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Title: Developing Critical Thinkers : Challenging Adults to Explore Alternative Ways of Thinking and Acting (Jossey-Bass Higher Education Series) by Stephen D. Brookfield ISBN: 1-55542-356-6 Publisher: Jossey-Bass Pub. Date: 15 July, 1991 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.5 (4 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Necessary Andragogy Supplement
Comment: Brookfield makes clear how critical thinking is a necessary part of adult education. It is necessary for the adult educator to develop the skills necessary to be cognizant of the critical thinking process, through practice and developing the ability to articulate the concept and process to students while assisting them into putting the critical thinking process into practice.
Brookfield outlines in this book how critical thinking is necessary in decipering media coverage, developing political positions, negotiating family vacations, and even in building and maintaining intimate relationships. Further, Brookfield advises that the critical thinking process affords students the ability to recognize perspectives other than their own held beliefs. Finally, through the epilogue, the educator is given some clear direction in implemeting and incorporating critical thinking dialouge and questioning in the classroom.
Excellent supplement to any andragogy focused course or to improve the quality and efficacy of adult education.
Rating: 1
Summary: Poor treatment of important topic
Comment: Stephen Brookfield writes 254 pages on one of the most important topic in our world and basically says nothing useful. His style is very "touchy / feely, and he writes very superfluous statements that provide little, if any enlightenment to the reader. On his primary topic on how to teach critical thinking I found no practical application. This book reminds me of a college student's attempt to write intelligently on an important topic, but it was way over his head.
Rating: 4
Summary: A valuable read except for two things
Comment: As an organizational psychologist, I found this book very well-written and informative. For those who are not educators or counselors, Dr Brookfield's thorough discussion in Part One of just what constitutes critical thinking, how to recognize it and learning to think critically as adults is well worth the read. Parts Two and Three deal in-depth with developing critical thinking in adults, particularly college students. There are only two things I feel distract from the book. First, almost all of Dr Brookfield's examples employ very politically liberal themes. I'm afraid Dr Brookfield, as a member of the Academy, is so steeped in this persuasion that he didn't consider that more moderate examples might appeal to a wider audience. The second weakness, ironically, involves an attempt to appeal to a wider audience. Someone (probably his editor or a Jossey-Bass marketeer) prevailed on the author to periodically insert references to the workplace, political institutions and the media. At the end of the book, Part Three contains whole chapters dedicated to these areas, and the back cover suggests that the book should be placed in either the Higher Education or Management sections of the bookstore. Unfortunately, I found his references to business and the workplace to be rather superficial and, well, forced. At the end of the day, however, I found the book interesting and well-written and a valuable find particularly for educators.
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