The Critical Thinking Co.™Announces Release of James

The Critical Thinking Co.™ Announces Release of James Madison Critical Thinking Course

21 st Century Logic Course Teaches and Develops the New #1 Workplace Skill – Critical Thinking Using CrimeRelated Scenarios!

Seaside, California & North Bend, Oregon (March 31, 2011) – The Critical Thinking Co.™, awardwinning educational publisher, announces the release of the James Madison Critical Thinking Course, the most extensive approach to teaching thinking skills available today. Authored by two professors of philosophy at James Madison University, these engaging lessons are centered on a fascinating crimerelated scenario. This book develops more than 65 critical thinkingrelated skills (listed below) to improve academic performance across the curriculum.

• Interpret and apply complex texts, instructions, illustrations, etc. • Recognize and clarify issues, claims, arguments, and explanations. • Distinguish: conclusions, premises (reasons), arguments, explanations, assumptions (stated/unstated), issues, claims (statements), suppositions, unstated conclusions, unstated premises and implications. • Recognize ambiguity and unclearness in claims, arguments, and explanations. • Distinguish necessary and sufficient conditions. • Describe the structure or outline of arguments and explanations: confirmation, disconfirmation. • Evaluate whether an inductive argument is strong or weak. • Evaluate claims and arguments in terms of criteria such as: consistency, relevance, support. • Evaluate analogical arguments and inductive generalization arguments in terms of criteria, such as: the greater the number of similarities between the conclusion and the premises regarding the sample, the stronger the argument. • Assess the relevance of claims to other claims, and to questions, descriptions, representations, procedures, information, directives, rules, principles, etc. • Evaluate whether a deductive argument is valid or invalid (logical form): categorical, truth functional, and semantic/definitional. • Distinguish supporting, conflicting, compatible, and equivalent claims, arguments, explanations, descriptions, representations, etc. • Identify and avoid errors in reasoning, informal fallacies: begging the question, equivocation, post hoc, ergo propter hoc (after that, therefore, because of that), false dilemma/false dichotomy fallacy (line drawing fallacy, perfectionist fallacy), smoke screen/red herring/rationalizing, hasty generalization, appeal to ridicule/sarcasm, ad hominem fallacy (personal attack, poisoning the well), appeal to illegitimate authority, loaded question, evidence surrogate, stereotyping , appeal to consequences (favorable or unfavorable), "wishful thinking," genetic fallacy, biased generalization, anecdotal evidence. • Discern whether pairs of claims are consistent, contrary, contradictory, or paradoxical.

Each chapter begins with the most basic concepts and principles, then systematically moves to more complex concepts. The course is designed to prepare students for success in life, academics, and on critical thinking tests such as the James Madison Test of Critical Thinking Forms A & B, Cornell Critical Thinking Test Levels X & Z, the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal, and the California Critical Thinking Skills Test.

A published study of 140 professors at 66 public and private universities by the Center of Critical Thinking revealed that nearly 90% of educators stated that critical thinking was of primary importance to their instruction, while 77% of the respondents had little, limited or no conception of how to reconcile content coverage with the fostering of critical thinking. This book is the result of Dr. William O’Meara and Dr. Daniel Flage’s mission to fill this educational void.

Pricing and Availability The retail price of James Madison Critical Thinking Course is $29.99. The answer guide ($9.99) is sold separately. Forms A & B of the James Madison Test of Critical Thinking are $99.99 each or $159.99 if purchased together. They are now available at more than 1,800 specialty teacher and homeschooling retail stores, by calling 18004584849 or by visiting http://www.criticalthinking.com. Sample pages and table of contents are available online.

This book is one of many new titles released by The Critical Thinking Co.™ in 2011. For a complete list of new products, visit www.criticalthinking.com/newproducts.

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Nile Duppstadt – Vice President 8004584849 x 109 [email protected]

Robert Owen Product and Education Specialist 8004584849 x 111 [email protected]

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About The Critical Thinking Co.™ Since 1958, The Critical Thinking Co. TM has been a recognized leader in teaching critical thinking skills. The company offers fun, easytouse products that develop a wide range of thinking skills and improve standardsbased learning in reading, writing, math, science, and history. The company’s awardwinning books and software empower students with the problemsolving skills needed for success in school and in life. The Critical Thinking Co. TM is recommended by Mensa, Learning ® magazine, The Well Trained Mind, Dr. Toy, and Creative Child magazine; and is used by Sylvan Learning, Club Z InHome Tutoring, and leading U.S. public schools, and gifted and talented programs in 57 countries throughout the world. The Critical Thinking Co.™ guarantees better grades and higher test scores, or your money back.