very rough draft

Rough draft
1200-1500 words, thesis-driven with atleast 5 relevant sources, arguing for a change to be made to the k-12 curriculum to mitigate a problem shown in Chalk or dicussed in readings

Topic: proposal to promote thinking in public schools, similar to the reading from bell hooks and Paolo Freire

Critical thinking is a crucial skill for people to have in society. More importantly, the severe lack of critical thinking skills many people possess is a crippling problem facing our society. <need further details and a source/quotation>. To understand why this is a problem, one must first understand what the termn critical thinking entails. According to Daniel T. Willingham, Psychologist at the University of Virginia, critical thinking consists "of seeing both sides of an issue, being open to new evidence that disconfirms young ideas, reasoning dispassionately, demanding that claims be backed by evidence, deducing and inferring conclusions from available facts, solving problems, and so forth." Essentially, critical thinking requires taking the time to understand and reason through all sides of an issue, rather than just one single perspective. Many people cannot do this. They form an opinion or belief and adamantly refuse to consider an opposing idea or perspective. And when that is the case, compromise and progress are almost impossible. <more details and thesis statement needed>

The problem with the modern education system as it relates to critical thinking skills is that not only do students not loearn any, but in fact, the entire education system works to obstruct critical thinking. <more details/quote> The film Chalk demonstrates this very well. In Chalk the viewer experiences exaggerated examples of many problems facing the kindergarten through twelfth grade education system today. In particular, a history class taught by a teacher by the name of Mr. Lewrey does an exceptional job at displaying the way schools actively work to obstruct the development of critical thinking abilities. Additionally, in her book Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom, author and social Activist bell hooks asserts that "Keeping an open mind is as essential requirement of critical thinking... [It is] far too easy to become attached to and protective of one's viewpoint, and to rule out others' perspectives."

Works Cited

hooks, bell. Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom. Florence, KY: Taylor & Francis, 2009. Print.

Gatto, John Taylor. "Against School: How `Public Education Cripples Our Kids and Why." wesjones.com. Wes Jones Home Page, September 2003. Web. 3 December 2013.

Freire, Paolo. "The Banking Concept of Education." Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York, NY: Herder and Herder, 1970. Print.