Three of the following teaching strategies should promote critical thinking.Which strategy, although beneficial in other ways, will not necessarily promote critical thinking skills?
A)Portray the sciences and social sciences as disciplines that will evolve as new evidence comes in.
B)Have students relate new information to things they already know about the world.
C)Have students debate a controversial issue by taking a perspective in direct opposition to what they actually believe.
D)Ask students to read a persuasive essay and look for possible flaws in the author's line of reasoning.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

While relating new information to things already known about the world is a valuable strategy, it is not necessarily enough to promote critical thinking skills. The other three strategies listed specifically encourage students to analyze, evaluate, and question the information being presented, which is at the core of critical thinking. Portraying sciences and social sciences as evolving disciplines encourages students to question assumptions and theories, debating a controversial issue from a perspective they don't personally believe requires students to see multiple sides of an issue and analyze evidence and arguments they might not otherwise consider, and identifying flaws in a persuasive essay requires students to think critically about evidence, logic, and persuasion.

Three of the Following Teaching Strategies Should Promote Critical Thinking