critical thinking in schools

[jasoncran]

are the public schools and colleges allowing /encourage critical thinking?

I have some doubts, as in some areas in the public schools only evolution is taught as truth, in florida teachers are allowed to discuss the alternatives along with evolution, but many may not being doing that.?

I recently informed of that as a churchmember teaches in a charter schools and shows both sides.

as usual i'll post links and that is only from a another persons story, but if you have been taught to think critically by the school or college let me know. I was, but that was 18 yrs ago and much has changed.

An ap history teacher taught me that just because you read it in a book it may not be true, and thus a seed was planted.

communism in school and aclu trying to allow the inaccurate communist book in south florida, funny i dont recall that, but link and some may pick it apart
http://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/2006/ ... ry-schools

another story of indoctraction in california
http://www.diversityaddiction.com/index ... &Itemid=31

found encouring one fostering critical skills in Washington
http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB ... ew&id=2931

 

[Guest]

Our schools could do a much better job teaching critical thinking skills. They could also do a much better job of teaching abstract thinking skills. Too many lack the experience with abstract thought which is essential to considering things from the perspective of another (i.e., placing themselves in another's shoes).

 

[jasoncran]

Our schools could do a much better job teaching critical thinking skills. They could also do a much better job of teaching abstract thinking skills. Too many lack the experience with abstract thought which is essential to considering things from the perspective of another (i.e., placing themselves in another's shoes).

i agree with that and the last link said that as well, i found a reference to how to teach critical thinking skills and it mentioned abstract thought as well.

Jason

 

[Evointrinsic]

I completely agree! Critical thinking should be projected in schools more readily as there often is only a few variants to be taught. You brought up evolution, what do you suggest be taught as an alternative to it in science class?

 

[Guest]

You brought up evolution, what do you suggest be taught as an alternative to it in science class?

I recommend moving this discussion to another thread so as to prevent this thread from devolving into an evolution vs. creationism/whatever debate.

 

[Evointrinsic]

My questions is perfectly relevant to the original post. i dont see any sign of it going off into another topic all together.

 

[Fembot]

I don't think critical thinking is promoted by public schools. It depends on the teacher, however, since a couple of my history and social studies teachers did try to get us to look between the lines and research both sides of a story. My sociology and english teachers in college did focus on this important aspect of learning.

 

[jasoncran]

My questions is perfectly relevant to the original post. i dont see any sign of it going off into another topic all together.

i used that as an example as a friend of mine who's a christian but teaches in a charter school show both sides of the evolution debate, i dont want to delve into that here, but i will say that in grade school(1984) i was taught both creationism and evolution in science class. jason

perhaps another thread i will comment on that.

Jason

 

[jasoncran]

well then, do some you honestly believe that schools indoctrinate, and please if you have seen it do tell.

Jason

 

[handy]

I have to say that my kid's schools do a fairly good job of teaching critical thinking. Especially in the matter of the environment. With so many schools going bang-out on the idea of man-made global warming, I found it refreshing that my kid's teachers insisted that they look at both sides of the issue.

All in all, I find that lacking critical thinking isn't confined just to the schools. It seems as though our whole society is being led to believe that they should just agree with and embrace what they are told. There is a lack of critical thought in our news medias, our schools, our popular culture etc.

Perhaps that's why it's getting harder and harder to have civil discourse between two people who disagree on a point. Neither have been taught to critically examine their own ideas much less those of opposing opinions.

 

[jasoncran]

I have to say that my kid's schools do a fairly good job of teaching critical thinking. Especially in the matter of the environment. With so many schools going bang-out on the idea of man-made global warming, I found it refreshing that my kid's teachers insisted that they look at both sides of the issue.

All in all, I find that lacking critical thinking isn't confined just to the schools. It seems as though our whole society is being led to believe that they should just agree with and embrace what they are told. There is a lack of critical thought in our news medias, our schools, our popular culture etc.

Perhaps that's why it's getting harder and harder to have civil discourse between two people who disagree on a point. Neither have been taught to critically examine their own ideas much less those of opposing opinions.

yes, i see ur view, and honestly i wasn't sure how this thread would go, but i'm learning from it as well.

 

[Nick]

well, from my own experiences critical thinking is being promoted in most schools around Australia (though I can't speak for everyone here). Creationism is taugh in Christian Ed and evolution is taught in science (both where they should be). Evolution isn't focused on much, but it is refered to as the theory of evolution.

We are living in a post modernist society, where critical thinking and looking at things from your own personal response and personal experiences is encouraged.

The world has come a long way from 100 years (even 30 years ago) when it was a modern socieety where you had to look at something a particular way and the whole society was encouraged to look at something (for example a text) a certain way and told "this is what it means". Boy have we come a long way.


So yeah, I"m for critical thinking, and I think in general schools do a pretty good job, but improvements can always be made.

But remember this is me speaking from my own experiences here in Australia. It could be different in other places.

 

[jasoncran]

well, from my own experiences critical thinking is being promoted in most schools around Australia (though I can't speak for everyone here). Creationism is taugh in Christian Ed and evolution is taught in science (both where they should be). Evolution isn't focused on much, but it is refered to as the theory of evolution.

We are living in a post modernist society, where critical thinking and looking at things from your own personal response and personal experiences is encouraged.

The world has come a long way from 100 years (even 30 years ago) when it was a modern socieety where you had to look at something a particular way and the whole society was encouraged to look at something (for example a text) a certain way and told "this is what it means". Boy have we come a long way.


So yeah, I"m for critical thinking, and I think in general schools do a pretty good job, but improvements can always be made.

But remember this is me speaking from my own experiences here in Australia. It could be different in other places.

In some area of amercian public schools global warming is taught as fact and there's no debate( ie hearing from the side that says that not what the data shows and looking at their viewpoint.)

There's a lot of wiggle room(acedemic freedom) in schools and college, but the curriculum is set up by national standards, accredition and so on, and should be, but that doesnt mean in the areas of debatable things(evolution,global warming, history, i put that there as some school districts dont show that the founders of the U.S. owned slaves, or the fact that the civil war was not over slavery but states rights) shouldnt be discussed.

Some school do that and allow critical thinking while others dont, and i'm looking for those who were indoctrinated to speak up, i hear about it, i'm just want to hear firsthand.

Jason

 

[Nick]

well, from my own experiences critical thinking is being promoted in most schools around Australia (though I can't speak for everyone here). Creationism is taugh in Christian Ed and evolution is taught in science (both where they should be). Evolution isn't focused on much, but it is refered to as the theory of evolution.

We are living in a post modernist society, where critical thinking and looking at things from your own personal response and personal experiences is encouraged.

The world has come a long way from 100 years (even 30 years ago) when it was a modern socieety where you had to look at something a particular way and the whole society was encouraged to look at something (for example a text) a certain way and told "this is what it means". Boy have we come a long way.


So yeah, I"m for critical thinking, and I think in general schools do a pretty good job, but improvements can always be made.

But remember this is me speaking from my own experiences here in Australia. It could be different in other places.

In some area of amercian public schools global warming is taught as fact and there's no debate( ie hearing from the side that says that not what the data shows and looking at their viewpoint.)

There's a lot of wiggle room(acedemic freedom) in schools and college, but the curriculum is set up by national standards, accredition and so on, and should be, but that doesnt mean in the areas of debatable things(evolution,global warming, history, i put that there as some school districts dont show that the founders of the U.S. owned slaves, or the fact that the civil war was not over slavery but states rights) shouldnt be discussed.

Some school do that and allow critical thinking while others dont, and i'm looking for those who were indoctrinated to speak up, i hear about it, i'm just want to hear firsthand.

Jason

While our school encourages us to learn critical skills, global warming is presented almost as fact. If you look at all the evidence, it's undeniable that it's happening. But lets not get into "is global warming real". Let's just stick to the OP.

 

[jasoncran]

let me refrase that is man the cause of global warming, that' s what i meant, and that's debatable, and also by some in america its called climate change, because the facts as you say are not showing that to some scientists. I'm not buying into the myth that man is causing a cycle yes, nick i remember as a kid in school about 3rd grade (1982) that the ice age was comming and that california would have big one and la,sanfrancisco,woud be underwater, all of a sudden two years later oops we were wrong, kinda makes me skeptical. totopic

 

[Nick]

let me refrase that is man the cause of global warming, that' s what i meant, and that's debatable, and also by some in america its called climate change, because the facts as you say are not showing that to some scientists. I'm not buying into the myth that man is causing a cycle yes, nick i remember as a kid in school about 3rd grade (1982) that the ice age was comming and that california would have big one and la,sanfrancisco,woud be underwater, all of a sudden two years later oops we were wrong, kinda makes me skeptical. totopic

well actually yes it is officially called climate change because some parts of the US and Europe are expected to go into an ice age because of the changes in sea currents, while other countries like Australia will get hotter.

But yes, back to topic.

 

[Sanitarium]

i used that as an example as a friend of mine who's a christian but teaches in a charter school show both sides of the evolution debate, i dont want to delve into that here, but i will say that in grade school(1984) i was taught both creationism and evolution in science class. jason

perhaps another thread i will comment on that.

Jason

To be perfectly honest, there IS no debate about Evolution - just Fundamentalists insisting there is 'debate' because they want their religion pushed in the science classroom. Honestly though, since you take it on faith, it is clearly religion and not science.

But let us say there were some actual 'debate' over this - I note you only said 'both sides' implying there are only 2. If, however, we start teaching one unfounded belief in a science classroom in order to be fair, we would also have to include all of the other origin myths and beliefs (ie. every religion that ever existed). Why don't you guys ever include those? It really does seem you want to force your own religion in and have it taught as FACT (even though it is faith and not fact), yet you are not willing to let your children be taught about other beliefs origin myths and beliefs too. Why not?

It also does not escape notice that your requests for the curriculum only extends so far as [attempting to] 'rubbish' evolution and does not deal with "teaching the controversy" in other subjects - ie:
1. History - we can teach that the holocaust may not have actually happened!
2. Science - we can teach that the Earth may very well be flat
3. Psychology - we can teach that phrenology is a legitimate way to determine who is a criminal and who is not!

(there are people who believe the above to this very day)

So on and so forth - I'm sure you get my point. Just label outdated pseudoscience, unfounded belief - faith (as opposed to 'faith' borne from personal experience ie. expecting a chair to hold your weight because it always has previously) or appeals to authority as "controversy" or "debated" and you think you can sneak it into the science classroom? Sorry but no dice.

Here's the deal - it's actually very simple to get Creationism through the front door of the science classroom (legitimately):
1. Compile your scientific evidence.
2. Write a paper
3. Submit it for peer review.

Three.Little.Steps.

 

[Caroline H]

Although the issue of critical thinking in school can be tied up in the debate over evolution/creationism, I think that to delve into that discussion here would bring the conversation way off topic. There are already several topics in the "Christianity & Science" forum that debate the validity of each so let's not do that here please. totopic

 

[Mark62]

Hi folks

An Australian perspective as a parent of two teenagers.

1. Theory: "2. a proposed explanation whose status is still conjectural, in contrast to well-established propositions that are regarded as reporting matters of actual fact" Macquarie Dictionary

As a parent I have no problems with the content of what is being taught in our schools. The whole evolution question/debate that I see raised on these forums doesnt even hit the radar in the Christian circles in which I move.

I decided to try and put some of this into perspective last night and after chatting with my eldest son on this we calculated that the lessons on Charles Darwin and the Theory of Evolution amounted to about 0.2% of his total lessons in his 4 years of junior high school. (he isn't taking any sciences in senior years).

Evolution was presented as a theory, so too the Big Bang. As a Christian parent I see this as a non-issue, however I recognise others here will beg to differ.

2. On Monday I sat here a looked over on the desk in our study to see his assignment for Advanced English on Othello laying around (boy, he can get untidy sometimes), which read, in part:

"......"now more than ever, our interpretation of Shakespeare's work is determined not just by the text itself, but by our own understanding of context, values and attitudes"...

Explain how your interpretation of Othello has been affected by your study of critical theories and/or by your own personal repsonse to he play."

So certainly in a state high-schools in NSW, I think critical thinking is being taught.

 

[jasoncran]

i used that as an example as a friend of mine who's a christian but teaches in a charter school show both sides of the evolution debate, i dont want to delve into that here, but i will say that in grade school(1984) i was taught both creationism and evolution in science class. jason

perhaps another thread i will comment on that.

Jason

To be perfectly honest, there IS no debate about Evolution - just Fundamentalists insisting there is 'debate' because they want their religion pushed in the science classroom. Honestly though, since you take it on faith, it is clearly religion and not science.

But let us say there were some actual 'debate' over this - I note you only said 'both sides' implying there are only 2. If, however, we start teaching one unfounded belief in a science classroom in order to be fair, we would also have to include all of the other origin myths and beliefs (ie. every religion that ever existed). Why don't you guys ever include those? It really does seem you want to force your own religion in and have it taught as FACT (even though it is faith and not fact), yet you are not willing to let your children be taught about other beliefs origin myths and beliefs too. Why not?

It also does not escape notice that your requests for the curriculum only extends so far as [attempting to] 'rubbish' evolution and does not deal with "teaching the controversy" in other subjects - ie:
1. History - we can teach that the holocaust may not have actually happened!
2. Science - we can teach that the Earth may very well be flat
3. Psychology - we can teach that phrenology is a legitimate way to determine who is a criminal and who is not!

(there are people who believe the above to this very day)

So on and so forth - I'm sure you get my point. Just label outdated pseudoscience, unfounded belief - faith (as opposed to 'faith' borne from personal experience ie. expecting a chair to hold your weight because it always has previously) or appeals to authority as "controversy" or "debated" and you think you can sneak it into the science classroom? Sorry but no dice.

Here's the deal - it's actually very simple to get Creationism through the front door of the science classroom (legitimately):
1. Compile your scientific evidence.
2. Write a paper
3. Submit it for peer review.

Three.Little.Steps.

i was going to address some of that as in America, some schools dont teach the true history, but only one side, thus my comment about the civil war in America, the schools in the south call the war between the states and the North calls the the civil war, interesting thread which i may start.