Critical Thinking CrCrTh601 Spring 1999

Arthur Millman
Philosophy Department
millmanab@aol.com
617-287-6538
Wheatley 5th flr 000.10
Office Hours: TuTh2.30-3.30, Tu 5.30-6.30

Peter Taylor
Critical & Creative Thinking Program
peter.taylor@umb.edu
617-287-7636
Wheatley 2nd flr 143.09
(near Counseling & School Psychology)
Office/Phone Conference Hours:
M 2.30-3.30, Tu 4.15-6.15

Class Time: Tu 6.45-9.30
Website: http://www.faculty.umb.edu/peter_taylor/601-99.html
General email: Emails sent to PT with "for CCT601" in the subject line will be forwarded to all in the course.

Course description
This course explores issues about the nature and techniques of critical thought, viewed as a way of thinking aimed at minimizing error and irrationality in our beliefs and attitudes. We explore multiple perspectives, placing established facts, theories, and practices in tension with alternatives to see how things could be otherwise. Views about observation and interpretation, reasoning and inference, valuing and judging, and the production of knowledge in its social context are considered. Special attention is given to translating what is learned into strategies, materials, and interventions for use in students' own educational and professional settings.

Sections to follow
Additional Notes on Teaching/Learning Interactions:
Course goals
The goals of the course are for participants to:
1. appreciate and reflect on the range of views on critical thinking, contrasts and tensions among those views, and the evolution of the field toward increasing attention to the social context in which thinking takes place;
2. work new views, skills, and model lessons/group activities into practices of thinking, learning, teaching critical thinking to others, and finding support for change (see 3);
3. develop support to understand 1 and sustain 2 beyond this course, especially the support that derives from having active conversants, appreciative listeners, and dialoguing around written work.
Assessment and Requirements
Your grade will be based on the components to follow, which are described in more detail in the course packet and weekly handouts. For each of the two parts of the grade, completion of "basic work" (= 80% of assignments) gives you an automatic B+. To have a chance--but not a guarantee--of getting a higher grade, "additional work" is taken into account (s rationale).

Written assignments and presentations, 2/3 of the grade
A. Design, conduct, document a learning experience that applies critical thinking. Involves a sequence of 4 assignments: initial description with sources, class test run of the experience, complete draft report, and 1000-2000 word final report.
B. Five thought-pieces extracted from your journal (see F. below)
C. Clippings packet of items from current magazines and newspapers. Collected for perusal twice with journal.
D. Manifesto, with tips and examples, for critical thinkers (a.k.a. check-list for future critical thinking efforts; 400-1000 words).

Participation and contribution to the class process, 1/3 of the grade.
E. Prepared participation and attendance at class meetings.
F. Journal with weekly responses/notes on homework tasks, readings, class discussions, clippings, websites, and weekly questions. Collected for perusal mid-semester & end.
G. Minimum of two in-office or phone conferences on your assignments and projects.
H. Assist another student(s) to practice and conduct their learning experiences.
I. Optional* End-of-semester Portfolio demonstrating the development of your work (*for "additional work" grade only).
Texts and Materials
Required texts: Tishman, S., D. N. Perkins and E. Jay (1995). The Thinking Classroom; Learning and Teaching in a Culture of Thinking. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Walters, K. S. (Ed.) (1994). Re-thinking Reason: New Perspectives on Critical Thinking. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Course packet, in installments available from PT & AM. Get a three ring binder to hold the packet and other xeroxed handouts.
Additional information about classes, assignments, and other tasks is provided in regular handouts (which will also be posted on the course website).
Additional readings will be placed on reserve in Healey library or available as a supplement to the course packet.
Recommended text as a guide to writing and revising: Elbow, P. (1981). Writing with Power. New York: Oxford Univ. Press (also on reserve)
Schedule of classes -- subject to revision

1. (2/2) Self-introductions. What is critical thinking?
Activities: Self-introductions; Brainstorming and classification about critical thinking
Post-class reading: Elbow, "Teaching two kinds of thinking by teaching writing," in Re-thinking Reason.

2. (2/9) More elements of critical thinking.
Activity: An exercise on rethinking equal opportunity.
Ennis, "A taxonomy of critical thinking dispositions and abilities."
The Thinking Classroom, 1-36.

3. (2/16) Observations and the reliability of sources.
Activity: Lexington Green--a sample lesson.
Review Ennis taxonomy
Nickerson, "Why teach thinking?"
The Thinking Classroom, 37-64.

4. (2/23) Reasoning and inference.
Activity: Discussion of Galileo case
Gingerich, "The Galileo Affair."
Costa, A. L. "Mediating the meta-cognitive."
Weddle, "The realm of reason."

5. (3/2) Styles of causal explanation & their relation to ideas about action. Heuristics.
Activities: Height patterns; Pellagra debate
Chase, "False Correlations = Real Deaths."
Weddle, "Cause."

6. (3/9) Frames of reference. Critical thinking and feminism.
Activity: Active reading.
Warren, "Critical thinking and feminism," in Re-Thinking Reason, 155-176.
Phelan and Garrison, "Toward a gender-sensitive ideal of critical thinking," in Re-Thinking Reason, 81-97.
Paul,"Teaching critical thinking in the strong sense," in Re-Thinking Reason, 181-198.

Additional readings (on reserve): Wolff, "According to whom? Helping students analyze contrasting views of reality."
Paul, "Dialogical thinking: Critical thought essential to the acquisition of rational knowledge and passions."
Paul, "Ethics without indoctrination" and "Using critical thinking to identify national bias in the news" (with K. R. Adamson).

Spring Break

7. (3/23) Listening I. Methodological believing.
Activities: "QA+S" exercise on controversial topic.
Elbow, "Methodological doubting and believing: Contraries in inquiry."

*A* Ass. due: Journal & clippings packet for perusal I

8. (3/30) Listening II. Empathy and voice.
Activities: Two truths and a lie exercise. Listening to one's own other voices.
Gallo,"Educating for empathy, reason, and imagination," in Re-thinking Reason.
Additional Reading (on reserve): Belenky, et.al. , "Silence," and "Received Knowledge."

*A* Ass. due: Initial description of learning experience

9. (4/6) Focused conversations/ORID. Ladder of inference.
Activity: Respond to Video on students complaining to teacher.
Stanfield, The Art of Focused Conversation, 6-29.
Ross, "Ladder of Inference."

Additional Readings (on reserve): Stanfield, The Art of Focused Conversation, 30-48.
Bransford, et al. "Teaching thinking and problem solving."

10. (4/13) Lesson remodeling.
Activities: Presentation by alum(s) of the course. Remodeling a lesson from this course or one of your own.
Paul, R. (with Binker), "Critical thinking staff development: The lesson plan remodelling approach."

Additional Readings (on reserve): Costa, "Teaching behaviors that enable student thinking."

11a. (4/20) Overcoming obstacles to putting critical thinking into practice.
Activities: Supportive listening, Cardstorming
Weissglass, "Constructivist listening."

Additional Reading: Spencer, "The ToP workshop method."

11b. Student activities I
The Thinking Classroom, 97-124.

Additional Reading (on reserve): Perkins, "Knowledge as design."

12a. (4/27) Complexity and Critical heuristics.
Activity: Workshop: How can we make complexity facilitate social change?
Taylor, "How do we know there is a population problem?"
Missimer, "Why two heads are better than one" in Re-Thinking Reason, 119-133.

Additional Reading: Taylor, "Critical tensions and non-standard lessons from the 'tragedy of the commons'."

12b. Student activities II
The Thinking Classroom, 125-154.

*A* Ass. due: Draft manifesto due.

13. (5/4) Student activities III
The Thinking Classroom, 155-184.

*A* Ass. due: Journal & clippings packet for perusal II
*A* Ass. due: Complete draft report on learning experience

14. (5/11) Taking stock of the course
Activities: Historical scan; Circulation of manifestos
*A* Ass. due: Revised manifesto due.
*A* Ass. due: Portfolio (optional).
*A* Ass. due. 5/17: Final report on learning experience project.
Bibliography
Belenky, H. F. et.al. (eds.) (1986). "Silence," "Received Knowledge," in Women's Ways of Knowing. New York: Basic Books, 23-51.
Bransford, J. D., R. D. Sherwood and T. Sturdevant (1987). "Teaching thinking and problem solving," in J. B. Baron and R. J. Sternberg (Eds.), Teaching Thinking Skills: Theory and Practice. New York: W. H. Freeman, 162-181.
Chase, A. (1977). "False Correlations = Real Deaths," in The Legacy of Malthus. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 201-225.
Costa, A. L. (1985). "Teaching behaviors that enable student thinking," 125-137, and "Teaching for, of, and about thinking," 20-23, in A. L. Costa (Ed.), Developing Minds. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Costa, A. L. (nd.) "Mediating the meta-cognitive." ms.
Elbow, P. (1981). Writing with Power. New York: Oxford Univ. Press.
Elbow, P. (1986). "Methodological doubting and believing: Contraries in inquiry," in Embracing Contraries. New York: Oxford University Press, 254-300.
Ennis, R. H. (1987). "A taxonomy of critical thinking dispositions and abilities," in J. B. Baron and R. J. Sternberg (Eds.), Teaching Thinking Skills: Theory and Practice. New York: W. H. Freeman, 9-26.
Elbow, P. (1994). "Teaching two kinds of thinking by teaching writing," in Re-thinking Reason.
Gallo,D. (1994). "Educating for empathy, reason, and imagination," in Re-thinking Reason.
Gingerich, O. (1982). "The Galileo Affair." Scientific American(Aug.): 133-143.
Missimer, (1994). "Why two heads are better than one" in Re-Thinking Reason, 119-133.
Nickerson, R. S. (1987). "Why teach thinking?," in J. B. Baron and R. J. Sternberg (Eds.), Teaching Thinking Skills: Theory and Practice. New York: W. H. Freeman, 27-37.
Paul, R. (1994). "Teaching critical thinking in the strong sense," in Re-Thinking Reason, 181-198.
Paul, R. (1987) "Dialogical thinking: Critical thought essential to the acquisition of rational knowledge and passions," in J. Baron and R. Sternberg (Eds.), Teaching Thinking Skills: Theory and Practice, New York: W. H. Freeman, 127-148.
Paul, R. "Ethics without indoctrination," 240-254, and "Using critical thinking to identify national bias in the news" (with K. R. Adamson), 367-381 in Critical Thinking, Santa Rosa: Foundation for Critical Thinking.
Paul, R. (with A. J. A. Binker) (1993), "Critical thinking staff development: The lesson plan remodelling approach," in Critical Thinking. Santa Rosa, CA: Foundation for Critical Thinking, 475-485.
Perkins, D. N. (1987). "Knowledge as design: Teach thinking through content," in J. B. Baron and R. J. Sternberg (Eds.), Teaching Thinking Skills: Theory and Practice. New York: W. H. Freeman, 62-85.
Phelan and Garrison, (1994). "Toward a gender-sensitive ideal of critical thinking," in Re-Thinking Reason, 81-97.
Ross, R. (1994). "Ladder of Inference," in P. Senge (Ed.), The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook, 242-246.
Spencer, L. J. (1989). "The ToP workshop method," in Winning Through Participation. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt, 57-76 (on reserve).
Stanfield, B. (Ed.) (1997). The Art of Focused Conversation. Toronto: Canadian Institute of Cultural Affairs, 6-29, 30-48.
Taylor, P. (1998ms) "How do we know there is a population problem?" (A dialogue).
Taylor, P. (1999). "Critical tensions and non-standard lessons from the 'tragedy of the commons'," in M. Maniates (Ed.), Teaching Global Environmental Politics As If Education Mattered. Rowan & Little field, forthcoming.
Tishman, S., D. N. Perkins and E. Jay (1995). The Thinking Classroom; Learning and Teaching in a Culture of Thinking. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Walters, K. S. (Ed.) (1994). Re-thinking Reason: New Perspectives on Critical Thinking. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Warren, (1994). "Critical thinking and feminism," in Re-Thinking Reason, 155-176.
Weddle, P. (1978). "The realm of reason," in Argument: A Guide to Critical Thinking. New York: McGraw Hill, 1-16.
Weddle, P. (1978). "Cause," in Argument: A Guide to Critical Thinking. New York: McGraw Hill, 161-188.
Weissglass, J. (1990). "Constructivist listening for empowerment and change." The Educational Forum 54(4): 351-370.
Wolff, M. A. (1986). "According to whom? Helping students analyze contrasting views of reality." Educational Leadership(October): 36-41.
Created 3 Feb. 99