5 minutes of your time?

[candycupcake]

[If you would please give me your opinion(s) I would be much much obliged

Comments

[love_mee_do]

Through my college experiences, I feel like my classes have taught about 1/16 of what I would like in regards to critical thinking. Sure, there are some class discussions, and some assignments less strict than others, but when it comes down to it, they don't actually care what the hell you think, or how hard you think. They care about whatever it is that got you to pass the class and move down the line. If colleges thought critical thinking was so important, grades would become less important.

I'm going to school because I love thinking, opening my brain, letting others in, and just being in an environment where I'm learning things, even if I don't necessarily agree with what I'm being taught. But that doesn't mean anything to teachers, or deans, or anyone. I can't apply to a school and be like, "I opened my brain, I swear." That's just not going to fly.

In short, I say.. no. College sucks at teaching critical thinking, for the most part. /rant

[candycupcake]

Wow thank you so much! Great response! And yes, sometimes I feel like colleges/teachers are more focused on getting everything done rather than letting you express yourself 100%. It just seems like there is never enough time to think or discuss much. Sometimes I feel like everything is monotonous and there is really no breakable pattern because there's always some set of rules or their expectations.

[lookoffury]

If it's an essay for a Critical Writing class, you should be able to present both sides with reasons for each. Then using your own worldview, evaluate the reasons (possibly even assigning number values to them) and then present whichever side outweighs the other

[candycupcake]

yea you're right. I think I'll build a stronger essay if I talk about both sides. And really? that's a bummer. I'm taking philosophy and I feel that's the only class we use REAL critical thinking, even though most of the facts are just a bunch of never ending questions.

[aschedjidoi]

I wouldn't say college helps with critical thinking skills. I was in there for only a year (and a spare, floating semester-long class; but whatever), and all I recall doing, is writing what the teacher wanted us to write, drawing what the teacher wanted us to draw (in the way they wanted us to), and generally just... following orders.

Any time I went around that, or beyond that, or did something else, my grade was effected negatively.

...Because they can't grade originality, or anything else they haven't figured out a point-system for. It's all about points, and having to do X Y and Z to earn (blank) number of points. It's really fucking stupid.

And really? I learned more about critical thinking while fucking around on the internet, than I EVER did in college.

Meh.

[candycupcake]

Sometimes I feel that way too. Teachers expect things a certain way and I feel like there is no real room for creativity. It really bums me out. Thanks for your help!!

[jun4thisonthway]

Philosophy does a good job at teaching critical thinking, but then again that's basically what it is. Overall yes. Writing in general forces you to prove points and use reason, one of the main components of critical thinking. Math teaches you to look at a problem from many different angles and find which perspective works the best. Simple critical thinking, but still.

I think it really depend on the exact definition of critical thinking you want to go with.

[candycupcake]

yea i'm taking philosophy right now and that's the only class i feel really uses critical thinking. And it does depend on how we define critical thinking, which is what I'm still trying to figure out haha. Thanks for your help!!

[verloren_alleen]

My opinion tends to veer towards college curriculum not helping with critical thinking skills, at least in all the classes I've taken. Very rarely have my teachers asked me to write on anything other than simple facts. Teachers make it too simple to cut corners without doing any actual thinking. I think most people learn it themselves.

[candycupcake]

yea i think the main problem is that teachers just show you what's in front of your face, rather than help you dig deeper into the topic/problem. And yes, I think it's a lot of life experiences that help with critical thinking because you're basically figuring shit out on your own on a daily basis.