Reading Journals/ Self Evaluation

Reading Journal Helping Children Develop the Skills and Dispositions of Critical , Creative , and Caring Thinking

In the article , a list of `critical conversational operations or moves is annotated in what the author believes to be a `useful to be emphasized ' In short , they are tools that foster better critical creative and caring thinking

I believe that many of the points made in this article we can all learn from to increase our critical thinking . While the article is geared toward older audiences with the intention of fostering positive thinking skills among

adolescents , I feel it identifies many things we can do on a daily basis to help our conversational and thinking skills

Although the article is a large grouping of actions that one may use during the course of conversation , only a few stuck out in my mind . The most prominent of these was `making an inference ' Making an inference is , in my mind , the ultimate in the critical thought /conversation process . To correctly make an inference , a person must go through many of the steps previously prescribed , such as classifying /categorizing asking a question , and offering a hypothesis or explanation . In addition , an inference requires intellectual thought as it shows that a person has attained enough knowledge about a to logically extrapolate an assumption

I find that the main premise of the article - being able to perform the actions on demand - is very true . Perform actions like offering a definition or identifying an assumption at will during the course of conversation can only foster critical thinking in a positive direction This is true of all ages and ability levels when it comes to a higher level of engagement . The ability to agree or disagree on command while realizing that it is not `a hostile act ' helps debate turn into something meaningful . In addition , it further qualifies David Bohm 's assertion in `On Dialogue ' where he states that a person `identifies himself with his opinion ' and to engage in successful dialogue , one must be objective to their opinion with respect to others

On Dialogue

The section of On Dialogue that was supplied provides an overview of common actions taken during dialogue , and even goes so far as to group human behavioral patterns with in its scope . The section , taken from a speech David Bohm delivered , continues to classify conversation and its changing characteristics depending on group size . At the closing of this particular section it is asserted that when a dialogue group is new they often stray from the point , perhaps as a result of their differing interests and assumptions , but it all must be worked out

The qualification that people often become defensive when their opinion is challenged is right on . It is very difficult to hold any sort of productive dialogue if whenever a person assertions or beliefs are challenged they take it as an insult to their character and personal standing . His example of using objective dialogue amongst doctors to counterbalance his statement seems like...