One of the world’s greatest experts in Critical Thinking, Ron Barnett, Emeritus Professor at the University College London, UK, will be with us giving a keynote during the 1st European Summit for Critical Thinking Education:
Critical Thinking: Avoiding the pitfalls and glimpsing the possibilities
Most – though not all – are in favour of critical thinking but there is no consensus as to what is to count as critical thinking and it has become a contested concept: is it (a) an ease in certain kinds of logical argumentation? Is it (b) a matter of the skills involved in evaluating theories and evidence within a discipline? Is it (c) an ability to identify and to call out ‘fake news’ in the wider society? Is it (d) a propensity to spot and to be critical of inefficient work practices? Is it (e) a disposition to be self-critical and so exhibit what, for many, exemplifies a genuinely higher education? Is it (f) a willingness and the courage to hold the powerful – including the state if necessary – to account? These are profoundly different understandings of critical thinking and they spring from correspondingly different value positions as to the purposes of higher education. What, then, does it mean to incorporate critical thinking into higher education? In my talk, I want to discern pitfalls that lie ahead, in steering between the many different interpretations and purposes. There are a number of key distinctions that need to be made – for example, is critical thinking mainly a matter of attending to the curriculum (what is taught?) or to pedagogy (how is a programme of studies to be taught?). These are no merely technical considerations for the educational specialists but are crucial in bringing off new possibilities for critical thinking that may be emerging in the twenty-first century.
Don’t miss Ron Barnett’s keynote! Register until May the 24th, 2019 (free of charge, but mandatory). You can find the registration form here: https://www.ucll.be/summitforcte
Check the full program at: http://crithinkedu.utad.pt/en/europeansummit-program/