Discipline in Critical Thinking
Well, critical thinking is not just thinking, but thinking which entails self-improvement. This improvement comes from skill develooped in using standards by which one appropriately assesses thinking. Discipline?
As an instructor I want students to try to reason things out on the basis of evidence and good reasons.Finding evidence takes discipline. Good reasons must be deveoped from a thorough process which also requires discipline. Therefore in order to teach critical thinking I have to teach discipline.
To think well is to impose discipline and restraint on our thinking-by means of intellectual standards — in order to raise our thinking to a level of "perfection" or quality that is not natural or likely in undisciplined, spontaneous thought. The dimension of critical thinking least understood is that of "intellectual standards." Most teachers were not taught how to assess thinking through standards; indeed, often the thinking of teachers themselves is very "undisciplined" and reflects a lack of internalized intellectual standards.
Question: Could you give me an example?
Paul: Certainly, one of the most important distinctions that teachers need to routinely make, and which takes disciplined thinking to make, is that between reasoning and subjective reaction.
If we are trying to foster quality thinking, we don't want students simply to assert things; we want them to try to reason things out on the basis of evidence and good reasons. Often, teachers are unclear about this basic difference. Many teachers are apt to take student writing or speech which is fluent and witty or glib and amusing as good thinking. They are often unclear about the constituents of good reasoning. Hence, even though a student may just be asserting things, not reasoning things out at all, if she is doing so with vivacity and flamboyance, teachers are apt to take this to be equivalent to good reasoning.
This was made clear in a recent California state-wide writing assessment in which teachers and testers applauded a student essay, which they said illustrated "exceptional achievement" in reasoned evaluation, an essay that contained no reasoning at all, that was nothing more than one subjective reaction after another. (See "Why Students-and Teachers-Don't Reason Well")
The assessing teachers and testers did not notice that the student failed to respond to the directions, did not support his judgment with reasons and evidence, did not consider possible criteria on which to base his judgment, did not analyze the subject in the light of the criteria, and did not select evidence that clearly supported his judgment. Instead the student:
described an emotional exchange
asserted-without evidence-some questionable claims
expressed a variety of subjective preferences
The assessing teachers were apparently not clear enough about the nature of evaluative reasoning or the basic notions of criteria, evidence, reasons, and well-supported judgment to notice the discrepancy. The result was, by the way, that a flagrantly mis-graded student essay was showcased nationally (in ASCD's Developing Minds), systematically misleading the 150,000 or so teachers who
Personal discipline is what drives us to continue doing what we do not want to do; it is the internal power to not quit when a situation seems hopeless; critical thinking helps us work our way through a seemingly hopeless situation; having discipline is an integral part of critical analysis of a situation.
Pilar,
The metacognitive approach you identify is very thorough and (I believe) well targeted to today's situation. The focus away from reason and factual circumstance, to be replaced by elegant sensationalism and personal perspective, is a critical threat to "real" thinking in many academic circles. Excellent point. Thank you very much for your well stated insight.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Ken,
Your statements about personal discipline as they apply to critical thinking remind me of a comment I have shared with my daughters and many of my students, "Discipline is the act of willfully denying what you want now, for what you want most." Many learners today will apply current social opinions to a situation to identify a solution, without deliberately investigating the detailed facts of the situation. While pursuing a more time-consuming investigation of detailed facts, instead of implementing a seemingly reasonable immediate solution, may make the present more palatable – it will almost certainly make the long-term outcome much less desirable. Good point. Thank you for your insight.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Dr. Vaillancourt,
I have 11 year-old triplets (fraternal, 2 girls); 1 is extremely disciplined; 1 takes procrastination to a high art form; 1 is in between - disciplined when it benefits her. My question: is discipline learned or inherent?
Just meandering thoughts of a muddled mind.
By the way, thank you; this is the first CEU I have taken through CEE. It has been an interesting and rewarding experience. I intend to take more training courses, not so much for the hours, but for the knowledge.
Ken,
The classic "Nature vs Nurture" argument makes its way into almost all human behavioral inquiries. My gut reaction is that it is learned, but the propensity for learning it is higher in some than others... Meandering can be so enjoyable. That's my 2 cents worth - (probably less).
Thank you for your great participation and kind words.
Best Regards,
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Critical thinking is done by human beings, which may well belong to different ethnic groups, or take on different values. Critical thinkers must take self-discipline they can the most when processing or analysis because only then the critical thinking could be more an object matter than a subject one.
Yes Yi,
Taking an objective perspective on a critical thinking task requires a good deal of self-discipline. It is difficult for anyone to divorce themselves from their own values and assumptions. Good point. Thank you for your contribution.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
In helping students to cultivate self discipline we can help empower them to accept responsibility for and control over their choices.
Monica,
Many of our students are in great need of this, for sure. Have you found any specific activities that are exceptionally helpful in assisting students to cultivate self discipline? Thank you for your contribution.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
When students experience negative consequences due to lack of discipline then they must think critically to avoid the same consequences.
Ann Marie,
This is correct in many situations. However, in my experience, many times the student doesn't make that connection. Thus, we have a teachable moment. Thank you for your contribution.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Ken,
Very much like your definition. I would like to add one thing, from my point of view of personal dicipline:
Personal Dicipline keeps us from giving in to the urge to procrastinate, which in turn can make tomorrow an easier day, sometimes.
Discipline can help us pnoder points rather than jumping to a conclusion
Robert,
The discipline to slow the processing of data often helps to verify the completeness and accuracy of the data that needs to be used for the resolution. "Pondering" is often the exercise of comparing multiple data points of a given circumstance for this very purpose. Thank you for your insight.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Most subjects requiring critical thinking are not simple one-decision issues. Discipline allows us to wait, listen, obtain more information than just the quick & easily available, and then work through to an informed judgement. When we limit our data, we limit our options. So, without discipline we would mostly jump ... without first having a reasonable idea of where we might land.
Joel,
Your premise of critical thinking subjects not requiring only simple one–decision issues, is of course the reason for discipline to look at multifaceted situations for multiple approaches. Your statement, "When we limit our data, we limit our options," says it well. Thank you for sharing your insights.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I have moved my courses from a traditional lecture format to a case-based format with supporting homework drills to get through the terminology included in the cases. The volume of work, at least on paper scares admins, but the actual work load is substantially larger provided the student commits to doing it the "right" way. My fear is that with Problem Based Learning (PBL) and critical thinking exercises is that the students will just strive for the correct answer, however, and this is no secret to them, the correct answer is not the true goal of these exercises, it is the journey to find that answer. As an instructor, I try to maintain a moderator or guide role in the classroom, and provided that the students are maximally dedicated to the content, the courses lend themselves to productive learning outcomes.
William,
The case-based format provides an excellent backdrop for learning all details, terminology and content of the real world environment. Making sure that the students stay on the path of the journey is one of the primary roles of the facilitator. Shortcuts to the "right answer" can omit a large part of the learning experience required to properly prepare the student for their career path. Excellent insights. Thank you for your contribution.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I enrolled for this course wanting it to be short and quick. I was being lazy (undiscplined). I guess i was behaving like some of my students. The title of the course was intriguing and the content has proved to be fascinating. You made me think "critically". Your observations about instant gratification, the tweeting, blogging, and instant messaging are so true. How to ween students from "learning for the test" method to critical thinking and analysis is a challenge when my classes are so compressed. I will try to implement in my classes your steps for developing reasoning
