试论批判性思维与通识教育

批判性思维是一门培养大学生思维习惯、能力的重要课程,它对人才素质的培养具有重要意义,理应在大学的通识教育中占有核心地位。并且应制定系统的教学措施,保证批判性思维课程教学效果的实现。     

Critical Thinking and Science Education

It is widely held that developing critical thinking is one of thegoals of science education. Although there is much valuable work in the area, the field lacksa coherent and defensible conception of critical thinking. As a result, many efforts to foster criticalthinking in science rest on misconceptions about the nature of critical thinking. This paper examines some of themisconceptions, in particular the characterization of critical thinking in terms of processes orskills and the separation of critical thinking and knowledge. It offers a more philosophically sound and justifiableconception of critical thinking, and demonstrates how this conception could be used to ground scienceeducation practice.     

Philosophy of Science,Critical Thinking and Science Education

In this article I explore a case for the inclusion of some aspects of critical thinking and of philosophy of science within science education that appeals to two commonly accepted aims of science education. Although motivated by reading Harvey Siegel's Educating Reason (1988), and emerging from his discussion there, the aspects I explore go beyond that discussion.     

Effects of Active Learning on Enhancing Student Critical Thinking in an Undergraduate General Science Course

To enhance students’ critical thinking in an undergraduate general science course, we designed and implemented active learning modules by incorporating group-based learning with authentic tasks, scaffolding, and individual reports. This study examined the levels of critical thinking students exhibited in individual reports and the students’ critical thinking level change over time. Findings indicated that students’ average critical thinking level fell in the category of “developing”, but students’ scores on individual reports revealed a statistically significant increase. The study suggested that the active learning strategies employed in the study were useful to promote student critical thinking.     

批判性思维:教育哲学的课程目标

哲学的批判精神决定了教育哲学的批判精神,教育哲学的批判精神和独特地位决定了批判性思维为教育哲学的课程目标。批判性思维的对象为教育生活的思想前提,包括事实判断前提和价值判断前提。以教育生活的思想前提为对象的批判性思维分为呈现、分析和重构思想前提等三个步骤。     

Redesigning the Teacher Education Technology Course to Emphasize Integration

Abstract

Teacher education programs in the United States are trying to equip tomorrow's teachers with the technology skills needed to impact learning in the classroom. During the past decade there has been a realization that teaching technology skills alone is not adequate-pre-service teachers must also learn how to integrate the use of technology into their curriculum. This paper describes BYU's instructional technology course and the design process that a team of instructors went through to redesign the course in order to put greater emphasis on technology integration. An iterative redesign approach was used. Several iterations of the course redesign will be shared along with the strengths and limitations discovered in the design and implementation process.     

The Potential of Web 2.0 Tools to Promote Reading Engagement in a General Education Course

General education classes involve extensive course readings. College instructors have a limited time to cover every detail of the materials students are supposed to learn in class; thus, they expect students to learn through course readings. However, many college students demonstrate a low level of engagement in course reading tasks. Existing research has reported that most college students do not complete their assigned readings or they only engage in shallow levels of reading such as skimming and literal comprehension. Despite this negative phenomenon in college, a lack of research has been conducted to promote reading engagement in college classrooms. The purpose of this paper is to provide college instructors with practical guidance on using Web 2.0 tools to enhance student engagement in this task. According to self-determination theory (SDT), Web 2.0 tools share several engagement-enhancing factors. The paper discusses the potential of Web 2.0 technology to engage students by aligning with SDT. Based on the potential of Web 2.0, the paper suggests practical ways of using different Web 2.0 tools (i.e., GoogleDocs, Blog, Twitter, and Facebook) to promote reading engagement in a college classroom.     

网络环境下利用讨论来促进批判性思维发展的研究

本文主要讨论马歇尔大学在网络环境中如何应用讨论工具来促进批判性思维的发展.在高等教育中发展批判性思维的重要作用已经得到了各国及其学校的重视.本研究以马歇尔大学研究生院教育与专业发展专业所开设的英语为第二语言的一些课程为对象,分析了讨论法在这些课程中培养批判性思维的状况.在开展本研究的那个学期末,研究者编制了一份问卷,调查这种讨论法实施的效果,以及对这种方法加以改善的可能性.问卷随后被分发给三个班的所有学生,他们都来自西佛吉尼亚州的中小学教师.在21个被调查的学生中,15人全部回答了问卷所提出三个问题.结果显示,几乎所有的被调查者都认为,讨论对促进学习和批判性思维有帮助.大部分学生赞成教师参与网上讨论,教师参与讨论的作用是在发展批判性思维中担当帮助者的角色.     

Fostering Scientific Literacy and Critical Thinking in Elementary Science Education

Scientific literacy (SL) and critical thinking (CT) are key components of science education aiming to prepare students to think and to function as responsible citizens in a world increasingly affected by science and technology (S&T). Therefore, students should be given opportunities in their science classes to be engaged in learning experiences that promote SL and CT, which may trigger the need to build and develop knowledge, attitudes/values, thinking abilities, and standards/criteria in an integrated way, resulting in their ability to know how to take responsible action in contexts and situations of personal and social relevance. This paper reports on a study to design, implement, and assess science learning experiences focused on CT toward SL goal. Results support the conclusion that the learning experiences developed and implemented in a grade 6 science classroom had a significant influence on the students’ CT and SL. Within this elementary school context, the theoretical framework used appears to be a relevant and practical aid for developing learning experiences that promote CT/SL and in supporting teaching practices that are more in line with the goals of critical scientific literacy.     

Conflicting Agendas: Critical Thinking versus Science Education in the International Baccalaureate Theory of Knowledge Course

The article investigates the Theory of Knowledge course of the International Baccalaureate Organization. After a short overview of the aims and objectives of the course, the assessment criteria and a popular textbook are investigated. Shortcomings concerning the treatment of the natural sciences are highlighted and the problem is generalised to courses or curricula that aim to reconcile agendas focusing on critical thinking and philosophical analysis on the one hand and traditional science subject-agendas on the other. The article argues that these problems also surface in the actual teaching practice and their implications for the curricula need to be taken more seriously. Three possible alternatives to overcome these problems are outlined. The first is based on novel work in history and philosophy of science, the second on general theories of argumentation, and the third on systematic exploration of student interests and stakes.     

论科技英语写作课中的思辨思维能力的培养

设计良好的科技英语文章需拥有极强洞察力的思维策略，有经验的作者往往利用思辨思维从冲突性的目标中分辨出问题的性质，并且问题的解决是从寻找问题开始的，而思辨思维在取得最终目标，方面起到举足轻重的作用，在科技英语写作课文中引入思辨思维的功用以及它的实践应用来探讨一种扎实的思辨知识将有助于提高学生解决问题的能力并做出恰当的判断。     

国学课程群在高校通识教育课程体系中设置的若干设想

在高校通识教育课程体系中设置国学课程群必须树立科学合理的通识教育理念．以全面国学课程目标为指向,精选国学课程内容,运用多维立体的组织形式,采取多元化的途径营造国学教育环境,引导学生获得国学知识,培养学生成为有民族气节的全面发展的人。     

Reducing Pseudoscientific and Paranormal Beliefs in University Students Through a Course in Science and Critical Thinking

This study measured the relationship between student’s religion, gender, and propensity for fantasy thinking with the change in belief for paranormal and pseudoscientific subjects following a science and critical thinking course that directly confronted these subjects. Student pre-course endorsement of religious, paranormal, and pseudoscientific beliefs ranged from 21 to 53%, with religion having the highest endorsement rate. Pre-course belief in paranormal and pseudoscientific subjects was correlated with high scores in some fantasy thinking scales and showed a gender and a religion effect with females having an 11.1% higher belief across all paranormal and pseudoscience subcategories. Students’ religion, and frequency of religious service attendance, was also important with agnostic or atheist students having lower beliefs in paranormal and pseudoscience subjects compared to religious students. Students with either low religious service attendance or very high attendance had lower paranormal and pseudoscientific beliefs. Following the critical thinking course, overall beliefs in paranormal and pseudoscientific subcategories lowered 6.8–28.9%, except for superstition, which did not significantly change. Change in belief had both a gender and religion effect with greater reductions among religious students and females.     

美国批判性思维运动对大学素质教育的启发

上个世纪发生在美国的批判性思维运动起源于对美国高等教育的反思,催生了一门培养和检测大学生素质的批判性思维课程,并对整个国民教育体系产生了重大影响,使批判性思维素质的培养成为各门学科的教学目标之一,这使美国的大学素质教育落到实处,且有了可以测试的量化指标。这将给我国对大学素质教育的思考提供必要的参照。     

Using Drama to Promote Argumentation in Science Education

The purpose of this study was to use drama as a springboard for promoting argumentation among 91 first-semester undergraduate medical students (56 females and 35 males, 16–30 years old) in Colombia during a complete teaching–learning sequence (TLS) supervised by the same teacher. The drama used was the play Should’ve, written by Nobel laureate Roald Hoffmann. The data was derived from students’ written responses, audio and video recordings, and written field notes. This investigation provides evidence that an approach combining drama and argumentation could increase students’ awareness of the relevance of ethics in science as one of the features of science (FOS). The findings show that the play Should’ve can be useful for promoting students’ argumentation and is also appropriate for medical students. Future studies could include other science disciplines (e.g., astronomy, biology, chemistry, earth science, ecology, physics); students of other ages; and other plays and experiments in other parts of the world.     

Explicitly Teaching Critical Thinking Skills in a History Course

Critical thinking skills are often assessed via student beliefs in non-scientific ways of thinking, (e.g, pseudoscience). Courses aimed at reducing such beliefs have been studied in the STEM fields with the most successful focusing on skeptical thinking. However, critical thinking is not unique to the sciences; it is crucial in the humanities and to historical thinking and analysis. We investigated the effects of a history course on epistemically unwarranted beliefs in two class sections. Beliefs were measured pre- and post-semester. Beliefs declined for history students compared to a control class and the effect was strongest for the honors section. This study provides evidence that a humanities education engenders critical thinking. Further, there may be individual differences in ability or preparedness in developing such skills, suggesting different foci for critical thinking coursework.     

专才教育与通才教育的辩证思考--关于"从专才教育转向通才教育"的讨论

专才教育与通才教育是两种基本的教育模式。在我国教育系统中,目前比较盛行“从专才教育转向通才教育”的提法,这应当引起我们的认真思考。从实践经验上看,专才教育和通才教育模式各有长短,过分强调通才教育容易导致肤浅;从我国现实来说,社会需要的也不全是通才,目前大学生就业难在一定程度上还是由于专业化程度不高造成的;从学习者的个体差异来说,宽分类和高模糊容忍性的学生更适合于接受通才教育,窄分类和低模糊容忍性的学生更适合接受专才教育;专才教育和通才教育要因人而异。     

协商互动:提高思辨能力、交际能力的有效方法

协商互动是交际的过程,也是思维联想、判断和语言创作的过程。在此过程中学习者运用所学知识进行实际应用,以达到交际的最终目的。协商互动作为语言习得重要环节之一,已引起了国内外众多语言研究者的重视。文章就目前国内英语专家和英语教育工作者的研究热点问题——英语人才"思辨缺席"展开深入探讨,从内容协商视角探索思辨能力提升办法。并提出协商互动一些具体策略企图来提升语言学习者的思辨能力和交际能力。