Week 2

Brock	Lakehead	Western	Windsor
Colloquium Sitemap	BrockWebCT	Joint-PhD Website	help@jointphdined.org
Resources		PhD Handbook	WebCT Lakehead

Week 2 Activities

THE KEYNOTE PANEL (Theme: Critical Thinking)


Michael Shermer	Matt Herrington	Paul, et al	James Lett	Larry's Mother
Presentation	Presentation	Presentation	Presentation	Presentation
10 Step Guide to Baloney Detection	3 Subtypes of Stupidity	35 Dimensions of Critical Thought	Six Rules-A field Guide to Critical Thinking	Rule for Clarity
For the 10-step guide scroll down to item #10 on the above page	A book review of Sternberg's collection of papers on stupidity.	A nice checklist.	Some suggestions from an anthropologist.	Would Larry's mother be able to understand what you are saying?

Rather than a Keynote Address for this Colloquium a creative alternative has been planned in the form of a Keynote Panel. As you are exposed to these panel presentations you could take a few notes and try and compile a list of things to watch for in your own work and the work of others, things that indicate flaws in thinking. The greater your knowledge of problems to guard against, the better your own thinking and writing will be, and the better your scholarly critique of others, in this colloquium and in the literature review for your dissertation.

Last year (2002) our Keynote speaker addressed the topic of constructivism. It provided a current and topical theme that surfaced repeatedly during the colloquium presentations and therefore did function as a keynote. This year we have opted to offer information and strategies that might facilitate a more thorough and productive critical awareness, practice, and habit.

This theme of critical thinking has the potential to relate to a variety of educational issues (philosophical, political, social, and so on), research issues (epistemology, research design, topicality), and the three Joint-PhD streams (Cognition & Learning, Policy & Leadership, and Socio-cultural Contexts of Education). It should set a critical tone as well as help participants think critically about their own work and the work of others.

Matthew Herrington practices law in Washington, D.C. His email address is mherrington@wc.com.

Paul, R., Binker., A., Jensen, K., & Kreklau, H. (1990). Critical thinking handbook: A guide for remodeling lesson plans in language arts, social studies and science. Rohnert Park, CA: Foundation for Critical Thinking.