Since the country a few years ago to promote the country's courses, courses Tsinghua University has been recognized by everyone, including courses administered by the Department of Tsinghua University Professor Qian. Professor Qian Chinese and Western, not only economics course welcomed by students, their ideas for education, but also worthy of the parents of students learn. Small series of excerpts from his writings some ideas on critical thinking, we hope to inspire.
"Harvard University, former president of Bock (Derek Bok) published Our Underachieving Colleges in 2006: A CandidLook at How Much Students Learn and Why They Should be Learning More, a book Chinese translation version is the" return of the university said: Undergraduate Education of American University Reflection and Prospects. "based on his observations and reflections on undergraduate education at Harvard University, made a lot of criticism and reform proposals for undergraduate Education of American University this book. in my opinion, he is also applicable in the book criticism of US college students Students in China.
Based on observations of Harvard students and according to the study of psychology, Burke thought patterns in the book to undergraduate divided into three stages.
The first stage is "Ignorant Certainty", or "ignorance of certainty." This is a blind faith in the stage. Go to college out of high school freshmen, often at this stage. In high school, students believe that the knowledge acquired is true, this uncertainty comes from the limited nature of students' knowledge of, and therefore is a certainty under ignorance.
The second stage is the "Intelligent Confusion", that is "known to have sexual confusion." This is a relativism stage. After the students on the university, access to a wide range of knowledge, including a variety of opposing schools. Although the students' knowledge increased, but they often feel all these comments seem to make sense, "public that goes, rational woman and she said," but can not determine which view is more reasonable. This is a kind of relativism.
Burke observed that the level of thinking of the majority of undergraduates have stayed at the second stage, the level of thinking only a few students can enter the third stage, that is, "Critical Thinking", or "critical thinking" stage. This is the thinking stage of maturity. At this stage, students between the various different versions, analysis, evidence, reasoning, etc., to make a judgment on what kind of argument more persuasive to say. Critical thinking is an advanced stage of development of human thought, it has two characteristics:
First, critical thinking More information is available at www.lxws.net first good question and challenge to the generally accepted conclusion, rather than unconditionally accept the authority of experts and conclusions;
Second, critical thinking is presented with analytical reasoning and constructive way to doubt and challenge to interpret and make judgments, rather than also accept different interpretations and judgments.
It is for these two features are "ignorant certainty" and "have known of chaos", so that critical thinking is different from these two ways of thinking. In these two features, the first question is that is will be questioned. Be able to ask questions and ask questions is good starting point for critical thinking. It is said that the Jews child returned home, the parents did not ask, "you learn today what new knowledge", but asked, "You have raised a new problem today," even then asked, "Your question, there is no teacher could not answer the "? this is the starting point for critical thinking. The second question is the following, an explanation and can determine with persuasive arguments and reasoning, including a new, distinctive interpretation and judgment. Combine these two features together, critical thinking is to ask questions as a starting point, in order to obtain evidence, analytical reasoning for the process to put forward convincing solutions for the result. In this sense, "critical" (critical) is not a "critical" (criticism), because "criticism" is always negative, and "critical" refers to the trial debate style, speculative type of evaluation, mostly constructive of.
From an educational point of view, critical thinking can be divided into two levels: the first level is the "capacity" level, students should acquire the ability of critical thinking (skillsets). The second level is "mental models" level, students should get mental models of critical thinking (mindsets). First of all, the first level of critical thinking is the ability, unlike knowledge. Critical thinking skills do not mean academic knowledge, but a discipline beyond, or that apply to all disciplines of thinking ability, also referred to as migratory capacity (transferable skills). This ability of formal logic and informal logic and statistical inference about. The ability level of critical thinking is trainable. In China, teachers teach critical thinking curriculum background lot of discipline is logic. Textbooks critical thinking mostly about the formal logic and non-formal logic expanded, including statistical content. Along with this it is that critical thinking skills are tested. For example, the United States ETS (Educational Testing Service) developed HEIghten critical thinking test subject is a kind of test. Part of ETS GRE exam and this exam in a similar place, they are not the test subject knowledge per se, but rather to test students' reasoning, judgment. ETS HEIghten sample of the title have such two questions, which we can see how they are testing the ability of critical thinking.
Topic one: The following are the two Groups conversation: Kate: Seti's poem "Oak" Oak periodically compare the variety of experiences off the bark and the author's own life. This poem can not be written until 1960. Prior to 1960, the authors never left her native Alaska, where too cold, there can be no oaks grow. In 1960, Seti visited Australia, where the oak is very common. So, this poem must have been during her visit to Australia or later write. Miriam: But Seti entirely may not need to personally observe the process of oak bark off, it is possible to understand this phenomenon oak. So, she might write this poem in her career any time, her career began in 1960 before.
Question: Which of the following most accurately describe the situation Miriam refutation of Kate's?
(A) It explains Kate's argument assumes that she tried to explain point of view.
(B) which launched the opposite conclusion on the evidence provided in Essays from Kate.
(C) did not say it rejected an assumption of Kate, Kate and thus refute the argument.
(D) It Kate to support her argument that a conclusion into question.
The correct answer is (C). This is because of a reason to support Kate unspoken assumption is that in order to observe this phenomenon oak bark off a person only after personal visit to Australia, in order to understand it. Of course, this assumption is not necessarily correct.
Topic two: a survey of residents of the town of Longport found in the last 12 months, people on continuing education, the number of take literature classes to be more than the number of repair art classes. If this is the case, there are some people must be repaired and more art classes, course registration because the data show that the number of registered art classes exceeds the number of registered literature class.
Problem: The above reasoning depends on which of the following assumptions?
Residents (A) non Longport town not many people registered in art class.
(B) the number of classroom no more than a few literary arts classroom.
(C) over the past 12 months, residents of the small town of Longport both chose art classes and chose literature class.
(D) in the last 12 months, the majority of residents of the town of Longport chose at least one art class.
The correct answer is (A). This is because under the conditions of registration in art class people do not have much Longport come from outside the town, mostly from the fact that the number of Longport town take literature courses than the number of repair art classes, introduce some people can repair a number of art classes .
More than two topics aimed at discovering unspoken assumptions implicit and find the necessary conditions for the establishment of reasoning, logic related to these issues are critical thinking essential part of the process. This test is helpful for improving students' critical thinking skills. However, this test is also problematic: because it is trainable, so the test results may be due to good student exams. In previous tests found critical thinking test scores and mathematics, physics and other disciplines test scores correlated, we illustrate this problem. 2018 Chinese national college entrance essay volume II, is also a test subject of critical thinking skills.
Topic: write an essay based on the following material. During the "World War II", in order to strengthen the protection of the fighter, the Anglo-American military investigators surviving combat aircraft bullet holes on distribution, decide where bullet holes on strengthening multi-where. However, statisticians Ward against all the odds, he pointed out that more attention should be bullet-less parts, because these parts of the aircraft has been hit hard, with little opportunity to return, which is part of the data was ignored. It turns out that Ward was right. this is a true story. Ward (Abraham Wald) is a professor of statistics at Columbia University, is Professor of Economics before. He is one of the statistical decision theory (statistical decision theory) and sequential analysis (sequential analysis) founder.
The above story is an example of the analysis he helped the US military during the "World War II", which describes the "survivor bias" in the statistical analysis (survival bias) problem. That we only see who can fly the plane back, but do not see those who have been shot down and did not fly the plane back. So, just at the discretion of "Survivor" data to make it is incorrect. This is based on statistical inference thinking, but also a critical thinking skills. This test questions beyond the scope of traditional knowledge, it should be said is meaningful.
Critical thinking skills are trainable, testable. However, if deemed critical thinking just the content, you're wrong. In addition to critical thinking there is a more important level beyond the capacity level, it is a state of mind or thinking habits of mind, call it mental models (mindset). Beyond this level of ability, is a value or a value-oriented level.
Critical thinking is not only an ability, but also a value orientation. If critical thinking as an ability is more about "how to think" (how to think), then critical thinking as a thinking mind or habit of thinking more about "what to think" (what to think) and "ask why" (ask the why question). This level of critical thinking is to guide people to consciously break thinking "forbidden zone", out of mind "misunderstanding", into thinking "blind spot."
Questions about "how" aspects, mostly technical level, including the ability to formal logic, informal logic and statistical inference, is available through training, can also be tested by questions such as the ETS. The "what" and the question "why" aspects of, it is difficult to study in a similar way. But it also can be learned, can be sentiment, it inspired other ways of learning.
Psychologists Dwek (Carol Dweck) best-selling book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (Chinese version of "saw growth of their own") describes two mental models - "growth-oriented mental models" (growth mindsets) and " The same type of mental models "(fixed mindsets). The so-called mental models of the same type is fixed, the conservative habits of mind to think about the problem.
The growth model is an open mind thinking habits, continue to broaden the scope of thinking, I think the problem had not thought of, never doubted before asking proposition. This category is not "how" (how) the scope, but rather into the "what" (what) and "why" (Why) is.
It should be said, China's traditional culture and traditional education in training students "how" (how) aspects known. China issues raised by the students, almost all are on the "how" (how), but rarely about the "why" (why) is. We often meet to know these, not the why of little knowledge, but without understanding. In addition to requiring critical thinking logically, the statistics do not make mistakes, it is more important is the issue in order not thought of others, ask others not asked the question, and to be inquisitive, to explore the deep-seated, fundamental reason. Education on critical thinking, the ability to start from the natural level, is also needed. However, this is not all. Critical thinking education not only to improve students 'thinking ability, but also to shape students' values and attitudes in life.