The Reason We Need To Debate
By Jennifer Sullivan
As an adjunct instructor of the Mitchell College course Ethics/Character/Moral Development, I understand that very few,
if none, of the topics covered in this course have a definitive right or wrong
answer. Most of the course content falls somewhere between right and wrong, in a
complicated, very subjective, gray area. Thus the course allows students to
have an opinion, without the worry of having an opinion that is right or wrong.
Students can form opinions, articulately state their beliefs and then
assertively defend their stance against others in class who may hold different
views. It takes the students some time to accept this process; a process that is
becoming more foreign as we grow accustomed to quick Google searches for
answers and Facebook posts which most often agree with our opinions, instead of
challenge them.
Perhaps our ability to reason and debate is changing in much
the same way that our ability to concentrate and read has evolved. Nicholas
Carr in his article “is Google making us stupid?” analogizes reading to being
either a scuba diver or jet skier. “…Once I used to read like a deep-sea scuba
diver in a sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a jet ski.”
Patricia
Greenfield, a UCLA professor of psychology, has reviewed over 50
studies and concluded “Learners
have changed as a result of their exposure to technology… Reading for pleasure, which
has declined among young people in recent decades, enhances thinking and
engages the imagination in a way that visual media such as video games and
television do not.”
Maryanne Wolf, in her 2010 article “Our ‘Deep Reading’
Brain: Its Digital Evolution Poses Questions,” explains the physical changes
that occur in our brain when we alter our thinking and reading patterns from
deep reading of complex ideas to quickly skimming texts. She also quotes the
visionary David Tenner who said in 2006,
“It would be a shame if brilliant
technology were to end up threatening the kind of intellect that produced it.”
How does our inability to read lead to a fear or rather,
inability to debate? I believe the missing link is critical thinking. When we
are able to find an answer or solution to a problem with one quick Google
search we are like Skinner’s pigeons who press the lever and immediately
receive a reward. The pigeons in B.F. Skinner’s experiments received food as
their reward. However, when we receive a fast, simple answer instead of food
our brain receives something even more stimulating and pleasurable to our
brains, dopamine. Our brains crave the dopamine it receives when we receive a
solution to a puzzle. This immediate reinforcement encourages the behavior
which proceeded it. Individuals will repeat behavior which provides a
pleasurable consequence. Google is training out brains to need the stimulation
it provides; a scary idea when a non-human entity is affecting our brain
chemistry much the same way nicotine chemically ensnares our bodies.
When our brains are chemically rewarded for seeking quick
answers, we lose the need or physical desire for critical thinking. Deep,
concentrated thought then becomes a laborious chore which does not earn
chemical rewards from the brain. However, critical thinking is a necessary part
of our culture and a skill which we must teach our young adults and future
generations of students. Adrian West, research director at the Edward de
Bono Foundation U.K. said,
“Critical thinking as an attitude is embedded in
Western culture. There is a belief that argument is the way to finding truth.”
I incorporate critical thinking development into every course I teach at Thames Academy and Mitchell College. The key word I constantly remind students to use when analyzing a fact, reading or assumption is, "Why?" It can be difficult for students to work backwards by being shown an effect and trying to find a cause. Particularly for students with learning disabilities, this type of abstract thinking can be overwhelming. So I begin with fundamental exercises that encourage students to develop habits of critical thinkers (sometimes without them realizing they are doing it!). I use visual images in class, like the pictures below, and ask students to form 'Why' questions. Why are there only 3 women? Why is the man on the left looking nervous? Why do you think the people are angry?
Another exercise I use in the Thames classroom is to read students a statement and ask them to think outside the box in order to give me a reason why the statement happened. For example, 'Your cat has not come home in 5 days.' Maybe the cat is lost? The cat could have found a new home? The cat could be having kittens? Maybe you recently moved and the cat can't find your new house? I encourage students to stretch beyond their first answer and make connections between the outcome and possible causes.
The above strategies are just 2 of the many ways I build critical thinking foundations into Thames Academy classes. Often the students have fun and don't know they are learning. However, I find the repetition and fun nature of these exercises allows students to see critical thinking as a skill they can master and is within their reach and that is WHY I enjoy teaching!
