Critical Thinking Applied: Part 2

Being clearly and explicitly aware of gaps in available information. Recognizing when a conclusion is reached or a decision made in absence of complete information and being able to tolerate the ambiguity and uncertainty. Recognizing when one is taking something on faith without having examined the “How do we know . . . ? Why do we believe . . . ?” questions.

From What the Best College Teachers Do

Students tend to assume that the interpretation of literature is subjective: this is what it means to me and you either can’t explain that or there’s no way of disproving it.

Encouraging my students to see what we can and cannot defend in the service of our argument will be an important part of the class.

It’s one of the reasons that I will be focusing on figurative language in daily quiz questions. Metaphors and similes ask to be unpacked, and if students can begin to discern the meanings of this non-literal use of language, they’ll be on their way to saying substantive (and not merely subjective) about what they’ve read.