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:
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)

 

 




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L. Dee Fink         
234 Foreman Ave.
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Websites:      
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**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