CRITICAL THINKING at PCLC ​

Above:  The Six Hat Thinking method provides a parallel thinking model to get
​the most out of critical thinking discussions. The actual hats are just for fun!

​CRITICAL THINKING COURSE- Grades 8-12

Taught at Pacific Coast Learning Center - Tuesdays 1:00-2:30 
$380 per semester* (two-semester course)​
*There is an annual student fee for all students taking classes at Pacific Coast Learning Center. Some charter schools allow for this fee to be added to the cost of classes rather than being paid out-of-pocket by parents. If your charter agrees, you may add the cost of the student fee to your first Purchase Order. 

Oxford Dictionaries defines critical thinking as "the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment". 

Critical thinking has always been an important skill but perhaps never more so in a world that faces so many challenges including those presented by the internet, social media, and fake news.

The average student is said to make thousands of decisions daily and knowing how to think critically is to be better equipped to face the challenges of today.  The goal of this course is not to tell students what they should think but how they should think, how they should evaluate what they hear and how to better formulate and defend the principles, ideas and positions that are important to them.

The course requires that students complete homework exercises in the comprehensive curriculum "Practical Critical Thinking" by Catherine Connors-Nelson. The enticing curriculum includes, but is not limited to, puzzles and mind-benders that offer necessary practice in applying the lessons they will be learning. ​Each quarter of the course will include either a composition or special project. Grades will be earned according to student effort on homework, tests, compositions/projects and class participation. 

Class time will be a small part lecture, a large part discussion and group activities, conducted to continue real-word application of the curriculum exercises students have already completed.

UNIT 1 BECOMING A CRITICAL THINKER
    SECTION 1 THE 411 ABOUT CRITICAL THINKING
  • CRITICAL THINKING OVERVIEW
  • TRAITS OF A CRITICAL THINKER
  • OBSTACLES TO CRITICAL THINKING
    SECTION 2 THE IMPORTANCE OF PRACTICE
  • PLAYING GAMES, DOING PUZZLES AND MIND-BENDERS: PRACTICING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS 
UNIT 2 ADDING TO YOUR CRITICAL THINKING TOOLBOX
    SECTION 3 SOME BASIC CONCEPTS FOR CRITICAL THINKING
  • FACTS VERSUS OPINIONS
  • DIFFERENTIATING POSSIBLE, PROBABLE, AND PROVEN
  • EVIDENCE
  • CREATIVITY, CREATIVE THINKING AND CREATIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING
    SECTION 4 CRITICAL THINKING AND LANGUAGE
  • EMOTIONAL WORDS & ARGUMENTS
  • THE PROBLEM WITH AMBIGUITY
  • VAGUENESS
  • DOUBLESPEAK: EUPHEMISM & JARGON
  • INFLATED LANGUAGE
UNIT 3 CRITICAL THINKING AND ARGUMENTATION
    SECTION 5 ANALYZING ARGUMENTS
  • ELEMENTS OF AN ARGUMENT
  • IDENTIFYING & EVALUATING DEDUCTIVE AND INDUCTIVE ARGUMENTS
    SECTION 6 INFORMAL FALLACIES
  • INTRODUCTION TO FALLACIES
  • FALLACIES OF RELEVANCE
  • FALLACIES OF PRESUMPTION
  • FALLACIES OF WEAK INDUCTION
  • FALLACIES OF AMBIGUITY
  • DETECTING AND AVOIDING FALLACIES
UNIT 4 APPLYING CRITICAL THINKING
    SECTION 7 ADVERTISING
  • PROS & CONS OF ADVERTISING
  • THE BACKSTORY OF HOW ADS PERSUADE US
  • ADVERTISING TECHNIQUES
  • REGULATED ADVERTIZING
  • HOW TO BE A CRITICAL VIEWER OF ADVERTISING
    SECTION 8 EYEWITNESS TESTIMONY, DIRECT AND CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE
  • INTRODUCTION TO DIRECT & CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE
  • EYEWITNESS TESTIMONY AND MEMORY​
The Six Hat Thinking method provides a parallel thinking model to get the most out of critical thinking discussions. The actual hats were just for fun!