Final - Paper 3

Critical thinking is a crucial skill for people to have in society. More importantly, many people's severe lack of critical thinking skills is a crippling problem facing our society.  To understand why this is a problem, one must first understand what the term “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. To think critically means to be able to think open mindedly and empathize with other people - to not only understand one's own perspectives, assumptions, and biases, but the same for other people. Many people of all ages and backgrounds simply cannot do this. They form an opinion or belief and adamantly refuse to consider an opposing idea or perspective. Most people who feel strongly about a topic or issue cannot even begin to explain the reasons why other people have opposing opinions. When asked the simple question of why other people have opposing views, few can give a well thought-out or valid answer. Some are arrogant and assume that those who disagree are wrong or stupid, and others are lazy and will admit to not knowing why someone disagrees, but few are capable of thinking critically and making an earnest effort at understanding all sides of an issue. And when that is the case, compromise and progress are almost impossible. Therefore, for the benefit of all members of society as a whole, kindergarten through twelfth grade education curriculum needs to be changed to promote critical thinking, rather than prevent it. Our children need to be taught to think critically.

The problem with the modern education system as it relates to critical thinking skills is that not only are students not taught any of these skills, but in fact, the entire education system works to obstruct critical thinking. As stated by bell hooks in Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom, "Most children are taught early on that thinking is dangerous... whether in homes with parents who teach via a model of discipline and punishment or in schools where independent thinking is not [an] acceptable behavior... children stop enjoying the process of thinking and start fearing the thinking mind." This starts early in one's educational experience and does not ever end during kindergarten through twelfth grade schooling. The film Chalk demonstrates this very well. In Chalk the viewer experiences exaggerated examples of many problems facing the high school education curriculum today. In particular, a history class taught by a teacher by the name of Mr. Lowrey does an exceptional job at displaying the way schools actively work to obstruct the development of critical thinking abilities. His method of teaching is one that many students are unfortunately familiar with, revolving around the memorization and recitation of information without thought or analysis. In Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Paolo Freire refers to this as the "Banking" concept of education. He asserts that "Education thus becomes an act of depositing, in which the students are the depositories and the teacher is the depositor. Instead of communication, the teacher issues communiqués and makes deposits which the students patiently receive, memorize, and repeat." This style of teaching is not at all uncommon today. High school classes where questioning an instructor is even welcome are rare; classes where thinking critically and questioning what is being taught are encouraged are almost nonexistent.

            Therefore, changing the system to promote the development of critical thinking skills is not a simple task. Quite the opposite - creating a "critical thinking" class changes nothing - what is required is a significant reformation of curriculum and the way most classes are taught. Every aspect of the existing "banking" system of education would, optimally, be revamped. No more classes focused on teachers who do nothing but deposit information into students, who merely memorize and recite. In many cases, the entire "role" that a teacher plays in the classroom would have to change. To quote bell hooks again, she states that "So much academic training encourages teachers to assume that they must be 'right' at all times. Instead... teachers must be open at all times, and we must be willing to acknowledge what we do not know. A radical commitment to openness maintains the integrity of the critical thinking process and its central role in education." Succeeding in this education reform would not only drastically change the operation of classrooms and the functions of schools but would ultimately improve society as a whole. A population of critical thinkers would be vastly more capable of progress and compromise in social and political disputes. Effectively solving this problem in our education system would inadvertently work to solve many other problems facing this country.

            There are some very blatant problems with the education system in this country. Most everyone can agree with that claim - the students, the teachers, and even people who aren't involved at all in education. Some issues facing it are so apparent that American comedian and social critic Lewis Black jokingly states "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that our school systems are broken—which is good, because none of us are!" Despite this, there are those who might disagree with the entire premise that lacking critical thinking skills is a problem. Even acknowledging that there are many problems with the education system, these people would say that critical thinking isn't one of them, that it has no place in the classroom. These people would say this is the way our country or society has always been, and doesn't need to change; they would maintain that it isn't a problem. It is a very ironic counterargument, because while they cling on to tradition and dismiss the problem, they're blatantly showing themselves to be lacking the critical thinking skills that they're arguing against. There is truly no downside to possessing critical thinking skills, and to say that there is a reason not to promote critical thinking in schools is on par with being opposed to improving literacy rates. 

            As our country progresses into ever increasing populations and pressured economic power, the importance of critical thinking skills will be more and more imperative. It will be very difficult to deal with the social, political and economic problems that our country will be facing in the future while also maintaining an education curriculum which actively works to obstruct and prevent the development of critical thinking skills in students. The "banking" system of education described by Paolo Freire an entire forty three years ago has not changed at all, and continuing to accept it as a viable and effective method of teaching is harmful to all of the students who go through it and society as a whole. Therefore, for the benefit of all students and for the benefit of every aspect of our country, it is vitally important for the education system, kindergarten through twelfth grade education curriculum to be reformed to incorporate the development and promotion of critical thinking skills in students.

Works Cited

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

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

Willingham, Daniel T. “Critical Thinking: Why is it so hard to teach?” gmu.edu. George Mason University, July 2007. Web. 3 December 2013.

Chalk. Dir. Mike Akel. Troy Schremmer. SomeDaySoon Productions, 2006. DVD.

Daily Show: Back in Black: Education Crisis.Dir. Lizz Winstead, Madeleine Smithberg. Perf. Jon Stewart, Lewis Black. Mad Cow Productions, Comedy Central, 2010. Web. 21 November 2013.

rought draft revision after workshop

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.  To understand why this is a problem, one must first understand what the term 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 of all ages and backgrounds 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. For the benefit of all members of society as a whole, kindergarten through twelfth grade education curriculum needs to be changed to promote critical thinking, rather than prevent it.

Naturally, there are those who might disagree with the entire premise that lacking critical thinking skills is a problem. <need refuation>

The problem with the modern education system as it relates to critical thinking skills is that not only do students not learn any, but in fact, the entire education system works to obstruct critical thinking. As stated by bell hooks in Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom, "Most children are taught early on that thinking is dangerous... whether in homes with parents who teach via a model of discipline and punishment or in schools where independent thinking is not [an] acceptable behavior... children stop enjoying the process of thinking and start fearing the thinking mind." This starts early in one's educational experience and does not ever end during kindergarten through twelfth grade schooling. The film Chalk demonstrates this very well. In Chalk the viewer experiences exaggerated examples of many problems facing the high school education curriculum today. In particular, a history class taught by a teacher by the name of Mr. Lowrey does an exceptional job at displaying the way schools actively work to obstruct the development of critical thinking abilities. His method of teaching is one that many students are unfortunately familiar with, revolving around the memorization and recitation of information without thought or analysis. In Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Paolo Freire refers to this as the "Banking" concept of education. He asserts that "Education thus becomes an act of depositing, in which the students are the depositories and the teacher is the depositor. Instead of communication, the teacher issues communiqués and makes deposits which the students patiently receive, memorize, and repeat." This style of teaching is not at all uncommon today. High school classes where questioning an instructor is even welcome are rare; classes where thinking critically and questioning what is being taught are encouraged are almost nonexistent.

Therefore, changing the system to promote the development of critical thinking skills is not a simple task. Quite the opposite - creating a "critical thinking" class changes nothing - what is required is a significant reformation of curriculum and the way most classes are taught.

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.

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.

quotes/works cited practice

In her book Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom, author and social activist bell hooks asserts that "Keeping an open mind is an 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."

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."

John Taylor Gatto can attest to the problem of boredom in schools in his article "Against School: How Public Education Cripples Our Kids and Why," saying "Boredom is the common condition of schoolteachers, and anyone who has spent time in a teachers' lounge can vouch for the low energy, the whining, the dispirited attitudes, to be found there."

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.

quotes

"Children are organically predisposed to be critical thinkers." bell hooks, "Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom"

"Children's passion for thinking often ends when they encounter a world that seeks to educate them for conformity and obedience only. Most children are taught early on that thinking is dangerous." bell hooks, "Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom"

"[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." Daniel Willingham, "Critical Thinking: Why Is It So Hard to Teach?"

"Keeping an open mind is an essential requirement of critical thinking... It is far too easy to become attached to and protective of one's viewpoint, and to rule out other perspectives." bell hooks, "Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom"

"So much academic training encourages teachers to assume that they must be "right" at all times. Instead, I propose that teachers must be open at all times, and we must be willing to acknowledge what we do not know." bell hooks, "Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom"

"Boredom is the common condition of schoolteachers, and anyone who has spent time in a teachers' lounge can vouch for the low energy, the whining, the dispirited attitudes, to be found there." John Taylor Gatto, "Against School"

Group Argument on Mud Wrestling

Thesis:
Cartoonists do not value mud wrestling, but they should because mud wrestling actually increases their chances of becoming successful cartoonists.

Topic sentences:
1. Mud wrestling will increase their adrenaline and in turn their creativity.
2. Mud wrestling relieves stress from a long day of cartooning.
3. Mud wrestling is comical which can inspire them to create funnier cartoons.
4. Mud wrestling will increase their popularity as a cartoonists

In Class Discussion
1) The most important is the article by Keith Gilliard about creative arts in schools. Creativity should be appreciated and not subdued. Everything around us is art and if it can't be appreciated then the point of school is gone.
2) The second most important change was in the article by bell hooks. This is a skill that won't be developed without practice and is necessary for after life at school and to function properly in school. This is a necessary skill that will be used in things like jobs interviews and problem solving in life.
3) The third most important was the article by Jerry Large about persevering through school and developing character. No matter how hard you struggle through school you can always get through it if you maintain a level of perseverance and effort. This is also a skill that will be effective later on in life. If the school doesn't teach this it will be hard for students to learn this especially if they don't have parents who will teach it to them.
4) The forth most important was the article by Barry Boyce. This was about remaining calm and learning how to focus. When you run into stressful times in school you can practice remaining calm and it will help get things done. This skill will benefit and build off of your perseverance.
5) The fifth most important article was the one by Deb Aronson. This article was about preventing censorship. It is important for schools to present students with all the facts.