In this episode, we discuss:
*What is critical thinking and isn’t
*Some of the most common misconceptions of critical thinking
*The relationship between critical and creative thinking
*How critical thinking relates to divergent and convergent thinking
*The relationship between critical thinking, logic, and problem solving
*Gerald’s take on the Dunning-Kruger Effect and whether critical thinking can serve as an antidote to it
*Whether some people seem more predisposed to thinking critically than others
*If there are ways we can predispose young men and women to think critically
*Gerald’s thoughts on the relationship between critical thinking and Socratic questioning
*His first encounter with the concept of critical thinking
*How to support people interested in thinking critically but are not yet ready to adopt it fully
*How Gerald’s conception of critical thinking has changed over the years
*The Paul-Elder model of critical thinking and why Gerald thinks it's useful
*Why all the elements of reasoning are equal
*The differences between assumptions and inferences (conclusions) and examples of each
*Concepts
*Some potential neglected areas of the Paul-Elder model
*The SEE-I method
*Gerald’s preferred methods for introducing adult students and educators to critical thinking
*How critical thinking applies to military matters
*What critical thinking looks like in action—especially in high stakes situations
*Some of the unique challenges to thinking critically in the military
*The role of time in critical thinking
*The tension between the questioning and investigative nature of critical thinking and the military’s desire for its members to show "instant and willing obedience to orders”
*The idea that critical thinking is inherently subversive in an organization like the military
*Situations where critical thinking may not be preferable or desirable
*How we can apply critical thinking to understanding America's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan
*Gerald’s thoughts on the use of chess to promote critical thinking
*What he tells people who are turned off by the major time commitment and effort it takes to become skilled in critical thinking
*How we can measure critical thinking
*What fundamental and powerful concepts (FPCs) are and how they apply to military schooling and training
*How one goes about determining what the FPCs of a domain or discipline are
*How one might measure a student’s grasp or application of a course’s FPCs
*Gerald’s personal practices of addressing blind spots, knowledge gaps, and biases (cognitive or otherwise)
*His thoughts on Daniel Kahneman’s System 1 and System 2 thinking
*How critical thinking applies to highly technical fields
*The thorny topic of role models for critical thinking
*Gerald’s wish to see a guide on thinking critically in a military context
*The role of emotion in critical thinking
*Gerald’s new book
Links
The Foundation for Critical Thinking: www.criticalthinking.org
The Standards and Elements of Critical Thinking: https://www.criticalthinking.org/ctmodel/logic-model.php
Learning to Think Things Through: A Guide to Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum by Gerald Nosich
Critical Writing: A Guide to Writing a Paper Using the Concepts and Processes of Critical Thinking by Gerald Nosich