Jordan Peterson The Best Way To Learn Critical Thinking

Col Dixon

6 Jun 201803:21

Summary

TLDRThe transcript emphasizes the importance of teaching critical thinking through writing. It highlights the difficulty in teaching writing due to its time-consuming nature and the challenge of providing constructive feedback. The speaker argues that writing is synonymous with thinking and is a powerful tool for success. They express frustration that universities often fail to convey the purpose of writing assignments beyond grades, missing the opportunity to empower students with a skill that can lead to effective action and influence in the world.

Takeaways

📝 Writing is a critical skill for teaching critical thinking.
🕒 Teaching writing is time-intensive and challenging.
📉 Identifying and correcting errors in writing is crucial for improvement.
📈 Using a rubric can help address the difficulties in teaching writing.
🤔 Writing is intrinsically linked to thinking and effective action.
🏫 Universities often fail to explain the importance of writing to students.
💡 Writing is a powerful tool for achieving goals and winning arguments.
🗣️ Coherent argumentation and presentation skills are highly valued.
💼 Effective writing and communication can lead to opportunities and influence.
🤷‍♂️ The lack of emphasis on writing skills is a mystery and potential disadvantage.

Q & A

What is considered the best way to teach critical thinking according to the transcript?
-Teaching people to write is considered the best way to teach critical thinking.
Why is teaching people to write considered difficult?
-It is difficult because it is time-intensive and requires detailed feedback on multiple aspects of writing, such as word choice, phrasing, sentence structure, and paragraph coherence.
What is the main issue with marking a bad essay?
-The main issue is that almost every aspect of the essay can be wrong, making it challenging to provide constructive feedback without overwhelming the student.
What approach does the speaker suggest to address the difficulty of teaching writing?
-The speaker suggests addressing the issue from the production side using a rubric, rather than focusing solely on grading.
Why is writing equated with thinking in the transcript?
-Writing is equated with thinking because there is no difference between the two; writing is a form of expressing thoughts coherently.
What is the significance of understanding why one should write something, as mentioned in the transcript?
-Understanding why one should write is significant because it motivates students to learn to think, which is essential for acting effectively in the world.
How does the ability to write, speak, and present relate to success, according to the speaker?
-The ability to write, speak, and present coherently is considered a powerful weapon that can lead to success by winning arguments, gaining opportunities, and having influence.
What analogy does the speaker use to describe the importance of learning to write?
-The speaker uses the analogy of a sword, an M16, and a bulletproof vest to describe learning to write as equipping oneself with powerful tools for success.
Why does the speaker find it puzzling that the importance of writing is not made evident to students?
-The speaker is puzzled because writing is a critical skill that can greatly enhance a person's ability to succeed, yet it is often not emphasized enough in education.
What might be a reason for not emphasizing the importance of writing in education, as speculated in the transcript?
-One speculated reason is that there might be a conspiracy to keep students weak to reduce competition, though this is presented as a hypothetical idea.
What is the speaker's view on the role of articulateness in education?
-The speaker views articulateness as a dangerous and powerful tool that should be taught to students to empower them.

Outlines

00:00

📝 The Importance of Teaching Writing for Critical Thinking

The paragraph emphasizes the significance of teaching writing as a means to develop critical thinking skills. It acknowledges the difficulty and time-consuming nature of teaching writing, especially when it comes to providing constructive feedback on poorly written essays. The speaker suggests using a rubric to address these challenges from a production standpoint rather than just grading. The core argument is that writing is synonymous with thinking, and universities often fail to convey to students the importance of writing as a tool for effective action in the world. The speaker passionately argues that articulate communication is a powerful weapon and that those who can write, speak, and present well are unstoppable. The paragraph concludes with a critique of the education system for not making the value of writing and critical thinking more apparent to students.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Critical Thinking

Critical thinking refers to the ability to think clearly and rationally, evaluating arguments and evidence to form judgments. In the video, the speaker emphasizes that teaching people to write is the best way to develop critical thinking skills. Writing forces individuals to organize their thoughts and articulate them logically, which is central to the video's theme of personal empowerment and effective communication.

💡Time Intensive

Time intensive describes tasks that require a significant amount of time to complete. The speaker mentions that teaching people to write is 'unbelievably time intensive' because it involves providing detailed feedback on every aspect of a piece of writing. This highlights the challenge of teaching writing skills and the investment required to develop proficiency.

💡Rubric

A rubric is a set of criteria or standards used to evaluate work. The speaker discusses creating a rubric to address the challenges of teaching writing from the production side, rather than just grading. This indicates a shift in focus from simply assessing students' work to guiding them in the writing process, which is crucial for developing their critical thinking.

💡Coherent

Coherent means logically organized and consistent. The speaker criticizes poorly written essays for lacking coherence, where sentences and paragraphs do not make sense together. Coherence is essential for effective communication, which is a key message of the video.

💡Argumentation

Argumentation is the process of forming and presenting reasoned arguments. The speaker stresses the importance of being able to formulate arguments coherently, as it is a powerful tool for influencing others and achieving goals. This is exemplified in the video by the idea that articulate individuals can persuade and convince, which is a central theme.

💡Influence

Influence refers to the capacity to have an effect on someone or something. The speaker connects the ability to write, think, and speak well with gaining influence, suggesting that those who master these skills can sway others and achieve their objectives. This ties into the broader theme of empowerment through communication.

💡University

University is a tertiary educational institution. The speaker expresses surprise that universities do not always explain the purpose of writing assignments beyond grades, missing the opportunity to emphasize the development of thinking skills. This critique underscores the video's message about the importance of education in developing practical life skills.

💡Articulate

Articulate means expressing oneself clearly and effectively. The speaker advocates for teaching people to be articulate, likening it to equipping them with a powerful weapon. Being articulate is portrayed as essential for success in various aspects of life, including persuasion and professional advancement.

💡Battles

Battles, in this context, metaphorically represent challenges or conflicts. The speaker uses the term to illustrate that effective thinking, speaking, and writing can help individuals 'win battles,' or overcome obstacles. This metaphor is used to emphasize the practical benefits of developing strong communication skills.

💡Self-Evident

Self-evident means something that is obviously true and does not require proof or explanation. The speaker questions why the importance of writing and critical thinking is not made 'self-evident' to students, suggesting that it should be clear to everyone that these skills are vital for success.

💡Competition

Competition refers to the activity or condition of striving to gain or win something by defeating or establishing superiority over others. The speaker humorously suggests that there might be a conspiracy to keep students from developing critical thinking skills to reduce competition, highlighting the perceived value of these skills in society.

Highlights

The best way to teach critical thinking is through writing.

Teaching people to write is challenging due to its time-intensive nature.

Marking a good essay is easier than a bad one, which requires extensive feedback.

It's crucial to identify and correct specific mistakes in writing rather than overwhelming the student.

A rubric can help address writing issues from a production standpoint.

Writing is fundamentally linked to thinking.

Universities often fail to explain the purpose of writing assignments to students.

Writing is a tool for effective action and winning battles in life.

The ability to think, speak, and write well is a powerful weapon.

Successful people are often those who can articulate their points effectively.

Good writing and presentation skills can lead to opportunities and influence.

The purpose of university education should include teaching articulate communication.

Articulation is considered the most dangerous thing one can be.

Students should be motivated to learn writing as it's like being given a sword or a weapon.

It's a mystery why the importance of writing isn't made evident in education.

There might be a conspiracy to keep students weak in the education system.

If students are not taught to think critically, they won't challenge authority.