The last few weeks of the semester were the most interesting for my class, and in many ways the most active. I learned more about my students in the last few classes than I had the rest of the semester. While both my instructor and I agree that the class was one of the most unenthusiastic we had ever been a part of, we are both satisfied that the students earned the grades they received, and that we helped them along their career path. We encountered two major problems in the class this semester. First, and perhaps the one more easily fixable, a communication problem. Secondly, the problem we struggled most with, a lack of participation or even interest in the class.
In our eagerness to emphasize independent thinking, we unintentionally de-emphasized adherence to class requirements. We urged the students to consider why they were taking this course – and others. We told them we wanted them to be different, to think for themselves, to not only learn, but to realize why they were learning. They were encouraged to discover their own biases as well of those of their teachers, family, and even the authors who wrote …show more content…
In his 1998 book, defines critical thinking as “skillful, responsible thinking that facilitates good judgment because it relies upon criteria, is self-correcting, and is sensitive to context.” It is a quote from my Text & Critics days and one that I gave to my class when they were preparing their presentations. I told them that I wanted them to work against their biases, to understand which side they were leaning towards, and then try and convince themselves that the opposite was true. If they could even convince themselves that the other side had a few good points, then they could convince the class of it as well. This would also make their jobs easier as they would research deeper into their subjects, trying to prove the opposing view
In our eagerness to emphasize independent thinking, we unintentionally de-emphasized adherence to class requirements. We urged the students to consider why they were taking this course – and others. We told them we wanted them to be different, to think for themselves, to not only learn, but to realize why they were learning. They were encouraged to discover their own biases as well of those of their teachers, family, and even the authors who wrote …show more content…
In his 1998 book, defines critical thinking as “skillful, responsible thinking that facilitates good judgment because it relies upon criteria, is self-correcting, and is sensitive to context.” It is a quote from my Text & Critics days and one that I gave to my class when they were preparing their presentations. I told them that I wanted them to work against their biases, to understand which side they were leaning towards, and then try and convince themselves that the opposite was true. If they could even convince themselves that the other side had a few good points, then they could convince the class of it as well. This would also make their jobs easier as they would research deeper into their subjects, trying to prove the opposing view