1 Inquiry before Advocacy: An informal exploration of English critical thinking classes In the light of neurological sciences, And consistent with my opinionated and creative impulses. Sabbatical shares a root with Sabbath, a ceasing, and is meant to be a time of rest and rejuvenation – and rededication to the profession. This project, which leads to specific class proposals, is meant to fit into that definition. As such, formal writing has been put aside for a more leisurely and personal exploration, and layman’s language is the norm wherever possible. Exploring the cognitive sciences and applying them to my teaching has been an avocation of mine for several years, and I have enjoyed sharing insights with my students so they become better students. This project is an extension of that avocation and an extension of knowledge so my teaching is consistent with newly discovered best practices and so students can learn even more about how to “hack” their brains and “hack” the world around them so their lives, now and into the future, can be full, happy, and productive. Jeff Burdick Clovis Community College State Center Community College District [email protected] Jeff Burdick / English 3 Sabbatical project: Inquiry before Advocacy 2 Table of Contents Table of Contents Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 4 A. What is a critical thinking class for? .................................................................................... 14 B. Wherein thinking is explored. ............................................................................................... 22 C. Some thoughts on binary thinking: ...................................................................................... 25 D. Wherein the thinker is viewed as a brain athlete. ......................................................... 28 E. Wherein thinking about thinking is considered (Metacognition). ............................ 31 F. Wherein some goals for a critical thinking class are established .............................. 36 G. Who are our students? ............................................................................................................. 41 H. Concerning the brain with some notes about the young adult brain. ...................... 45 I. Multi-tasking is not a thing because our brains are built to do one single conscious thing at a time. .............................................................................................................................................. 54 J. The brain under stress .............................................................................................................. 61 1. Stressor: Exercise. Response: neurogenesis ................................................................................ 62 2. Stressor: Stress. Response: Brain shrinkage. .............................................................................. 67 3. Stressor: Anxiety. Response: heart failure, panic attacks. ..................................................... 72 4. Additional Stressors: Depression, Attention Deficit (and Hyperactivity), and Addictions. ....................................................................................................................................................... 74 K. On the (near) impossibility of changing minds. .............................................................. 76 L. What is unlearning? and why does it matter? .................................................................. 88 M. Learning in community: social neuroscience .................................................................. 97 N. Mirror Neurons and the trading of skills ........................................................................ 102 O. What is my critique of traditional English 3 classes? ................................................ 105 P. So, Jeff, what do you propose? ............................................................................................ 111 Q. “I object!” ................................................................................................................................... 114 A. GOALS .......................................................................................................................................... 115 B. Critical thinking is not an English thing. ......................................................................... 117 C. What is critical thinking? And how is it connected to creative thinking? ............ 120 D. The brain: a whole bucket of metaphors. ....................................................................... 126 E. What purposes do interdisciplinary English 3: Critical Thinking classes have? 135 F. Sidebar: A diatribe against writing first and editing afterward, with detours into erudite owls, proper grammar, and second language learners. .................................. 137 G. Assignments and methods: intention, purpose, strategy, and objectives ........... 142 1. Class preparation (homework and on-line discussions) ..................................................... 143 2. Responses, summaries, and rhetorical analyses ..................................................................... 144 4. Class time .................................................................................................................................................. 151 5. In-class Discussions: problems and projects; presentations; metacognition ............. 152 6. Major writing assignment types (2 iterations in the basic class structure). ............... 158 III. The Courses Introduction A. Our Distracted Minds (With basic class template for courses) B. Thinking by Design Jeff Burdick / English 3 Sabbatical project: Inquiry before Advocacy 3 C. The Wisdom of the Body (Or the End of the Dumb Jock Jokes) D. This is Your Brain on Nature E. Crosswalk of COR, SLO, and class assignments IV. Handbooks A. Introduction (Note that these handbooks are available for all instructors to use. B. Rhetorical Analysis: Reading Beyond the Text C. Critical Thinking and Argumentation D. The Source of (Nearly) All Wisdom: a brief handbook for college writing E. Studying: handy hints for studying, using the cognitive sciences so we don’t waste time. V. Works Cited and Consulted. Jeff Burdick / English 3 Sabbatical project: Inquiry before Advocacy 4 Ancora Imparo1 Introduction This sabbatical project is an attempt to explore and solve some problems so we can optimize student learning in the English 3: Critical Thinking class. Many of the findings and approaches in the following exploration will be useful for other classes across the curriculum, but this project’s foci are critical thinking, creative thinking, rhetorical analysis, and argumentation in various forms. Specifically, it examines the potential of expanding our understanding of critical thinking by placing it in a larger context of interdisciplinary approaches and presenting it in a way that is student centered and sound in terms of an emerging pedagogy based in cognitive sciences, neuropsychology, and neurosociology, and by using the new scientific findings about, for example, neurogenesis to create greater opportunities for student engagement and success. English 3: Critical Thinking is a core course in our curriculum. It satisfies CSU and UC requirements for the critical thinking component, and it is one of only three critical thinking courses offered on our campus (Philosophy and Communication are 1 When Michelangelo was quite old, in his 80s, he posted a sign above the door to his workshop: Ancora Imparo , which means “I am still learning.” (Cozolino 211). That seems like an appropriate motto for this project, though I am still far from 80. Well, not far enough. Jeff Burdick / English 3 Sabbatical project: Inquiry before Advocacy 5 the others). [Note that English 3 Honors is included throughout this discussion without specific references]. Jeff Burdick / English 3 Sabbatical project: Inquiry before Advocacy 6 From the Course Outline of Record approved by the Clovis Community College Curriculum Committee and recognized as an articulated class with the CSU and UC systems: “A course designed to develop critical thinking, reading, and writing skills beyond the level achieved in English 1A/1AH. The course will focus on the development of logical reasoning and analytical and argumentative writing skills based primarily on works of non-fiction in a variety of media.” Student Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: 1. Identify and critically evaluate the differences between cogent and fallacious arguments in a culturally diverse context. 2. Examine and interpret college-level texts including visual media and literature, with preference for non-fiction. 3. Write multiple synthesized and documented critical analysis papers of at least 6000 words, with one essay of at least 2000 words. Objectives: In the process of completing this course, students will: 1. Produce multiple synthesized and documented, critical analysis papers of at least 2000 words which: exhibits a sophisticated introduction, multiple body paragraphs, and a conclusion; expresses an arguable claim that aims to contribute to or alter pre-existing ideas on the subject matter; shows supporting details that exhibit critical thinking and use credible, multiple secondary sources; identifies researched and evaluated sources for use in the development of their