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, butContinue reading “Can You Spot Fake News?”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
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 audienceContinue reading “My book is out!”
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 midtermContinue reading “Think they understand? Ask ’em.”
Foundation for Critical Thinking Offers Certification in Paul-Elder Method
The Foundation for Critical Thinking is offering certification in its method for understanding and teaching critical thinking. I’ve attended and presented at several of its conferences and think it’s really necessary to see how the method in action to really understand how to do it. It’s billed as an approach to reason through a problem or issue,Continue reading “Foundation for Critical Thinking Offers Certification in Paul-Elder Method”
Site Sightings
For all my research and reading and writing about critical thinking, I was surprised I hadn’t heard about the Association for Informal Logic and Critical Thinking (AILACT). It works in conjunction with the American Psychological Association and at times the Canadian Philosophical Association. It’s a very low-key group but recently put out a plan toContinue reading “Site Sightings”
Critical Thinking Now! 