PrintJune 20, 2013
Critical Thinking about Climate Change
Getting students to "think critically" has been a serious effort by educators for quite some time. Of course time after time we've seen that in practice the critical thinking desired critically questions traditional and conservative positions. But, if critical thinking is honestly what instructors are striving for, why not expand student thinking by challenging students to apply the technique in new, practical ways?
As a life-long atmospheric and environmental scientist and long-time college-science educator, I am constantly bombarded with material from a variety of sources, including many environmental groups. Take, for instance, what can be labeled "sales" literature that I recently received from the Environmental Defense Fund. The mailing contained a small double-sided poster that was titled "EXTREME WEATHER: THE CONSEQUENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE" on the one side and "TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE" on the other side. I will focus only on the...(Read Full Article)
