Last time, I discussed how critical thinking is not the “holy grail” transferrable skill that we tend to think it is. Rather, it is a function of knowledge, something most deeply practicable in domains we know enough about. This isn’t a new idea in my writing, as I discuss it in the knowledge-building chapter of […]
Archives for July 2019
Critical Thinking Comes from Knowledge-Building
“Clearly, the only appropriate response to North Korean aggression is nuclear destruction.” I rubbed my temples as the fifth student suggested nuclear holocaust as the best response to the latest North Korean action. This was several years ago in my ninth grade world history classroom. We were holding an impromptu pop-up debate on the week’s […]
The Effort Belief in Action: Read Naturally as a Case Study
Nic was convinced that no matter how hard he tried, he would never do better in school. Unsurprisingly, this meant that Nic did not want to try at all. His conviction wasn’t built on laziness or bad intentions. Nic, like all of the students I’ve ever taught, didn’t want to be unsuccessful, and in other […]