Skeptical Thinking in the Classroom and its Impact - School of Arts ...

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means science fiction, and fiction is not real. One of the things that make some of these paradigms difficult for the people to make a clear decision based on facts is that many are insulated from disproof. When haunting and the like are debunked there are always hundreds more that have not been debunked and more cases arise everyday. That coupled with the pseudoscience of ghost hunting that ensnares people in a guise that it is hard science, while not employing the integral method, adds to the proliferation of an unsubstantiated claim. A viewing and careful debunking of one of the Ghost Hunter programs as a class activity may be a more effective test for the ghost activity. The ending activity can be broadened to include more questions that probe students’ opinions better. That coupled with an effective introduction will give a better assessment on how student thinking has evolved. I think that the main hindrance to a more effective research project was my inexperience as a researcher. Input from peers and colleagues would have improved the project immensely. Brainstorming activities and assessments with others would have yielded better results. A broadening of subject matter to include conspiracy theories may have been a better choice. Starting by honing the students’ critical thinking skills as to reliable sources and how to distinguish fallacious arguments from valid ones using conspiracy theories could start the students on a better critical thinking path. Introducing pseudoscientific claims like free energy to be evaluated would have made a good second step. Finishing the project with the paranormal would have given the research a broader palette of phenomena to see student distribution of what topics were most prevalently credulous and would show student growth in critical thinking in a much clearer light. After I have finished here at the University of Penn I plan to find other researchers to join with to study the subject further. If the goal of education is to produce true critical thinkers, then research into the propensity of people to be credulous and effective practices that help students not fall into credulity are needed to guide students into being better critical thinkers in their lives.
Literature review Most of my attitudes on skepticism were shaped by the writings of Carl Sagan. The main inspiration for my passion in the issue stems from his book: “The Demon Haunted World: Science as a candle in the dark” Copyright 1996, Ballantine Books, New York Title: Contemporary Approaches to Critical Thinking and the World Wide Web Author(s): Buffington, Melanie L. Source: Art Education, v60 n1 p18-23 Jan 2007. 6 pp. (Peer Reviewed Journal) ISSN: 0004-3125 : Internet, Thinking Skills, Critical Thinking, Academic Achievement, Web Based Instruction, Art Teachers, Educational Strategies, Art Education, Elementary Secondary Education : Teaching critical thinking skills is often endorsed as a means to help students develop their abilities to navigate the complex world in which people live and, in addition, as a way to help students succeed in school. Over the past few years, this author explored the idea of teaching critical thinking using the World Wide Web (WWW). She began in-depth research on the topic to understand what critical thinking entails and the potential for art educators to use the WWW to help their students develop critical thinking skills. This article begins with a review of the history of critical thinking and some current ideas on the topic. Then, the author explains her working description of critical thinking and how critical thinking is currently articulated in discussions of the WWW in schools. She concludes with ideas for teachers related to developing critical thinking in art classrooms using the WWW. (Contains 1 figure and 3 endnotes.) ERIC: 37: English: 6 Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive National Art Education Association. 1916 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191. Tel: 703-860-8000; Fax: 703-860-2960; Web site: http://www.NAEA-Reston.org http://www.naea-reston.org/index.html
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