Summary of the Lecture of Stephen Brookfield on Creative and Creative Thinking
The lecture of Stephen Brookfield, author of "Teaching for Critical Thinking: Tools and Techniques to Help Students Question their Assumptions" (Jossey Bass 2011), delivered the keynote address at the 2012 DePaul University Teaching Commons Fall Forum. In his presentation, Dr. Brookfield explains how university instructors can challenge students' assumptions and model the exploration of alternative perspectives. He also presents several practical activities that encourage creative and critical thinking in the classroom.
Besides, he said that someone who thinks critically can:
- Identify assumptions behind thinking and actions
- Check assumptions for accuracy and validity
- Take informed action
Additionally, he explained that a critically and creatively informed action is:
- One based on evidence/experience that can be justified
- One that has its assumptions known and checked
- One that stands a chance of achieving its intended consequence
- One that has been viewed from multiple perspectives
- One that is enacted via multiple modalities
Finally, one of the most important aspects he talked about was the 4 key intellectual traditions which are:
- ANALYTIC PHILOSOPHY: logical fallacies, argument analysis, inductive, deductive, analogical, inferential reasoning.
- NATURAL SCIENCE: hypothetical-deductive method, principle of falsifiability.
- CRITICAL THEORY: uncovering power dynamics and ideological manipulation.
- PRAGMATISM: experimental and creative pursuit of beautiful consequences (E.g. democracy, inclusion, connection)
Professor Insuasty told us that from those 4 key intellectual traditions, the ones that we are going to study will be the analytic philosophy and the critical theory which are more related to the subject.
Dear Camila,
ResponderBorrarHow many of the five steps to take informed actions do you usually take into account? Can you give an example from your daily life?
Regards,
Jhon Losada
Well, after having taken a look at the five steps I think that from all of them, I try to take into account between 2 and 3. Those are 1) One based on evidence/experience that can be justified, 2) One that has been viewed from multiple perspectives and 3) One that has its assumptions known and checked. These are the ones that I consider as the most important informed actions a person should have and if I relate them to my personal and daily life, I can think of a very good example: watching the news. Because every time, mostly when there is breaking news, when something big happens, something that could be good or bad or it also could be something that catches my attention, I'd get hooked, I'd listen to it and then, I'd investigate more about it. I'd look for evidence, safe sources that can make me understand better what the issue is about and why is happening so that I can see it from different perspectives and also, to know and check its assumptions based on the information get.
ResponderBorrarI think that'd be all. However, I'm still working on that critical thinking part, I mean, I'm trying to share my own opinions and ideas more often, expressing myself without any fear. Though, I might not change the world but who knows? Perhaps one of my future students will. That'll be the goal.