Month: February 2021

UNE uses the first nested conception of liberal arts education that “embraces the ideal of the integrated curriculum, encompassing virtually all nonprofessional higher learning” (Scheuer). By doing this, they give a wider range of disciplinaries that are necessary for students to get involved in. It also allows students to have more options in their lifetime of things they might want to pursue. For example, a student may like a class they took but was completely different from their major; this may lead to a change in major. As society changes rapidly, UNE sets out the goal to enhance decision-making within students to live more thoughtful lives. They don’t want their students to get stuck if something bad may occur in the world. They use critical thinking as their edge to get students to be more creative. One of the four main objectives in UNE’s handbook describes the implementation of how they want students to be able to effectively communicate. This relates to when Ungar dismissed misconception #2 and says ” An astounding 89 percent said they were looking for more emphasis on “the ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing,” (Ungar).

When looking at Appendix A in the student handbook, english composition was nailed on the spot for goals to be achieved in the class. For myself so far, I feel like I have gained some sort of knowledge or my Professor has given the ability to gain the knowledge listed on the Learning Outcomes. More than I ever have, we focused on revising our drafts and using peer edits to further our writing. This was completely new to me, but something that I feel helped me a lot. Something I do not believe occurs is when the handbook specifies professors using “directed and engaged learning”. With my experience so far, I haven’t had the most directed learning towards myself. Students have to go out of their way to get directed learning which is something I think should be applicable, but putting that as one of the methodologies doesn’t make sense if it isn’t applied. I am still a freshman, so this could change as I get into more focused classes on my major but as of now, I don’t believe this has occurred for me.

There seems to be a misconception that spreads around the liberal arts. People see it as outdated and because other countries aren’t using it, we shouldn’t. This isn’t so true. Ungar, the author of “7 major misconceptions about the liberal arts” says, “Further, in recent years delegations from China have been visiting the United States and asking pointed questions about the liberal arts, seemingly because they feel there may be a good reason to try that approach to education.” More countries are starting to look at liberal arts and see its benefits as it generates leaders in the world today. Scheuer, the author of “Critical Thinking and the Liberal Arts”, agrees with Ungar by elaborating that “nations around the world are beginning to embrace the liberal arts idea that American education has done so much to promote, even as we question it.”

Some people believe that liberal arts are only for democratic/liberal people. This is not the case at all. As Scheuer points out, liberal arts are not named for their political matter, ” Like the term liberal arts, it’s more comprehensive and systemic: a social ecology involving a range of activities symbiotic with democratic communities.” It shows us all viewpoints and assesses every situation/problem using multiple reasonings. Ungar would say that “A liberal education, as properly defined above, has nothing whatsoever to do with politics”. They both point out that it is more focusing on establishing leadership and citizenship within the students, which makes a lot of sense and is something people need to understand.

1. This article could potentially be about how liberal arts colleges produce critical thinking students or vice versa. Liberal arts is the study of many different things but by the title it could mean how to teach students to think critically.1
2. This first section is telling us what the liberal arts are. “Originally there were seven liberal arts: the trivium of classical antiquity, consisting of grammar, rhetoric, and logic, combined with the medieval quadrivium of arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy.” These seven original arts have developed in to many more and a way of learning. It has become the most renown way of learning in the US.
3. The next section is about why we need liberal arts education. It seems like it’s necessary because it brings communities together and develops our society as a whole. “The overall goal is to foster vibrant and prosperous communities with broad and deep participation, in public conversations marked by fairness, inclusion, and (where critical thinking comes in) intellectual rigor.” It also focuses on fairness and inclusion which are becoming very relevant in todays world.
4. Critical thinking is described as “the intellectual engine of a functional democracy: the set of mental practices that lends breadth, depth, clarity, and consistency to public discourse.” Theres a lot that goes into critical thinking and how it is developed. A couple things that comes from thinking critically is the ability to share to the public, develop higher education, and many more.
5. “these concepts include truth, nature, value, causality, complexity, morality, freedom, excellence, and—as Wittgenstein understood—language itself, as the principal medium of thought.” The concepts talked about in the quote are the concepts that unify the liberal arts curriculum. Liberal arts is important for our democracy to run. We need problem solvers and team workers, which is what liberal arts is said to develop.

In “The Coddling” by Lukianoff and Haidt, they say, “But vindictive protectiveness teaches students to think in a very different way. It prepares them poorly for professional life”

In “The Coddling” by Lukianoff and Haidt, they say, “ Vindictive protectiveness … prepares the [students] poorly for professional life”.

In Carol Dweck’s “The power of believing that you can improve” she says, “their intelligence had been up for judgment”

In Carol Dweck’s “The power of believing that you can improve” she says, “their [fixed mindset people] intelligence had been up for judgment”.

Dweck on the other hand, in her Ted Talk, says, “But if you get the grade “Not Yet”, you understand that you’re on a learning curve” (Dweck para.1).

According to Carol Dweck in her Ted Talk: The Power of believing that you can improve, “if you get the grade “Not Yet”, you understand that you’re on a learning curve” (Dweck para.1).

 In Lukianoff and Haidt’s “The Coddling” they voice, “Don’t teach students what to think; teach them how to think” (Coddling para. 7).

 In “The Coddling” the authors establish the importance to not ” teach students what to think; teach them how to think” (Coddling para. 7).

Original: I don’t agree with Lukianoff or Haidt when they say that colleges are setting students up for failure. Dweck would say that Lukianoff and Haidt are suffering from a growth mindset. In “The Coddling” by Lukianoff and Haidt, they say, “But vindictive protectiveness teaches students to think in a very different way. It prepares them poorly for professional life” (para 8). I completely disagree with this quote because most of the people who are being protected from these sensitive subjects have already had to deal with the sensitivities outside of college. It’s not like they would be hearing these words for the first time, but having these protections can lead others by example, especially the work industries. Many students who are in college are already struggling with anxiety and depression because this is the time where they finally get to understand themselves and who they truly are. It’s not like having these protections up can do more harm, if anything it should cause less stress. This relates to how Dweck talks about fixed mindsets. In Carol Dweck’s “The power of believing that you can improve” she says, “their [fixed mindset people] intelligence had been up for judgment” (Dweck para. 2). I believe what Dweck is saying is that people with this mindset have a hard time changing their perspective and agree to something new. That is why Lukianoff and Haidt are struggling to understand this new way of thinking in colleges and other institutions. They are used to an older way of thinking and believe that everyone has to experience difficulties, instead of hoping that this could lead to less for everyone.

Revised: I don’t agree with Lukianoff or Haidt when they say that colleges are setting students up for failure. Dweck would say that Lukianoff and Haidt are suffering from a growth mindset. In “The Coddling” by Lukianoff and Haidt, they say, “But vindictive protectiveness teaches students to think in a very different way. It prepares them poorly for professional life” (para 8). Protecting students from certain sensitivities is not setting them up for failure. Students are still learning, becoming adults as they grow to be the most prepared for their job of interest. Most of the people who are being protected from these sensitive subjects have already had to deal with the sensitivities outside of college. It’s not like they would be hearing these words for the first time, but having these protections can lead others by example, especially the work industries. Many students who are in college are already struggling with anxiety and depression because this is the time where they finally get to understand themselves and who they truly are. It’s not like having these protections up can do more harm, if anything it should cause less stress. This relates to how Dweck talks about fixed mindsets. In Carol Dweck’s “The power of believing that you can improve” she says, “their [fixed mindset people] intelligence had been up for judgment” (Dweck para. 2). I believe what Dweck is saying is that people with this mindset have a hard time changing their perspective and agreeing to something new. That is why Lukianoff and Haidt are struggling to understand this new way of thinking in colleges and other institutions. They are used to an older way of thinking and believe that everyone has to experience difficulties, instead of hoping that this could lead to less for everyone.

In this paragraph, I revised my view after the Lukianoff and Haidt quote. Instead of going right into my opinion without meaning, I changed it to an opinion that supports my claim and where I stand on the topic.

Original: I believe that Dweck has a very optimistic approach to learning, but I agree with Lukianoff and Haidt about how to teach critical thinking. In Lukianoff and Haidt’s “The Coddling” they voice, “Don’t teach students what to think; teach them how to think” (Coddling para. 7). This quote says that students need to engage in beliefs that may challenge their own. They need to be able to understand both sides to then make a clear decision on which side they take. This will allow for a more critical way of thinking. This will cause discomfort to some students, but that can be a good thing, as long as it isn’t harsh or triggering. Dweck on the other hand, in her Ted Talk, says, “But if you get the grade “Not Yet”, you understand that you’re on a learning curve” (Dweck para.1). She seems to be on the right path when thinking about students and their sensitivities, but when it comes to critical thinking, I don’t believe this method is the way to go. Yes, this may give students more confidence which is always a great thing, but how can these little changes in wording allow students to develop the skills they need when older. A lot of the time a student’s boss will not give leeway if they do something wrong. If students get too used to this “not yet” learning, they may become sensitive to people who treat them differently. This approach seems to be borderline childish which is not what students necessarily need. They do need some sort of structure and confidence in their own opinions to make it in the world.

Revised: I believe that Dweck has a very optimistic approach to learning, but I agree with Lukianoff and Haidt about how to teach critical thinking. In Lukianoff and Haidt’s “The Coddling” they voice, “Don’t teach students what to think; teach them how to think” (Coddling para. 7). This quote says that students need to engage in beliefs that may challenge their own. They need to be able to understand both sides to then make a clear decision on which side they take. This will allow for a more critical way of thinking. It may cause discomfort to some students, but that can be a good thing, as long as it isn’t harsh or triggering. Dweck on the other hand, in her Ted Talk, says, “But if you get the grade “Not Yet”, you understand that you’re on a learning curve” (Dweck para.1). She seems to be on the right path when thinking about students and their sensitivities, but when it comes to critical thinking, I don’t believe this method is the way to go. Yes, this may give students more confidence which is always a great thing, but how can these little changes in wording allow students to develop the skills they need when older. A method that shows students they aren’t quite there yet, could be good for younger students. If students get too used to this “not yet” learning, they may become sensitive to people who treat them differently. As a young adult, hearing “not yet” may just frustrate them even more. People need some sort of structure and confidence in their own opinions to face whatever challenges may arise.

In this paragraph, i cut out some unnecessary sentences that didn’t show which side I was supporting. I also gave some examples that may become apparent if students get too used to the “not yet” learning method. I think that it could be good for younger students but not older.

The following quote can help me establish my view on Dweck in thinking about how to teach younger students in a classroom. In Carol Dwecks Ted talk, she explains, “But if you get the grade “Not Yet”, you understand that you’re on a learning curve” I agree with Dweck’s stance here when it comes to younger children. For the young students first learning, this could be a very good thing to give them more confidence. 

In “The Coddling” by Lukianoff and Haidt, they suggest, “Don’t teach students what to think; teach them how to think”. I agree with Lukianoff and Haidt when they say this. Students must learn how to critically learn and apply those lessons to everyday obstacles. This quote can help me express why their ideas are very interesting and can help not only during school years but also after in their professional careers.

In “The Coddling” by Lukianoff and Haidt, they encourage that “Universities should also officially and strongly discourage trigger warnings”. I disagree with L/H’s idea here because students may need trigger warnings. Students go through sensitive matters every day and have a hard time dealing with them, so giving a warning before showing something with a potentially sensitive topic can only help people get prepared to see it. I think the following template can help me express where I stand concerning L/H because it shows that I do not agree with their ideas on trigger warnings. I think they have a fixed mindset about how colleges are treating students because giving these trigger warnings is new to them. 

In Carol Dwecks TED talk, she states, “But praising the process that kids engage in, their effort, their strategies, their focus, their perseverance, their improvement. This process of praise creates kids who are hardy and resilient.” I agree with part of D’s idea because I think that praising younger students on their efforts on how they get to an answer could be potentially lead to higher critical thinking, but when she says praise efforts, that doesn’t sit right with me. I think the following template can help me express the ways I differ from D, even as I sort of agree with her. She shows some great ideas that I believe can be developed more. I can show how to potentially develop these ideas and how they could work. 

1.  In “The Coddling” by Lukianoff and Haidt, they make an argument to stop protecting students from trigger warnings – “But vindictive protectiveness teaches students to think in a very different way. It prepares them poorly for professional life” (para 8). I completely disagree with this quote because most of the people who are being protected from these sensitive subjects have already had to deal with the sensitivities outside of college. To improve on introducing the quote, I added a signal phrase. This improves upon the introduction because it isn’t just showing what the authors say, but rather, shows that they are stating something that could be up for discussion.
2. In Carol Dweck’s “The power of believing that you can improve” she insists that people with a fixed mindset feel as if, “their intelligence had been up for judgment” (Dweck para. 2). I believe what Dweck is saying is that people with this mindset have a hard time changing their perspective and agreeing to something new. The improvement made to this section was incorporating the short quote into my words to create a sentence. This helps because the text now flows much smoother.
3. In Lukianoff and Haidt’s “The Coddling” they emphasize “[To not] teach students what to think; teach them how to think” (Coddling para. 7). This quote says that students need to engage in beliefs that may challenge their own. They need to be able to understand both sides to then make a clear decision on which side they take. This will allow for a more critical way of thinking. The signal phrase used creates a more dramatic entrance to the quote. I also decided to change the beginning of the quote by using brackets and allowing the sentence to flow better.

1. Dweck’s main focus is to develop learning in students. Her main concepts include -fixed and growth mindsets. A fixed mindset is when a student may see a challenge as a terrifying, or impossible obstacle. A growth mindset is where students will see these challenges as an opportunity to grow and learn from them.
2. Lukianoff and Haidt wrote an article that is introducing the idea that colleges are setting up students for failure. They believe that canceling certain words from the schools or protecting students from the real world is only going to shelter them and hurt them in the long-run.
3. There are similarities in their thinking; students need to be taught how to think for themselves, rather than becoming a robot.
4. Lukianoff and Haidt referred to Socrates when thinking about learning “Don’t teach students what to think; teach them how to think.” They believe that students are not being taught how to think critically and question everything. They need to be able to come up with their own ideas and responses to certain things. Dweck has a very similar response to this type of thing where she says “praising the process that kids engage in, their effort, their strategies, their focus, their perseverance, their improvement.” She believes this will help students think more critically because they aren’t as focused on getting the grade, but on how they got that answer to get the grade.