Being such a subjective skill, critical (or creative) thinking is a skill that teachers all over America struggle to impart onto their students. Despite their efforts, creative thinking seems to be on the decline since they started testing in the 1960s. Why is it so difficult to teach? It may be because teachers don’t actually know how to teach it. While teachers think they’re teaching critical thinking through regular instruction, critical thinking requires explicit, inquiry-based instruction, where students are asked to solve practical problems about topics they find interesting. Read full article here
Culture
The Priest in the Arena
The phrase “man in the arena” has been popularized in recent years, but a lesser known, more dangerous archetype is the “priest in the arena”. This figure is responsible for a process called theocratic capture, where an institution surrenders to a cult demanding unaccountable authority, fueled by claims to privileged knowledge. These cults often target powerful institutions and attempt to monopolize conversations with scaremongering tactics and hostile treatment of allies. It is important to identify and stop theocratic capture before it can gain control. Read full article here
Merv
May 29, 2023
