Approaches to Teaching Critical Thinking

[kevinquinnyo]

This has almost certainly been covered in this forum before, probably hundreds of times, but I think its so important that it should be mentioned again, and again.


I would like to hear your ideas on teaching critical thinking. The reason I am thinking a lot about this, is because I keep reading arguments rife with logical errors from people who appear to be otherwise extremely intelligent.

I think we, as critical thinkers, need to remember a few important concepts.

1) No one wants to feel stupid. No one. This means it is often more hurtful than helpful to present a comprehensive, bulleted reply listing every specific fallacy of logic or incorrectly sourced material, or mistake someone has made. If someone feels ostracized or ganged up on, it will only make them bitter and disillusioned towards critical thinking.

2) You weren't born a genius. (And you probably aren't) Every human suffers or has suffered from the same human biases and logical errors at some point in their life. Share this concept with others. Tell them, you too also used to think the same way. If someone feels connected, they are more open to learn from you.

3) Open the door. Ultimately, we all have to walk through the door into critical thinking. Don't forget that you too were scared at some point in your life to walk through that door. Remember that it can actually be scary to abandon our biases and ways of thinking. People need support and reassurance that the water isn't too cold, they can dive in. (Sorry I just changed metaphors, was it a door or a swimming pool?)

Anyway, I hate sounding preachy. I just see the wrong approach taken, and see people become frustrated all too often here in the forums.

Thoughts?

-Kevin

[SusanB-M1]

Terry Pratchett's book, Nation, which I have just finished, is a very good story for younger (including teenage maybe) readers pointing them clearly in the direction of critical thinking.
I can't think of any other comments at present.

[Kiosk]

1) No one wants to feel stupid. No one. This means it is often more hurtful than helpful to present a comprehensive, bulleted reply listing every specific fallacy of logic or incorrectly sourced material, or mistake someone has made.

I'd certainly agree with that, but...

2) You weren't born a genius. (And you probably aren't) Every human suffers or has suffered from the same human biases and logical errors at some point in their life. Share this concept with others. Tell them, you too also used to think the same way.

I'd say this is a bit risky in terms of getting someone on-side. "Telling someone you used to think the same way" can seem rather superior, and can be a fairly effective way of making them feel stupid - or at least, it can sound as though you're placing yourself above them, somehow parading your greater knowledge and experience. Surely it's better just to say "yeah, such-and-such a conclusion would seem obvious, but in fact..."

In my experience, people are more inclined to listen to you when you just present facts, in a way that they can understand. This seems to neutralise the whole uncomfortable "power relationship" bit - i.e. people's sensitivity to being patronised - and allows them to feel that they've grasped the point themselves. In other words, they feel that they've learned something; they don't feel that they've been taught a lesson.

I think you're quite correct to be concerned about this stuff, though. When people are thinking uncritically, they do tend to be more sensitive about being proven wrong. If someone is mistaken on a certain point, it's not such a big deal to be corrected; if the whole thought process leading to that conclusion is questioned, people feel that they're being exposed as less intelligent than they might have thought. This is a far bigger deal than being caught in possession of one piece of incorrect information. If their error is explained to them in a way that seems smug or superior - or can be interpreted that way - the response is often very defensive, especially when you stray into issues of belief (religion, paranormal, etc) where there may be some emotional investment in thinking uncritically. Since logical fallacies can be relatively complex (and sometimes counter-intuitive), the mind has to be wide open in order to grasp them. As soon as someone closes their mind on you - consciously or not - all hope is lost.

[RobertlewisIR]

I think there's also great value in ignoring popular belief systems and teaching critical thinking with obscure examples and then inviting the "student" to apply these principles to everything else.

Do I think this is a good tactic on its own? Absolutely not! But I think that, if some people talk about specific beliefs, and others focus on critical thinking in general, eventually some people will come around.

My way of thinking is this (and please correct me if I'm wrong). People will be more receptive to a lesson in critical thinking if it doesn't attack their treasured beliefs. However, if they then take that lesson with them and are later presented with a well thought out critique of those beliefs, perhaps they'll be able to make the connection with less struggling than otherwise. That way, it's their own critical thinking that caused them to abandon belief, rather than "some smart guy" giving a lecture.

[athon]

First of all, if you're seriously interested, join the mailing list 'Critical Thinking in Education Group' (CTEG (http://groups.google.com/group/critical-teaching?hl=en)). Great bunch of people who really know a thing or two about teaching critical thinking.

I would like to hear your ideas on teaching critical thinking. The reason I am thinking a lot about this, is because I keep reading arguments rife with logical errors from people who appear to be otherwise extremely intelligent.

I think we, as critical thinkers, need to remember a few important concepts.

1) No one wants to feel stupid. No one. This means it is often more hurtful than helpful to present a comprehensive, bulleted reply listing every specific fallacy of logic or incorrectly sourced material, or mistake someone has made. If someone feels ostracized or ganged up on, it will only make them bitter and disillusioned towards critical thinking.

2) You weren't born a genius. (And you probably aren't) Every human suffers or has suffered from the same human biases and logical errors at some point in their life. Share this concept with others. Tell them, you too also used to think the same way. If someone feels connected, they are more open to learn from you.

3) Open the door. Ultimately, we all have to walk through the door into critical thinking. Don't forget that you too were scared at some point in your life to walk through that door. Remember that it can actually be scary to abandon our biases and ways of thinking. People need support and reassurance that the water isn't too cold, they can dive in. (Sorry I just changed metaphors, was it a door or a swimming pool?)

Anyway, I hate sounding preachy. I just see the wrong approach taken, and see people become frustrated all too often here in the forums.

Thoughts?

-Kevin

Good points, however they do miss the mark a touch.

Critical thinking is not a default behaviour of the human brain. In practice, it goes against a lot of social behaviours. We've evolved to behave in such a manner that allows us to survive in a changing environment as a group, not as individuals. Therefore the energy hungry demands of thinking logically takes a back seat to the economics of efficient use of our brains, while rationality is defined by the beliefs of the social group in which you are raised.

For most of our evolutionary past, our social environment was incredibly close and personal. The objective nature of information was of less importance than social bonding, especially in a hostile natural world.

With civilisation, the social environment changed. It expanded to become less personal, where interactions diversified and the accuracy of good information became more of a commodity. Today, good information is an invaluable resource. Yet we struggle to evaluate information with brains that evolved to deal with a much more intimate social landscape.

To understand how to 'teach' such skills, one needs to understand how these thinking skills develop in the first place, especially if they aren't the default way of thinking.

For the most part, they arise out of the same social factors that give rise to religion, believe it or not. We're raised with an appreciation of certain values. Some of these values are relevant to how we evaluate information we come across. Those with religious upbringing might compare new information to a code of objective morality, for instance. Those who have a more scientific epistemology will appreciate internal consistency and logic.

Knowing what these values are, how they can change and how to influence them is key to communicating critical thinking skills. Notice, at no stage have I suggested it is about informing people with the 'right' answers, which sadly a lot of skeptics believe is what defines education. Transmission education cannot and does not work in teaching people how to think critically.

Athon

[tyciol]

There are likely genetic components to genius, so people are born with talent and better working brains I think (there are also nurture factors to this) but yeah, babies are stupid not geniuses.

[Uncayimmy]

1) No one wants to feel stupid. No one. This means it is often more hurtful than helpful to present a comprehensive, bulleted reply listing every specific fallacy of logic or incorrectly sourced material, or mistake someone has made. If someone feels ostracized or ganged up on, it will only make them bitter and disillusioned towards critical thinking.

This can be applied in many situations. I try to remember to give somebody an out so they don't look bad. Even if you think you've convinced them of your point, it can sometimes be a good idea to let it drop rather than try to resolve things right then and there. There's nothing wrong with hearing a week later, "I thought about what you said, and it makes sense."


2) You weren't born a genius. (And you probably aren't) Every human suffers or has suffered from the same human biases and logical errors at some point in their life. Share this concept with others. Tell them, you too also used to think the same way. If someone feels connected, they are more open to learn from you.

That one can be tricky. There's a place between seeming arrogant and seeming condescending. I try to do my best to understand where they are coming from and then asking questions. Sometimes I say things like, "I understand what you're saying. I used to look at it the same way, but then I asked myself..." In some cases, though, just asking that question without saying you once thought that way is a better approach.