(2003-11-25) Teaching Critical Thinking

Article on teaching Critical Thinking in college (Educating Kids). Sarah Wyatt asked them instead to break into teams and work to develop original hypotheses of a plant's development. As Withers and his group began designing an Experiment to test their hypothesis, they were forced to reconsider methods and conclusions. What flaws and limits might be embedded in their approach? What could they know with certainty? What could they not know?... At least since the 1970s, some college faculty have been calling for higher education to refocus on the "liberal learning" model espoused by John Dewey... Seniors do have the ability to understand that a controversial problem can and should be approached from several perspectives, (Patricia King) says. But they are often unable to come to a reasoned conclusion even when all the facts to solve a problem are present. "They're left on the fence," she says. "They say, "Look how open-minded I am. But when pressed to say, "What do you think about this? What suggestions would you make and what are they based on?" - that's when the process falls apart. They are unable to reach or defend a conclusion that's most reasonable and consistent with the facts."