Developments

From their earliest days, they come up against opposing points of view, differing interpretations of events, contradictory judgments, and incompatible lines of reaBy Rose Gong soning. To make a person gain the disposition of sympathizing with other points of Critical thinking as an educational goal view, teachers must engage students in diaenjoys a general consent: Few teachers logical or dialectical thinking. He proposes would object to critical thinking as an imthat dialogical opportunities be provided to portant curricular component. However compare and contrast conflicting points of teaching critical thinking can be quite chalview. For example, the use of small heterolenging without a firm grasp on its essence. geneous groups to expose differing viewRichard Paul, director of Research at points and arguments can encourage stuthe Center for Critical Thinking and Moral dents to assess a variety of perspectives. He Critique, pointed out an important distincalso suggests that dialogical thinking betion between teaching critical thinking skills come a series of reciprocal creative acts and teaching critical thinkers in an essay: wherein thinkers move up and back from Regarding a Definition of Critical Thinking categorically different imagined roles. (1989). He argued that critical thinking as This imaginative model, to me, is key to skillsspotting assumptions, examining pre- creating critical thinkers. Helping students mises, forming conclusions, and diagnosing form the habit of rigorously questioning fallaciescan fail to produce critical thinkevery particle of their own belief is an effecers who are willing to explicate, understand, tive way to create critical thinking disposiand critique their own deepest prejudices, tions. Students need to learn to put thembiases, and misconceptions. selves in the position of their opponents If critical thinking is construed as skills and debate with themselves regarding every without due emphasis on the dispositions of position they hold. This self-examination objectivity, impartiality, and can be integrated in writing assignments nonarbitrariness, critical thinking only fosacross all disciplines. Making a rebuttal secters sophistry to rationalize existing biases tion a requirement in writing assignments and cements egocentric and sociocentric enables students to play different imaginabeliefs and attachments. Thus, he proposes tive roles, coming back and forth from difthat critical thinking be construed as "disciferent perspectives searching for the stronplined, self-directed thinking which exempli- gest arguments. fies the perfection of thinking appropriate The essence of critical thinking is the to a particular mode or domain of thinking" combination of critical thinking skills and (p. 2). Critical thinking conceptualized in the dispositions of fairness, objectivity, imthis way must be taught with the focus on partiality, and nonarbitrariness. It should wielding fair-minded critical thinkers, who become the foundation upon which educaare willing to take into account the interests tors plan their critical thinking curriculum. of diverse persons or groups regardless of self-interest. A model called dialogical/ References dialectical thinking, according to Paul, can Paul, R. (1989, July). Regarding a definition of help shape the dispositions in terms of discritical thinking. Distributed at the Interciplined and self-directed thinking in national Conference on Critical Thinkteaching. ing and Educational Reform's 25th ConDialogical/dialectical thinking refers to ference, Rohnert Park, CA. students' abilities to "enter into thoughts Paul, R. (1987). Dialogical thinking: Critiand feelings other than their own" (Paul, cal thought essential to the acquisition 1987). Paul holds that children begin develof rational knowledge and passions. In J. oping egocentric identity, point of view, and B. Baron & R. J. Sternberg (Eds.), Teachframe of reference through which they exing thinking skills: Theory and practice (pp. perience, think about, and judge the world. 127-148). New York: W.H. Freeman.

Retention Programs to Keep Students Afloat

Since the late 1980s, higher education institutions have been acknowledging the increasing number of students needing additional support for retention, particularly in their first year. Noel-Levitz is a consultation firm with a specialty in enrollment management. They have been recognizing successful university programs by awarding these programs with the annual Lee Noel and Randi Levitz Retention Excellence Awards. Some of the criteria they look for include measurable outcomes, originality, creativity, and adaptability, as well as effective use of resources. In 2004, Noel-Levitz recognized four retention programs: Southeastern Oklahoma State University's Academic Advising and Outreach Center (AAOC), Georgia Institute of Technology's Challenge Program, State University of New York at New Paltz's Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) Freshman Year Experience, and University of North Carolina at Creensboro's (UNCG) Strategies for Academic Success. The AAOC at Southeastern Oklahoma State University provides a wide range of services for first-generation students, 1st- and 2nd-year American Indian students, students with undecided majors, and transfer students. This program is housed with Academic Affairs and is made up of two academic advisors and a support staff who work to meet students' individualized needs by providing an intensive support system. Students complete an evaluation to help them plan, with guidance from advisors, their academic studies. There is a freshman convocation which is a formal ceremony used to welcome students and convey the message to them that this is a new, important beginning. They employ a telephone outreach program by which students who are at a high risk for drop out are contacted once-a-week by telephone to help keep them on track. When a firstyear student earns a 3.25, they are recognized with a t-shirt gift. Retention rates have increased each year since the AAOC has been in operation. Georgia Institute of Technology's Challenge Program began an introduction program of 5 weeks for incoming freshmen of color in 1980. These students live in freshman dormitories and interact with "Challenge Journal of Developmental Education

The Essence of Critical Thinking

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