting class that teaches parents how to teach their kids critical thinking skills? 

Yeah, I know, would anyone show up? 

[Requia ☣]

Probably better to teach them critical thinking skills and them let the run amok

Gordian Knot, meet Alexander.

I would support the implementation of an ongoing critical thinking class from kindergarten to 12th grade 100%.

As I have pointed out before, no methods to teach cross domain critical thinking skills exist.  At best you can teach critical thinking in a narrow focus.

'critical thinking in politics' might be doable.

[Adios]

OK BH and HC I take your points.  However, can you successfully see that being pulled off at the national level, for any length of time?  Me either.

Hell, pushing critical thinking skills would probably be hard enough, and that's without most of the associated political and social baggage that surrounds something so contentious as civics.  You'd probably have to label it something like "Study Skills" and hope like hell no-one paid attention to the actual subject matter.

How could this class be developed to an end user format?

[Adios]

Critical thinking involves determining the meaning and significance of what is observed or expressed, or, concerning a given inference or argument, determining whether there is adequate justification to accept the conclusion as true. Hence, Fisher & Scriven  define critical thinking as "skilled, active, interpretation and evaluation of observations, communications, information, and argumentation."[1]  Moore & Parker define it more naturally as the careful, deliberate determination of whether one should accept, reject, or suspend judgment about a claim and the degree of confidence with which one accepts or rejects it.[2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_thinking

Ok, this is a pretty good paper.

[Adios]

In the UK school system, Critical Thinking is offered as a subject which 16- to 18-year-olds can take as an A-Level

So it does exist!

[Doktor Howl]

How about a parenting class that teaches parents how to teach their kids critical thinking skills? 

Yeah, I know, would anyone show up? 

For an hour.

Then they'd leave, once they realized that critical thinking would include examining their own beliefs as well as those of others.

[LMNO]

Probably better to teach them critical thinking skills and them let the run amok

Gordian Knot, meet Alexander.

I would support the implementation of an ongoing critical thinking class from kindergarten to 12th grade 100%.

As I have pointed out before, no methods to teach cross domain critical thinking skills exist.  At best you can teach critical thinking in a narrow focus.

'critical thinking in politics' might be doable.

No snark, could you please link to that proof?

[AFK]

Probably better to teach them critical thinking skills and them let the run amok

Gordian Knot, meet Alexander.

I would support the implementation of an ongoing critical thinking class from kindergarten to 12th grade 100%.

As I have pointed out before, no methods to teach cross domain critical thinking skills exist.  At best you can teach critical thinking in a narrow focus.

'critical thinking in politics' might be doable.

I don't know if that's actually true.  In fact I would be surprised if it were true.  But even if it was, it wouldn't be hard to design.  The method is the easy part.  The hard part would be selling it to school boards. 

[Adios]

In the UK school system, Critical Thinking is offered as a subject which 16- to 18-year-olds can take as an A-Level. Under the OCR exam board, students can sit two exam papers for the AS: "Credibility of Evidence" and "Assessing and Developing Argument". The full Advanced GCE is now available: in addition to the two AS units, candidates sit the two papers "Resolution of Dilemmas" and "Critical Reasoning". The A-level tests candidates on their ability to think critically about, and analyze, arguments on their deductive or inductive validity, as well as producing their own arguments. It also tests their ability to analyze certain related topics such as credibility and ethical decision-making. However, due to its comparative lack of subject content, many universities do not accept it as a main A-level for admissions.[9] Nevertheless, the AS is often useful in developing reasoning skills, and the full advanced GCE is useful for degree courses in politics, philosophy, history or theology, providing the skills required for critical analysis that are useful, for example, in biblical study.

There is also an Advanced Extension Award offered in Critical Thinking in the UK, open to any A-level student regardless of whether they have the Critical Thinking A-level. Cambridge International Examinations have an A-level in Thinking Skills.[10] From 2008, Assessment and Qualifications Alliance will also be offering an A-level Critical Thinking specification;[11] OCR exam board have also modified theirs for 2008. Many examinations for university entrance set by universities, on top of A-level examinations, also include a critical thinking component, such as the LNAT, the UKCAT, the BioMedical Admissions Test and the Thinking Skills Assessment.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_thinking



A model already exists.

[Adios]

http://www.criticalthinking.org/

From The Critical Thinking Community.

[Adios]

TEACHING Critical Thinking — Activities & Strategies
      Useful ideas about critical thinking and education are in Critical Thinking by Design (Joanne Kurfiss) and Critical Thinking: Basic Questions and Answers (Richard Paul).  For a broad overview, A Brief History of the Idea of Critical Thinking.  And to help those responsible for big-picture decisions, Peter Facione (past president of the American Conference of Academic Deans) wrote 26 Case Studies for Conversation and Reflection for academic deans and department chairs.

http://www.asa3.org/ASA/education/think/critical.htm

[Adios]

The more I study about critical thinking the more I like the idea. It would actually cover real life day to day situations as well as civics.

[Doktor Howl]

How about a parenting class that teaches parents how to teach their kids critical thinking skills? 

Yeah, I know, would anyone show up? 

For an hour.

Then they'd leave, once they realized that critical thinking would include examining their own beliefs as well as those of others.

[Adios]

How about a parenting class that teaches parents how to teach their kids critical thinking skills? 

Yeah, I know, would anyone show up? 

For an hour.

Then they'd leave, once they realized that critical thinking would include examining their own beliefs as well as those of others.

I can surely see the religious right throwing a shit fit over it.

[Doktor Howl]

How about a parenting class that teaches parents how to teach their kids critical thinking skills? 

Yeah, I know, would anyone show up? 

For an hour.

Then they'd leave, once they realized that critical thinking would include examining their own beliefs as well as those of others.

I can surely see the religious right throwing a shit fit over it.

And the hippies.
And the libertarians.
And the soccer moms.
And the uber patriots.
And the Obama fans.
And the Obama haters.
And the conspiracy freaks.
And the teabaggers (Redundant, I know).
And the utopians.
And the people who think they already think critically.