Update: April17, 2023
MUFTIC FORUM BLOG: .Anti Wokeness and anti masking: issues come to a blue state county
"Culture war" in Woodland Park schools - A hi performing, spirited school takes a turn for the worst as right wing zealots take over.
MUFTIC FORUM BLOG: .Anti Wokeness and anti masking: issues come to a blue state county
In Elizabeth, Colorado recently half of the school board resigned because of anti CRT obsessions of others fighting the CRT ghost which is not even taught in their schools. It had made it impossible to deal with other pressing issues. Elizabeth School Board resignations over CRT complaints accepted (coloradosun.com) CRT contains a word" critical", and so does "critical thinking"" a methodology of research used in graduate level courses on Critical Race Theory.. Anti CRT is, however, a political rallying cry that is fed by ignorance of a graduate level academic and philosophical methodology of seeking the truth. It is not taught at any elementary or high school but fighting this ghost has had real life political and public policy impacts as it had in Elizabeth and in Florida.. Critical thinking sounds better but some take it as a green light to hurl insults and name calling. It is not advocacy of a one sided "woke". Critical thinking is not the same as "criticizing". I think we agree on the need for critical thinking. We may disagree on the definition. Google the definition before throwing the term around. It may explain why CRT, critical race theory is so frightening to those who think it means teaching criticizing White people while advocating the black perception of slavery or the history of the civil rights movement. Because the term "critical thinking" is an abstract concept, it takes effort to understand it is also a disciplined method for intellectuals and academics to seek the truth. The method has its roots in Socrates. Because of its abstractness, it has has become a term politicians could easily abuse and use as a polite form to an appeal to a racist inclined base without sounding rawly racist. In Florida with the advocacy by Ron DeSantis, rules, laws and regulations have attempted to control how racial history is taught in response to those who have become fearful of CRT, Critical Racial Theory. CRT is an academic method of graduate level study using critical thinking methodology and has not been taught in any public school in Florida. DeSantis has made "anti woke" his mantra and anti CRT action is his dog whistle demagogury.
Critical thinking has many definitions, but all include the use of rational reasons for arguing a point deducted from facts that are available. It is akin to the method of published critics of art and music who may feel something in their gut but give reasons liking or not liking the performance or a painting based on what they heard or saw instead of just writing "it stinks". Often, such critics comment on both the good and the bad, but they cite reasons for both positive and negative observations and their conclusion deserving their verdict are expressed sometimes in terms of one to five stars. They are practicing "critical thinking".
All definitions of critical thinking have much in common. Critical thinking includes understanding available data and facts, deductive reasoning, and a dose of skepticism.. That is a way of thinking instead of simply parroting back something that sounds right to you or you hope is true.. If you challenge some people to give their data and facts for their opinions and all you get back are opinion memes and insults, that is not critical thinking. Demanding those with opposing opinions should agree is not "critical thinking", either. Calling those who disagree with you clowns or worse is not critical thinking. It may be criticizing, but it is not critical thinking.
Update: 4/15/2023
DeSantis signs bill banning critical race theory in schools (wptv.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment