A CRITICAL THINKING CLASSROOM:

ASSUMPTIONS AND APPROACHES OF MY TEACHING

My Classroom is a Critical Thinking Classroom With Specific Implications for Teaching

I want to be sure that your family understands some basic assumptions and approaches of my teaching program, so we can ensure we are in alignment and share similar beliefs and goals for your child’s education. 

As someone dedicated to critical thinking, I will run my classroom based on its key principles.  The intellectual virtues are the main beliefs used to direct our thinking to make it truly critical and not biased.  They are the rules of the game that must be followed to play the thinking and learning game correctly and with high standards.

Faith in Reason

One of the principle intellectual virtues is faith in reason.  To have faith in reason means that I believe that using reason and critical thinking are important tools for finding what is true or the best answers to complex questions.  To be guided by reason means that I will approach topics of study in a scientific and scholarly manner.  I will seek evidence to support the conclusions I draw and will be concerned with the quality of the evidence and whether or not it is sufficient to make any conclusions at all.

Skepticism and the Freedom to Question and Critique

Critical thinkers with a scientific and scholarly approach to inquiry also value skepticism.  They will not believe things reported to them too easily and will want to check the claims and do their own thinking to see if they agree or disagree with the ideas being presented.  My classroom will value asking questions and questioning the way things are.  We will give ourselves permission to evaluate and criticize the world around us on any topic under the sun.  Students and I will feel free to evaluate and critique the events of history as well as our present day.  When we criticize, we will do so to gain a deeper understanding and be better prepared to make our world a better place.

Fairmindedness and A Wealth of Points of View
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Another core intellectual virtue is fairmindedness, which means to consider all points of view with equal rigor when making judgments about them.   My classroom will not prejudice one point of view over another because of personal bias but will look to the details, evidence, and logic supporting those views when evaluating them.  An example of this would be the presidential election project my students do.  Students are introduced to the full-range of political possibilities through the use of a Nolan chart that brings the political discussion far beyond the typical right versus left dialogue.  Instead of two candidates in our presidential debate, our critical thinking classroom had ten candidates, representing two independent candidates affiliated with no party, plus the following parties: Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Green, Alliance Party, Constitution Party, the Party of Socialism and Liberation, and the American Solidarity Party.  The students explored the full range of voices on ballots across the country, hearing political views not typically heard on main stream news outlets.  This is how a critical thinking classroom guided by fairmindedness approaches elections and is representative of how we will operate during all of our investigations.  

​The following are examples of Nolan Charts, created by David Nolan.
​Also, see "The World's Smallest Political Quiz."

  
Independence of Thought and Respectful Investigation and Discussion  
In my classroom, I will model commitment to freedom of inquiry and thought.  During class discussions points of view raised by students or myself will be respectfully considered.  We will not try to stop some points of view from being heard.  We will not try to shut down disagreements or differences of thought.  I want to develop the students’ ability to think independently and to engage in respectful discussion.  We will value hearing from all points of view.


Respectful Consideration of Other Cultures
In our study of the evolution of societies through history, our class will encounter cultures and lifeways far different from our own.  We will treat these people and their cultures respectfully with the goal of understanding their way of life and gaining a broad view of the human experience throughout history.  We will consider their values, social norms, and religious and spiritual beliefs as a vital part of their culture and its logic.  


Questions about My Teaching Assumptions and Basic Approach
If you want more detail or have any questions about my basic teaching assumptions and approach, please contact me.  I am happy to discuss this topic with you and answer your questions.