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James Madison Critical Thinking Course Studnt
There's hardly any doubt that a student taking a critical thinking course will want to talk about it - dare we say argue? And CT courses - and their more formal cousins - Logic courses - have typically encouraged teacher-student/class interaction. But busy homeschool moms sometimes find it hard to provide that discussion environment. This new course by Critical Thinking Press makes the whole process much simpler and allows your student to work somewhat independently through the ins and outs of critical thinking. Using a case study approach and a fictional detective with the Los Angeles Police Department - Stephanie Wise - each chapter focuses on a skill set necessary for making an informed decision. Short, clear explanations of logic principles are provided as necessary and, combined with examples and exercises, lead the student step-by-step into complicated analysis skills. Chapters include Questions, Practices, and Qualities of Critical Thinkers; Facts, Claims of Fact, and Opinions; Ambiguity, Descriptions, and Explanations; Valid and Invalid Arguments; Arguments Based on Claims; Categorical Syllogisms; Inductive Arguments, and Informal Fallacies.
The (huge) 534-page, pb Student Worktext includes instructional information, examples, exercises, and quizzes. Designed as a consumable, pages are perforated for easy removal but are reproducible for one home or classroom. The Teacher Book (96 pgs, pb) is primarily the answer key; providing answers to both the exercises and the quizzes, but virtually no additional information.
Since Critical Thinking Press already publishes a critical thinking course, a comparison between the two seems an obvious question. There are similarities in the two scope and sequences but as mentioned earlier, CT appears to have more of a class or discussion format while JMCT is more geared toward self-instructional. The JMCT course is written by William O'Meara and Daniel Flage, two long-time professors at James Madison University; both among the authors of the JM Critical Thinking Test. The authors state that students completing the JMCT course will be learning the skills needed for the James Madison Test of Critical Thinking. ~ Janice
Product Format: | Paperback Book |
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Grades: | 7-12 |
Brand: | Critical Thinking Company |
ISBN: | 9781601441454 |
Length in Inches: | 11 |
Width in Inches: | 8.5 |
Height in Inches: | 1.5 |
Weight in Pounds: | 3.8 |
My only issues are: the answer key only contains answers, and not all concepts are explained as thoroughly as we need, so we sometimes run into problems; and the mysteries for each section aren't resolved. They aren't meant to be, they're just used as an exercise to teach the material, but most kids would have appreciated the resolution.
Let me begin with a description of the book. There are 527 pages divided into 8 chapters with 29 cases. It does get progressively more difficult or perhaps complicated. The last two chapters are clear and relatively easy. I used it with my 9th grade son for one full credit. The chapters vary with exercises and reviews - some chapters only have about 20 exercises and reviews and chapter 6 has 38. Each chapter has a quiz. So, you can do approximately a chapter a month. Some chapters will take longer to complete. It's really up to the parent within the state laws to determine how much of the book and credit their student will receive. But, this book is easily a full credit if your doing 120 hours a year.
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After researching online and reading several reviews, I decided on this course because it seems fun and thorough--something I might use with my children over the course of many years, or something…
It was what we were looking for for a high school critical thinking course.
as an interesting high school elective