tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-187875012007-12-22T04:48:38.673-08:00Critical Thinkingpantagruel1noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18787501.post-1132247808321747772005-11-17T09:15:00.000-08:002005-11-17T09:16:48.333-08:00Why Americans Can't ThinkI have been teaching high school science for nine years. Each year I have a surprising number of students who resist vigorously any request to think for themselves. Many students (in some classes, the overwhelming majority) expect to have information poured into their heads, without having to struggle with difficult concepts, synthesize information, apply concepts to novel situations, or solve pantagruel1noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18787501.post-1132190052210279772005-11-16T17:07:00.001-08:002006-01-04T18:32:48.390-08:00Agnotology and MisologyMisology is the fear or hatred of knowledge, rational thought and argumentation. Agnotology is the cultural production of ignorance. Both problems seem to be getting worse. They contribute to creating a society of people who are less and less able to think for themselves, solve problems, and understand reality. Two of the leading forces behind the cultural creation of ignorance today are pantagruel1noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18787501.post-1132437020597921142005-11-16T13:49:00.000-08:002006-01-04T18:33:07.600-08:00Why Students Fail in SchoolI have been teaching high school science for nine years in both an inner city school in San Francisco, and in a suburban school just outside of San Francisco. In both settings I have been shocked by the numbers of students who are not academically ready for the rigors of high school and who have not been able to thrive in my classes. Here are just a few of the issues these students bring with pantagruel1noreply@blogger.com