The Foundation for Critical thinking has sent me a notice of their new fee-based membership to the Center for Critical Thinking Community Online (CriticalThinkingCommunity). It offers many perks, such as access to its library of books and videos, all produced by the Foundation. One can also receive news, a blog written by two senior fellows […]
Author Archives: Nancy Burkhalter
Questions: Our Secret Weapon
Alison King, in her article “Designing the Instructional Process to Enhance Critical Thinking across the Curriculum,”* relates the story of physics Nobel Prize winner Isidor Rabi. When he returned from school, he said his mother would not ask what had he learned, but rather what good questions had he asked that day. He said it […]
Can You Spot Fake News?
Fake news is everywhere, it seems. Such chicanery succeeds because many of us don’t have tools to help us tell the difference. Peter Facione, in his article “Ten Ways To Spot Fake News,” outlines a Credibility Test, consisting of 10 yes/no questions that can signal a dubious source. I am abbreviating his ideas here, but […]
Asking ‘Why’ and ‘What If’
The New York Times’ Warren Berger suggests that critical thinking can get a boost if you ask the powerful questions “why” and “what if.” As questions proliferate, you are likely to get some good answers. Asking ‘why’ and ‘what if’.
Convincing Someone When Facts Are Not Enough
Michael Shermer tries to sort out what happens when people turn a deaf ear to the facts we know to be “true.” When Facts Fail.
Why Chinese students struggle with critical thinking in U.S. universities
When Facts Backfire
In the January issue of Scientific American, Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic magazine, wrote “When Facts Backfire.”
Fake Academic Journals? I’m shocked!
Fake Academic Journals? I’m shocked!
My book is out!
Critical Thinking Now: Practical Teaching Methods for Classrooms around the World Today’s curricula can (and should) incorporate critical thinking methods because they are the means by which people best understand, learn, and retain higher level concepts. Contrary to what many professional trainers assume, teaching critical thinking is not achieved by shoveling facts at an audience […]
Think they understand? Ask ’em.
` Quizzes and tests are time-honored methods of finding out about student learning beyond what you think they know. But there is a quicker, informal, non-graded way to do that by asking them. Although it could be done every class session, I do it after I teach a certain skill and always at midterm […]
