Can You Handle The Truth
Are you an informed citizen in this digital age?
The time is overdue for introducing the fourth R in all schools.
One of my websites is devoted to the development of critical thinking skills; which are so vital in today’s world.
It must be taught in schools in this time of false truths; ask yourself this question-Why have we celebrated Christopher Columbus all over world?
Meet the fourth –Research-and answer that question.
I was delighted to learn that Academics from Uganda and Norway conducted research with 10.000 students teaching them to be the first firewall against alternative facts.
The imitative is teaching children to fight misinformation by practicing critical thinking skills.
During my primary school-days we were not allowed to question the teacher, and I was punished several times for doing just that.
In England many of the first generation of immigrant children from the Caribbean suffered a disservice by being placed in ESN schools; not asking questions was a big part of the problem.
I was happy to be part of the fight against such a practice in my short stint of teaching in the sixties.
California USA is in the forefront in the effort to introduce the teaching of critical thinking skills in schools.
There is a strong call to introduce “Research” as the fourth R in schools.
If you have any concern for the next generation; Please join the fight; view the BBC documentary-You can handle the truth.
Share your thoughts.
Recent Comments
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Sadly, research is something adults fail to use, which is probably one of the reasons why "fake news" exists.
Well done, Courtney.
The schools are not doing much better, I could burn some of my history books from school days.
Agreed on many points!
The additional term we came up for many years ago here:
1. Literacy
2. Numeracy
3. (The addition) 'operacy'.
This last term incorporates critical thinking; how we apply and reason through what we know.
One of the compulsory subjects that law students in many (not necessarily all) unis are taught is formal logic. It also forms part of the core sequence of many other undergraduate degrees. Yes, it's a philosophy subject.
It's sometimes a very confronting subject for a bright student to encounter for the first time. 'Why are we learning philosophy?' - You will hear students complaining.
It's confronting to find that despite having many facts at your disposal, your logical reasoning is unsound. It's confronting to discover, by testing your ideas with formal logic, that your conclusions can be false, even when you have correct premises.
This can make clever students feel very dumb at first! How can they be wrong ...when their facts are solid?
Easy, your working-out was flawed.
These are the small weaknesses of thinking I'd like to see bettered in classrooms, at a much earlier age. These are the flaws of thinking that more wiley political dealers exploit. I recommend books such as 'The Elements of Reasoning' by Munson and Black, as well as 'The Art of Deception' by Capaldi, for any who are new to and interested in the topic.
All that said, to become immune to the predations of con-artists, and develop stronger reasoning skills, there also needs to be a measure of openness. You must be open to whatever your logical enquiry might uncover, like a detective, rather than defensively asserting a position. You will not know the truth any other way. I love the old movie '12 Angry Men' as an example of this!
Sometimes a lack openness is socialised, or it's a quirk of character. Other times, it has been cultivated by people in whose interest it is to convince you that defence of their toxic ideas is somehow married to your personal and group identity. This kind of false existential crisis (we are under attack!) shuts down the brain's capacity to sensibly reason.
How do we teach inquiry as a part of good character development?
When you say -facts-the key is how do you know they are facts.have they been researched? We have been taught and still is being taught a lot of misinformation .Thanks for you contribution
Hi Courtney,
The speed of gravity near earth's surface is approximately 9.8 m/s2. This is a fact. Not an opinion. It's verifiable, empirical information; this is why we call it a fact.
What you do with that factual information might lead to unsound conclusions however, if your grasp of science is poor.
What you do with any information in fact - how you join the dots - may be questionable, though you're in possession of a few solid facts. This is often how propagandists lie. With only a few drops of poison into an otherwise clear well. You drink the lot.
Formal logic teaches people the traps of such distorted reasoning, and to be aware of how they think, not just what they think.
FWIW, all my past postgraduate work has been in the study of propaganda, and I am well-aware of the interesting range of methods that have been used to mislead, dismay, and otherwise paralyse people into indecision. The toolkit of deception goes well beyond just 'misinformation'. The techniques by which your everyday human vulnerabilities may be exploited are many, and unsettling.
I would love it if critical thinking and philosophy were taught alongside core subjects from the earliest years of primary school, for this reason!
You may have a point; it's a fact when you can prove it after researching not because some professor said so or you read it in a book .We learnt that Christopher Columbus discovered the West Indies but he found Indians there. What was meant by discovered may be argued.Thanks for engaging.
Just bought a book you might like, even though it's US specific: Fantasyland: How American (went wrong, something like that) that traces the history of accepting bad information. Loving it so far, even though I'm only 30+ pages in.
Yes, I'm back Courtney; good to see, first thing, a thoughtful piece from you....
Tim
Welcome back
When I look back at some of the crap we swallowed during per schooling I am embarrassed.
More than 60 pages in, now, and he's taken us all the way back to the 15th century! Who was it that first came to this hemisphere, and what lies did they swallow before taking the plunge! Fascination stuff....
Of course, there were many who weren't given the option.....
Tim
I wish all the best for your website on Critical Thinking Skills in Schools. This area as a niche appears prospective.
Thanks for sharing
I have created the website as a way of.giving back for all the years I was out of the classroom after my free training..I graduated in 1967 and gave up teaching in 1969
I was also cognissant of the stagnation in education.
Very good Codevonish.
This is the reason why you'll be pumping out Critical Thinking Skills through your website and attract as much followers as possible.
Cheers!
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Excellent Post.
Wendi