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3 - Teaching Critical Thinking as if Our Future Depends on It, Because It Does

from Part II - Science and Math

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 February 2019

John Dunlosky
Affiliation:
Kent State University, Ohio
Katherine A. Rawson
Affiliation:
Kent State University, Ohio
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Summary

Critical thinking is the antidote for the chaos of our time, a time when facts are considered relative and the truth takes a backseat to what is popular (or gets you more air time in the media). We need to inoculate our students, so that they recognize fallacious reasoning and can resist the persuasive appeals of others, as well as encouraging them to be mindful of their own thinking biases. This chapter extols the importance of critical thinking instruction, offers a historical perspective to critical thinking instruction (and resistance to it) and the educational and assessment implications of teaching critical thinking, and places special emphasis on the real-world implications of thinking critically in an effort to create a better future for the next generations.
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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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