I had the pleasure of seeing an early draft of the paper published in Life Sciences Education and found it be excellent. The approach is commendable and the documented success impressive. I commend to everyone to have a read. Mark Dr. Mark Battersby Critical Inquiry Group Professor Emeritus Department of Philosophy Capilano University On Thu, May 24, 2018 at 9:39 AM, Gillespie, Marcus <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Hi Jim, > > > > I’m not sure if this might be of interest to the group or not, but my > colleagues and I developed a novel introductory science course intended to > specifically teach critical thinking – not in the sense of solving math > problems; but rather, in the sense of evaluating arguments and theories, > and considering sources of bias and the limitations of our perceptions and > memories. It used a “mixed approach” and was very successful (P < .001 in > almost all cases) based on the results of the Critical Thinking Assessment > Test developed by TTU. We also used a homegrown instrument as well to > evaluate the critical thinking of our students and all results were > consistent. It was published in CBE Life Sciences (see below for issue > information and abstract). Attached is a copy of the article. We’ve just > published a second article on the results of our efforts in the same course > to address attitudes/dispositions to think critically. The results were > also successful based on the instrument we used and were just published in > Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines. (The issues are > back-logged as shown by the date.) > > > > Please know that I’m not trying to “toot our own horn”; but, based on the > discussion thread, I though this might be of interest . > > > > Sincerely, > > > > Marcus Gillespie > > Associate Dean > > College of Science and Engineering Technology > > Sam Houston State University > > Huntsville, Texas 77320 > > [log in to unmask] > > > > *CBE—Life Sciences Education Volume 14, 1-12, Fall 2015 * > > *Redesigning a General Education Science Course to Promote Critical > Thinking* > > > > Abstract: Recent studies question the effectiveness of a traditional > university curriculum in helping students improve their critical thinking > and scientific literacy. We developed an introductory, general education > (gen ed) science course to overcome both deficiencies. The course, titled > Foundations of Science, differs from most gen ed science offerings in that > it is interdisciplinary; emphasizes the nature of science along with, > rather than primarily, the findings of science; incorporates case studies, > such as the vaccine-autism controversy; teaches the basics of argumentation > and logical fallacies; contrasts science with pseudoscience; and addresses > psychological factors that might otherwise lead students to reject > scientific ideas they find uncomfortable. Using a pretest versus posttest > design, we show that students who completed the experimental course > significantly improved their critical-thinking skills and were more willing > to engage scientific theories the general public finds controversial (e.g., > evolution), while students who completed a traditional gen ed science > course did not. Our results demonstrate that a gen ed science course > emphasizing the process and application of science rather than just > scientific facts can lead to improved critical thinking and scientific > literacy. > > > > *Inquiry: * > > *SUMMER 2016, VOL. 31, NO. 2 5* > > *Fostering the Disposition to Think Critically and a Positive Attitude > toward Science: The Results of a Successful Six-Year Study of an > Innovative, General Education Integrated Science Course* > > > > Abstract Virtually all faculty members agree that teaching their students > the ability and disposition to think critically is fundamentally important, > and most believe that their pedagogical approaches enhance both. > Unfortunately, recent research has shown that college students often fail > to substantively improve their critical thinking skills. Other research > regarding the public’s perception of certain science topics reveals that a > significant proportion of the American public rejects scientific > information, i.e., information that is based on both critical thinking and > empiricism. This state of affairs limits the ability of individuals and > society to make rational decisions. This article describes the results of a > novel general education science course designed specifically to address > these issues. The six-year study, involving more than 1,400 students, > showed that the pedagogical approaches used in the course were successful > in enhancing students’ critical thinking, their disposition to think > critically, and their willingness to use scientific information when making > decisions. studies, a field which has yet to emerge due to a number of > complex academic, social, and political barriers. > > *From:* AILACT DISCUSSION LIST <[log in to unmask]> *On > Behalf Of *James b Freeman > *Sent:* Friday, May 11, 2018 3:07 PM > *To:* [log in to unmask] > *Subject:* Re: Critical Thinking Research at RAIL > > > > Hi Steve, > > > > This material could be quite helpful to AILACT. I'll try to suggest > something tk the Board soon. > > > > Jim > ------------------------------ > > *From:* AILACT DISCUSSION LIST [[log in to unmask]] on > behalf of Steven Patterson [[log in to unmask]] > *Sent:* Friday, May 11, 2018 8:45 AM > *To:* [log in to unmask] > *Subject:* Critical Thinking Research at RAIL > > Hello all, > > > > I thought I might share this project I'm doing. > > > > https://railct.com/critical-thinking-research-gateway/ > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__railct.com_critical-2Dthinking-2Dresearch-2Dgateway_&d=DwMFAw&c=mRWFL96tuqj9V0Jjj4h40ddo0XsmttALwKjAEOCyUjY&r=KTO-67piPlkvVwpkegE90CPhOOUVOHyNkd2ycJxraVlOjFMzr4s8w_Q89bvfLZgJ&m=DJ3wshr0_uxXLd4JfG5QF3gT2Cohw3zO6J7qvqLwJB0&s=Nha1pX-tbEd2SJd5Y89tbZYfp8X_YLA7OzoaXJ2OdTU&e=> > > > > My goal in this project is to help teachers and scholars interested in > critical thinking find current research from across the disciplines. > > > > Right now there's not much here but it's a start. If anyone has any > suggestions for additions to this page or ways it could be made more > useful, I'd welcome them. > > > > Best, > > > > Steve > > > > NB: There is a Google Translate feature of the blog now on the right hand > side of the page that will automatically translate the page, albeit with > some funny results in some languages. I'm hoping at least the "big picture" > gets across. > > > > Also, I'm posting this announcement to ARGTHRY as well, so apologies to > those of you who receive it twice! > > > > SP > > > > _________________________ > Steven W. Patterson, Ph.D. > Philosophy > www.linkedin.com/in/swpatterson/ > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.linkedin.com_in_swpatterson_&d=DwMFAw&c=mRWFL96tuqj9V0Jjj4h40ddo0XsmttALwKjAEOCyUjY&r=KTO-67piPlkvVwpkegE90CPhOOUVOHyNkd2ycJxraVlOjFMzr4s8w_Q89bvfLZgJ&m=DJ3wshr0_uxXLd4JfG5QF3gT2Cohw3zO6J7qvqLwJB0&s=CIcb8W6W9RKi_ChHbXl7cTUdtTqYcPoWKIPtimSkeqY&e=> > https://philpapers.org/profile/89580 > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__philpapers.org_profile_89580&d=DwMFAw&c=mRWFL96tuqj9V0Jjj4h40ddo0XsmttALwKjAEOCyUjY&r=KTO-67piPlkvVwpkegE90CPhOOUVOHyNkd2ycJxraVlOjFMzr4s8w_Q89bvfLZgJ&m=DJ3wshr0_uxXLd4JfG5QF3gT2Cohw3zO6J7qvqLwJB0&s=3eY_8rHhwduHRU0sHhv1seOCKITIa_A7qtoEXLK-tRg&e=> > > > ------------------------------ > > To unsubscribe from the AILACTD-L list, click the following link: > https://HUNTER.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU/scripts/wa-hc.exe?TICKET= > NzM2ODU1IGpmcmVlbWFuQEhVTlRFUi5DVU5ZLkVEVSBBSUxBQ1RELUwgIBnb > w1pzypA0&c=SIGNOFF > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__HUNTER.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU_scripts_wa-2Dhc.exe-3FTICKET-3DNzM2ODU1IGpmcmVlbWFuQEhVTlRFUi5DVU5ZLkVEVSBBSUxBQ1RELUwgIBnbw1pzypA0-26c-3DSIGNOFF&d=DwMFAw&c=mRWFL96tuqj9V0Jjj4h40ddo0XsmttALwKjAEOCyUjY&r=CztAUUXLUmVsPh_c6Pm4YveqLLL8DHGjbqtxsyV-Vng&m=BVSl4D_yKJqYjRHNYT1ikcpTCN1OGor1TR0ssejrLgI&s=6gueH61EUUFvjNYmyIW7-POJi1MoRkkPPyz6bMp3joc&e=> > > > ------------------------------ > > To unsubscribe from the AILACTD-L list, click the following link: > https://HUNTER.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU/scripts/wa-hc.exe?TICKET= > NzM2ODU1IG1hcmN1c2dAU0hTVS5FRFUgQUlMQUNURC1MIESq5vqtecrZ&c=SIGNOFF > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__HUNTER.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU_scripts_wa-2Dhc.exe-3FTICKET-3DNzM2ODU1IG1hcmN1c2dAU0hTVS5FRFUgQUlMQUNURC1MIESq5vqtecrZ-26c-3DSIGNOFF&d=DwMFAg&c=mRWFL96tuqj9V0Jjj4h40ddo0XsmttALwKjAEOCyUjY&r=KTO-67piPlkvVwpkegE90CPhOOUVOHyNkd2ycJxraVlOjFMzr4s8w_Q89bvfLZgJ&m=cM_uLjsBluUFrRYUlEQimtlA2NoEgBG3xOSphjA4mYY&s=Oc2By3hgQOzcNPSjfSliTBQ7ncYZe4WzFNr1iskcK_I&e=> > > ------------------------------ > > To unsubscribe from the AILACTD-L list, click the following link: > https://HUNTER.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU/scripts/wa-hc.exe?TICKET= > NzM2ODY4IHByb2Zlc3NvcmJhdHRlcnNieUBHTUFJTC5DT00gQUlMQUNURC1M > IK%2FcT17cjdhJ&c=SIGNOFF > ######################################################################## To unsubscribe from the AILACTD-L list, click the following link: &*TICKET_URL(AILACTD-L,SIGNOFF);