Begin Again

A new school year has begun. I like the cyclical nature of it-- the ceremony, the similar faces that grew defined during the summer months. Braces came off. Baby fat was lost. Some of them I have had as students before and still their new stature can be intimidating.

My goals for this year are a bit different than for summer school:

I will strive to make my thinking more transparent to my students. (i.e. verbalize it)
I hope to create assignments that allow students to surprise me.
I hope to utilize class time in such a way that students feel busy and directed most of the time.
I want students to talk more.

The Ultimate Tool to Better Thinking

There is a non-profit called "The Foundation for Critical Thinking" whose purpose is to help people think better. This astounds me. The quantity of interesting and relevant information on this site boggles the mind. It is all free/ very cheap and packed full of examples and activities that allow readers to sharpen their critical thinking skills. The mind is a wily beast and this group believes that with practice and guidance, you can train it to think more rationally, deeply, and critically.

I was a student (like you) for 18 years of my life before I became a teacher and as I read through this site I see flashes of what Dr. Lightfoot and Mr. Dolger were trying to do. Is more extensive than what these teachers were able to do with limited time and therefore completes the task more thoroughly: Digest it in small pieces.

One critical thinking idea from the "How to study and learn" section:

Idea # 12: Seek to find the key concept of the course during the first couple of class meetings. For example, in a Biology course, try explaining what biology is in your own words? Then relate that definition to each segment of what you learn afterward. Fundamental ideas are the basis for all others.

It took me two years of studying the vague major of "Politics" at Whitman College before I discovered what is was exactly we studied. Politics is the study of power: how humans get it, retain it, and wield it over one another. Writing is about the skill of artful and clear communication in written form.

What is English as a subject?

English is about skill and appreciation of beauty of words (reading, writing, listening) which provide a window into human ethics (how we should behave) and psychology (how we think).

Some other subjects summarized by the Critical Thinking folks:

Mathematics as learning to think quantitatively

Economics as the study of “who gets what, when, & how”

Algebra as arithmetic with unknowns

Sociology as the study of human conformity to group norms

Anthropology as the physical and historical study of humans in light of their evolution from non-cultural into cultural animals

Physics as the study of mass and energy and their interaction

Chemistry as the study of elementary substances & the manner in which they react with each other

Philosophy as the study of ultimate questions with a view to living an examined life

Biochemistry as the chemistry of life processes in plants & animals

Science as the attempt to learn through quantifiable observations and controlled experimentation

Theology as the study of theories of spiritual reality

Ethics as the study of principles to be used in contributing to the good of, & avoiding unnecessary harm to, humans and other sentient creatures

Art as the application of skill and judgment to matters of taste and beauty (as in poetry, music, painting, dance, drama, sculpture, or architecture)

Professions as ways of earning a living through the skilled and artful use of knowledge in everyday life

Check out this site! www.criticalthinking.org