Karla,
I am so glad you brought this new book to everyone's attention.
Brookfield's new book on critical thinking has another section that is of
special interest to TBL folks.
In the chapter on "How Critical Thinking is Learned", the first "how"
is: *"Critical
Thinking is a Social Learning Process"* (pp. 55 - 60). He cites data in
which students identify small group activities as especially valuable in
learning critical thinking.
Part of the reason this social dimension emerges as so important, is
because of the way Brookfield defines critical thinking:
- Hunting for one's assumptions
- Checking the validity of one's assumptions
- Seeing things (problems, issues) from different viewpoints
- Taking informed action
Brookfield makes the argument [valid, in my view] that it is extremely
difficult for people to pull out of their own perspective and paradigm, to
see issues from new perspectives (step #3). Being in dialogue with others
who have different viewpoints is almost necessary to enable me to see these
alternative perspectives. Hence the value of carefully structured small
group interactions.
He describes some very interesting small group assignments aimed at
each of these four steps.
It would be interesting to know if anyone sees a way to work these
into a TBL sequence.
My Best, Dee Fink
On Fri, Dec 2, 2011 at 8:46 AM, Kubitz, Karla <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Hi all,****
>
> I just read an article in the November *Faculty Focus* newsletter that
> discussed Brookfield’s new book on teaching critical thinking. The article
> is entitled *Teaching Critical Thinking: Are We Clear *and it was written
> by Maryellen Weimer. I thought you might be interested in the listing
> below of ‘times in a course when critical thinking is most important’.
> Several of them match up quite nicely with what TBL requires of students
> during well-designed application exercises. Karla****
>
> ** **
>
> *• When skills and knowledge have to be applied in the real world
> *
>
> *• When independent judgment is needed*
>
> *• When alternative interpretations and perspectives are possible
> *
>
> *• When actions and decisions need to be informed*
>
> *• When rapid judgments are called for*
>
> *• When students are encouraged to see themselves as knowledge
> generators ( from November Faculty Focus, Weimer, 2011)*
>
> ** **
>
> ** **
>
> *Karla Kubitz, Ph.D., FACSM
> Program Coordinator, Exercise Science*
>
> *Department of Kinesiology
> Towson University
> 8000 York Rd
> Towson, MD 21252
> 410-704-3168 (ph)
> 410-704-3912 (fax)*
>
> ** **
>
> ** **
>
--
***********************
L. Dee Fink
234 Foreman Ave.
Norman, OK 73069
Phone/FAX: 405-364-6464
Email: [log in to unmask]
Websites:
www.designlearning.org [multiple resources on course design]
www.deefinkandassociates.com [offer workshops & online courses]
www.finkconsulting.info [Fink's consulting activities &
publications]
**Former President of the POD Network in Higher Education (2004-2005)
**Author of: *Creating Significant Learning Experiences* (2003, Jossey-Bass)
**National Project Director: Teaching & Curriculum Improvement (TCI)
Project
**Senior Associate, Dee Fink & Associates Consulting Services
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