Critical Thinking

As future educators, we are preparing students for a future that we do not yet know. Their ability to think critically will almost wholly determine whether they fail or succeed. In a recent study noted in the article Academically Adrift (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.,  it was found that 45% of college students did not demonstrate any significant improvement in learning during their first two years and 36% fared similarly over four years. Another article (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. published in The Chronicle of Higher Education, points out that a significant percentage of adults living at or below the poverty line have college degrees. Lastly, experts now hypothesize that a ‘bad’ neighborhood does not necessarily lead to a failed public school, but rather that a failing public school drags its neighborhood down with it. Given this, what does it mean to think critically and how will you model it in this course and foster it with your future students? 

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/01/18/study_finds_large_numbers_of_college_students_don_t_learn_much (academically adrift)

http://www.chronicle.com/article/Many-Young-Adults-in-Poverty/65826