28th Conference on Critical Thinking Keynote - 4 of 4
Summary
TLDRThe speaker critiques the portrayal of universities, particularly UCLA, as bastions of critical thinking, suggesting that their self-promotion is often at odds with reality. They present findings from a study on 38 universities, revealing that while faculty claim to prioritize critical thinking, their methods are often vague and ineffective. The speaker emphasizes the need for a realistic assessment of educational practices to bridge the gap between ideal and reality, advocating for an integrated approach to teaching that fosters critical thinking across disciplines.
Takeaways
- đą The speaker critiques the idea that universities, including prestigious ones like UCLA, are immune to promoting their own interests through propaganda.
- đ UCLA's advertisement in the New York Times is used as an example of how universities can present an idealized image of critical thinking and intellectual engagement.
- đ§ The speaker challenges the notion that students at universities like UCLA are automatically engaged in critical thinking from their first day on campus.
- đ A study sponsored by the California Legislature was conducted to assess how well universities foster critical thinking, including UCLA.
- đ The study's findings suggest that while faculty claim critical thinking is a primary goal, the methods of teaching for it are often vague or partial.
- đ€ Faculty members were found to be less effective in teaching students how to assess information critically compared to fostering social standards.
- đ« The speaker emphasizes the gap between the ideal of critical thinking in higher education and the reality, urging for a more honest appraisal.
- đ The importance of being both idealistic (having a vision), realistic (assessing current reality), and practical (taking action) in education is highlighted.
- đ ïž The speaker advocates for an integrated approach to teaching that is practical and moves towards the ideal, rather than relying on disconnected strategies.
- đ The necessity for students to learn to think critically within the context of their disciplines and to see the world from multiple perspectives is underscored.
Q & A
What is the main concern raised by the speaker about universities?
-The speaker is concerned that universities, including prestigious ones like UCLA, may generate propaganda to advance their vested interests rather than focusing on critical thinking and objectivity.
What does the speaker claim about UCLA's portrayal in their New York Times ad?
-The speaker claims that UCLA's ad in the New York Times presents an idealized image of the university as a place where critical thinking is a primary goal, which the speaker questions based on their research.
What was the scope of the research conducted by the speaker?
-The research was conducted over three years, studying 38 universities, including 28 private ones, to determine the extent to which critical thinking is fostered in university instruction.
What was the primary finding of the research regarding the role of critical thinking in university instruction?
-The primary finding was that the overwhelming response from faculty members across the curriculum was that critical thinking was considered a primary goal of their instruction.
How did the faculty members describe their approach to teaching critical thinking?
-Faculty members described their approach in very partial and vague terms, often mentioning teaching students to recognize assumptions or highlighting questionable information sources.
What was the faculty's response when asked if students come to them with intellectual standards?
-The overwhelming answer from the faculty was 'no,' indicating that students do not come to them with established intellectual standards for assessing beliefs.
What was the general response from faculty when asked about fostering social standards in their classes?
-The universal answer was 'yes,' faculty believed they were fostering social standards, but when asked to name and describe these standards, they struggled to provide clear examples.
What are the three modes of thinking the speaker suggests we should develop?
-The speaker suggests developing idealism for vision, realism for assessing current situations, and practicality for moving towards the ideal.
What does the speaker emphasize as necessary for effective teaching and learning?
-The speaker emphasizes the need for an integrated, well-conceived approach to thinking and learning that is grounded in critical understanding and not just a collection of disconnected strategies.
What is the speaker's advice for educators in terms of teaching their respective disciplines?
-The speaker advises educators to teach their disciplines in a way that encourages students to raise questions, come to their own conclusions, utilize concepts, and see the world from multiple perspectives.
What does the speaker hope the audience will gain from the conference?
-The speaker hopes that the audience will acquire practical tools and strategies for moving from the real toward the ideal in their teaching and learning, ensuring that these strategies are grounded in a solid, comprehensive conception of critical thinking.
Outlines
đ Propaganda in Higher Education
This paragraph discusses the influence of propaganda in universities, using UCLA as an example. The speaker holds a full-page ad from the New York Times sponsored by UCLA, which they argue is a form of self-promotion rather than objective information. The ad claims that UCLA fosters a critical and analytical environment from the first day, engaging students with leading thinkers. However, the speaker questions the reality behind these claims, suggesting that prestigious universities are not immune to promoting their interests. The speaker references a study they conducted over three years, examining 38 universities (28 private), to assess the extent to which critical thinking is encouraged. The study found that while faculty overwhelmingly agreed that critical thinking was a primary goal, their methods for teaching it were often vague or partial, indicating a gap between the ideal and the reality of critical thinking in education.
đ€ Critical Thinking in University Education
The second paragraph delves deeper into the study on critical thinking in universities, focusing on the faculty's approach to teaching it. The speaker reveals that while faculty members claim to teach for critical thinking, they often struggle to articulate how they do so, suggesting a disconnect between their intentions and their actual teaching methods. The study also asked if students come to them with intellectual standards to assess beliefs, to which the majority of faculty responded negatively. When asked about fostering social standards in their classes, faculty generally agreed they did, but found it difficult to define these standards concretely. The speaker emphasizes the importance of not confusing the ideal with the real and calls for a realistic assessment of where universities stand in relation to fostering critical thinking. The paragraph concludes with a call to develop three modes of thinking: idealism for vision, realism for assessment, and practicality for action, advocating for an integrated approach to teaching and learning that is grounded in critical thinking across disciplines.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄPropaganda
đĄCritical Thinking
đĄObjective
đĄResearch University
đĄMultidisciplinary
đĄAssumptions
đĄIntellectual Standards
đĄSocial Standards
đĄIdealists
đĄRealists
đĄPractioners
Highlights
UCLA's full-page ad in the New York Times promotes the university as a place of critical thinking and engagement.
The ad claims that UCLA students are drawn into the company of leading thinkers and doers from their first day.
Faculty members are described as passionate about their specialties and committed to teaching.
The transcript questions the objectivity of the university's self-promotion and the reality of critical thinking in education.
A study sponsored by the California Legislature was conducted to assess the fostering of critical thinking in universities.
UCLA was part of the 38 universities studied to determine the extent of critical thinking in instruction.
Faculty members overwhelmingly agreed that critical thinking is a primary goal of their instruction.
However, most faculty responses on how they teach for critical thinking were vague or partial.
The study found that students do not generally come to faculty with intellectual standards to assess information.
Faculty were largely unable to name social standards they foster in their classes.
The transcript emphasizes the gap between the ideal of critical thinking in education and the reality.
The importance of being both an idealist and a realist to bridge the gap between the ideal and the real is discussed.
Practicality is stressed as essential in moving from the real toward the ideal in education.
The need for an integrated approach to teaching critical thinking across disciplines is highlighted.
The transcript concludes with a call to action for educators to develop practical strategies for teaching critical thinking.
The importance of teaching students to raise questions, utilize concepts, and see the world from various perspectives is emphasized.
Transcripts
and until we reach critical societies we
will be put upon by propaganda and I
want to give you an example of how
universities generate propaganda I have
in my hand till full page ads from the
New York Times his our ads that were
sponsored by UCLA and very prestigious
university and here is what UCLA says
about UCLA you'll notice their
objectivity you can't walk onto this
campus without seeing there's a grand
experiment of foot a delicious
conspiracy from their first day
undergrads engage in critical things and
analytic discussion as a collective
process they're drawn into the company
of leading thinkers and doers they would
never expect to know if there wasn't a
research university in the neighborhood
they learned on your stand question and
defend a thousand and five years from
their own where were these students when
I was
trade secret the faculty love teaching
multidisciplinary classes to a room full
of brain brand new high energy for
pointers you can feel their passion for
their specialty their joy in missionary
work and always always their search for
those who will ask the great questions
see the connections join the dialogue
and take their ideas to the next level
people around here don't seem to be
focused on status or tightening they're
much more rooted in their ideas fiercely
competitive and not the slightest bit
concern about who's on the other side of
the art this is a CoA do you believe it
if you do you are not a member of the
critical and it shows you the need high
prestige institutions of higher learning
are not above disarms if they can
advance their vested interest by doing
so we have done some research tapas
three years researching 38 of
universities 28 private universities in
a study that was sponsored by the
California Legislature and was given to
us to conduct of universities to
determine the extent to which critical
thing is being fostered in university
instruction UCLA was part of the set of
university
we study how they mentioned is the
couple of our results we found that we
asked the following question is critical
thinking a primary goal of your
instruction a secondary role of
instruction are neither the overwhelming
response with faculty members across the
curriculum was primary goal primary role
now in the second part of the study they
were asked what is pretty and however
you teach for it most of the responses
for either they are very very partial
like I teach very critical thinking by
teaching my students how to recognize
their assumptions for our teach for
critical thinking and I taking
argumentation going in class our teacher
critical thinking by highlighting
questionable information sources apart
confused with a whole or very vague talk
now another question in the closed end
inside was to students come to you with
that with intellectual standards by
means of which they can effectively
assess what to believe what to reject
the overwhelming answer to the faculty
surveys was no the students who come to
me to not have that advantage what first
and question to you fostering social
standards in your classes Universal
answer virtually yes could you name some
of these standards
and tell us how you fostered them that's
a hard question I know it when I see it
but it's hard to put into work it's hard
to say clarity accuracy precision
relevance def Brahma both oh of course
those in other words most faculty in
higher education are not doing serious
thinking about critical thing most like
UCLA will insist they're doing it of
course from the first day and their
students are special and they have a
community and as a community of learners
and these learners are actively engaged
let us not confuse the ideal with the
real ladies and gentlemen you will never
accomplish anything like the idea when
you say you're there already only by a
realistic assessment and honest
appraisal where we see how far we are
from the ideal that we can begin to
practically that is impractical would
narrow the gap from the idea and to the
real there are three modes of thinking
that we should try to develop in
ourselves we should be idealists so we
have a vision of a better world that we
believe it we should be realists and see
how far we actually are from this very
room and we should be practice to make
sure that we what we do is a practical
way to move from degree of toward the
idea so you can be any one of these you
can be a realistic practical idealists
or practical idea
realest are the third one the journey
that was ladies and gentlemen I hope
that you find in this conference that
you are acquiring tools and strategies
that are practical and moving from the
real toward the ideal but make sure that
the strategies are grounded in a solid
comprehensive conception critically you
don't need a bag of disconnected
strategies you and I need an integrated
well conceived approach to thinking and
learning so that if we teach history we
teach the story so that if we teach
sociology we teach socialize with the
thing if we're economist we teach
economic thinking and in teaching that
we teach students to raise questions in
the field the other information come to
their own conclusions utilize concepts
trace out implications and see the world
for the perspective of the discipline
and then see the world from the
perspective another disk and another
number
good luck in the next 40 days and we
hope to hear from you and in the rats
with you I hope these days
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