28th Conference on Critical Thinking Keynote - 4 of 4

Summary

The 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

• 📢 The speaker critiques the idea that universities, including prestigious ones like UCLA, are immune to promoting their own interests through propaganda.
• 🎓 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.
• 🧐 The speaker challenges the notion that students at universities like UCLA are automatically engaged in critical thinking from their first day on campus.
• 🔍 A study sponsored by the California Legislature was conducted to assess how well universities foster critical thinking, including UCLA.
• 📊 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.
• 🤔 Faculty members were found to be less effective in teaching students how to assess information critically compared to fostering social standards.
• 🏫 The speaker emphasizes the gap between the ideal of critical thinking in higher education and the reality, urging for a more honest appraisal.
• 🌟 The importance of being both idealistic (having a vision), realistic (assessing current reality), and practical (taking action) in education is highlighted.
• 🛠️ The speaker advocates for an integrated approach to teaching that is practical and moves towards the ideal, rather than relying on disconnected strategies.
• 🌐 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

00:00

📚 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.

05:02

🤔 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.

Keywords

💡Propaganda

Propaganda refers to information, often biased or misleading, that is disseminated to promote a particular political cause or point of view. In the context of the video, the speaker uses the example of university advertisements to illustrate how even prestigious institutions might engage in propagandistic practices to advance their interests. The script mentions, 'I want to give you an example of how universities generate propaganda,' highlighting the speaker's concern about the influence of such tactics on public perception.

💡Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is the ability to analyze and evaluate information objectively, using reason and logic to form judgments. The video emphasizes the importance of fostering critical thinking in educational settings. The speaker points out the discrepancy between what universities claim about their commitment to critical thinking and the actual teaching practices, as evidenced by the study mentioned in the script: 'we asked the following question is critical thinking a primary goal of your instruction.'

💡Objective

An objective is a goal or a purpose that is intended to be achieved. In the script, the speaker critiques the objectivity of university claims, suggesting that their advertisements may not accurately reflect the true nature of the educational experience. The phrase 'you'll notice their objectivity' is used to question the genuineness of the university's portrayal of its commitment to critical thinking.

💡Research University

A research university is an institution that focuses on research and offers advanced degrees, often having a significant impact on the development of new knowledge. The video discusses the role of research universities in fostering critical thinking and the community of scholars. The speaker mentions, 'they would never expect to know if there wasn't a research university in the neighborhood,' to emphasize the importance of such institutions in creating an environment for intellectual growth.

💡Multidisciplinary

Multidisciplinary refers to an approach that involves multiple academic disciplines working together. The script highlights the value of multidisciplinary teaching, as the speaker describes faculty members teaching classes that integrate different fields of study: 'the faculty love teaching multidisciplinary classes to a room full of brain brand new high energy for pointers.'

💡Assumptions

Assumptions are presuppositions or things taken for granted without proof. In the context of critical thinking, recognizing one's assumptions is key to avoiding biases and making informed judgments. The speaker mentions how some faculty claim to teach critical thinking by helping students recognize their assumptions, as in 'I teach very critical thinking by teaching my students how to recognize their assumptions.'

💡Intellectual Standards

Intellectual standards are the criteria or principles used to evaluate the quality of thinking and reasoning. The video discusses the importance of students developing these standards to assess information effectively. The script includes a question from the study: 'do students come to you with intellectual standards by means of which they can effectively assess what to believe what to reject?'

💡Social Standards

Social standards are the norms or expectations that govern behavior within a society or group. The speaker inquires about the fostering of social standards in university classes, indicating the broader impact of education on students' social development. The script reflects on this with a question to faculty: 'could you name some of these standards, and tell us how you fostered them?'

💡Idealists

An idealist is someone who pursues ideas and values, often in the pursuit of a better world. The video encourages the development of an idealistic mindset to envision a better future. The speaker advises, 'we should be idealists so we have a vision of a better world,' suggesting that this vision is essential for driving progress.

💡Realists

A realist is someone who accepts the actual state of things as they are. The video script contrasts idealism with realism, emphasizing the need to understand the current reality to work effectively towards ideals. The speaker states, 'we should be realists and see how far we actually are from this very room,' highlighting the importance of recognizing the gap between the ideal and the real.

💡Practioners

A practitioner is a person who engages in an activity or a field, particularly in a professional capacity. In the context of the video, the term is used to describe the need for educators to not only have ideals and understand reality but also to be practitioners who apply these in a practical manner. The speaker concludes with, 'make sure that the strategies are grounded in a solid, comprehensive conception critically,' indicating the need for practical approaches to teaching and learning.

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