Clipmarks | Critical thinking Clips

World finance chiefs heading for Washington for crunch talks

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 01:33:11 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

World finance chiefs heading for Washington for crunch talks

The Group of Seven meeting will bring together finance ministers and central bankers on Friday from the United States, Germany, Japan, France, Britain, Italy and Canada for some collective-thinking on the credit crunch and crashing stocks.

They are to be joined by counterparts from emerging markets including Brazil, Russia, India and China for an impromptu gathering of the expanded so-called G20 group.

The United States finds itself in a rare position of weakness, facing many allies that have been highly critical of its economic policy and regulatory system blamed for the problems.

The gathering will be closely watched by investors, who are eager to see solutions and cross-border action by the world's leading powers to help a return to normal lending practices and calm stock markets.

Tags: finance, world, global economy, emergency meeting

Blog Michele Martin

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 23:33:36 GMT

clipped by: enriquerubio
clipper's remarks: Prueba de clip

Clip Source: www.michelemmartin.com

13 Rock Solid Ways to Build Knowledge for a Lifetime

7 Little Known Ways to Drastically Improve Your Learning

From Sean Fitz, Creating Your PLE

PLEase, from Jay Cross an advocate for informal learning (who also argues that "personal learning environment" doesn't quite capture his thinking on this).

Because I work in workforce development with agencies that are supposed to be preparing "tomorrow's workforce," this whole thing feels even more critical to me as something we need to be pushing with people. It's important for staff, but it's even more important for the disenfranchised, disempowered clients with whom we're working. If they don't look out for their own personal learning, then they really won't have anyone else doing it for them.

UPDATE--Oops--via Tony Karrer (who has a round-up on personal learning going), here's a quick guide to starting your own personal learning environment from Tony O'Driscoll. And here's another one--77 Ways to Learn Faster, Deeper, Better

Tags: ple, blog, michelemartin

Wrong Attitudes that keep you away from improving your thinking skills.

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 01:08:03 GMT

clipped by: BitterSwett77

Clip Source: philosophy.hku.hk

The following attitudes are not uncommon, but they will not help you improve your thinking :

I prefer being given the correct answers rather than figuring them out myself.
I don't like to think a lot about my decisions as I rely only on gut feelings.
I don't usually review the mistakes I have made.
I don't like to be criticized.

Tags: critical thinking

What is critical thinking

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:45:00 GMT

clipped by: BitterSwett77

Clip Source: philosophy.hku.hk

Someone with critical thinking skills is able to do the following :

understand the logical connections between ideas
identify, construct and evaluate arguments
detect inconsistencies and common mistakes in reasoning
solve problems systematically
identify the relevance and importance of ideas
reflect on the justification of one's own beliefs and values

Guns, Germs, & Steel Thesis

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 07:47:04 GMT

clipped by: gsllcanas

Clip Source: www.brianrwright.com

"History followed different courses for different peoples because of differences among people's environments, not because of biological differences among peoples themselves." — page 24

Fair enough, I can see the Reformation, the Enlightenment, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, etc.—and the ideas that underlie these political achievements—as completely within the capability of any racial or facial makeup. European white society was handed the ball by external factors that led to the technological civilization we see today—a system that shall rise or fall depending on whether the framework of society is consistent with concept formation, psychological independence, and critical thinking. Reaching the threshold was archaeologically ethnicity-blind to be sure, but where we go from here is dependent on self-awareness of this threshold.

Online Learning

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 04:30:55 GMT

clipped by: schiffbauer

Clip Source: blogs.edweek.org

One must have a level of maturity that usually only comes with chronological age to engage in such a responsibility.

Overall, I found the experience GREAT! I believe it helped me to grow intellectually in the way of technological intelligence and in my abstract and critical thinking.

But I don't miss at all the distractions, the unavoidable traffic and parking, the need to make an appointment with a professor who is only available 3-5 pm twice a week.

Early childhood education must be "bottom up"

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 04:24:09 GMT

clipped by: tumblon
clipper's remarks: The Early Ed Watch blog calls on grassroots innovators to enact change, and policymakers to pay attention to what works on the ground. What the post misses is the role of entrepreneurs (not just philanthropists and educators) to play a critical role in innovation.

Clip Source: www.newamerica.net

"a lot of the most innovative thinking and experimentation is happening closer to the ground, in the ranks of nonprofit organizations like Teach for America and New Leaders for New Schools, in the offices of school superintendents and philanthropists, and in classrooms across the country." Effective education reform requires accountability from the top, but also opportunities to foster "bottom-up" innovation and high performance at the local level, to identify the most promising models, and to scale them up to have systemic impacts It's not just a matter of educators responding to policy changes; policymakers should also be responding to the work of effective local education reformers,

One of the key challenges for the next generation of federal education policy will be reincorporating a "bottom up" reform element into the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

Tags: education

Evaluating Information for Research

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 04:41:32 GMT

clipped by: jamminsoul
clipper's remarks: This is an interactive website to teach students how to evaluate web sources using the "Ten C's"

Clip Source: www.uwec.edu

Research Tutorial

Evaluating Information

The "Ten C's" provide criteria to consider in evaluating Internet resources.

Content	Credibility	Critical Thinking	Copyright	Citation
Continuity	Censorship	Connectivity	Comparability	Context

Analytical thinkingCritical thinking

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 06:19:12 GMT

clipped by: EnriqueAriel

Clip Source: micampus.udavinci.edu.mx

Analytical thinking, involves using thought and intelligence to produce ideas. In other words; you use your intelligence and background knowledge (what you know) to think about and get ideas. For example: you would use analytical thinking to get ideas about why some people find it difficult to learn a second language.

Critical thinking; is being able to think in ways that involve getting information and evaluating it to prove an idea or solve a problem. This kind of thinking involves finding facts and deciding how these facts show how the idea is correct or true. Using the example above; you would do research and find facts about second language learning and use them to show why it difficult for some people to learn a second language.

Free education on the Internet - Courses, tutorials, and skill-building

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 07:00:40 GMT

clipped by: einbar
clipper's remarks: "Courses, tutorials, and skill-building activities for today's most important vocational and academic discipline

Clip Source: www.free-ed.net

Free education on the Internet

Clip Source: www.free-ed.net

Humanities

Modern languages, philosophy, critical thinking, grammar & composition ...

Clip Source: www.free-ed.net

Science

Astronomy, physics, earth sciences...

Clip Source: www.free-ed.net

Astronomy

Biology (Life Sciences)

Chemistry

Earth Sciences

Physics

Clip Source: www.free-ed.net

Health Care

Anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, dental assisting, nursing...

Clip Source: www.free-ed.net

GED & College Prep

Prepare for your GED and get ready for a successful college career.

Electricity & Electronics

Basic DC/AC electronics, digital, Endless Examples and Exercises™ ...

Computers & Information Technology

Computer programming, databases, office applications...

Business, Marketing, and Economics

Management, entrepreneurship, sales, economics...

Building & Construction

Building construction, plumbing, electrical, masonry...

Aviation

Critical first courses for aviation technicians and mechanics. The main page also provides information about aviation careers and opens a portal to Second Life^® when aviation enthusiasts can design, build, or simply buy-and-fly aircraft.

Automotive

Clip Source: www.free-ed.net

'Mein Kampf" to Return to German Bookshelves

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 20:30:12 GMT

clipped by: cakebelly

Clip Source: truemors.nowpublic.com

Mein Kampf to Return to German Bookshelves?

Every child knows the scary shadows of the night disappear with the dawn, and some Germans are thinking it’s time to throw the light of day on Mein Kampf. There’s a growing movement in Germany to take Hitler’s manifesto off the banned list and defang it by returning the tome to bookshelves. With the copyright set to expire in 2015, academics are interested in releasing a critical edition of the work in order to ward off misuse by far-right extremists, and even have the support of the Central Council of Jews in Germany. The government says a lifting of the ban is doubtful, though, since editions are readily available on the internet, and they want no lingering questions about Germany’s intolerance of Nazi ideology.

Palin by Andrew Sullivan

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 18:52:16 GMT

clipped by: lp97702
clipper's remarks: Eloquent...

Clip Source: andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com

This decision is not worthy of a great power. Whatever skills Palin may turn out to have, however fabulous a person she may turn out to be, even if she becomes the Eva Peron of Christianism, McCain

had no idea when he picked her

John McCain has demonstrated with this insane decision that he is unfit to be president of the United States. This was an act of near-criminal negligence. If he can behave this recklessly and impulsively with this decision, the idea of allowing him to become president of the United States is only a smidgen less terrifying than thinking of Palin in that position.

He winged this. That's the critical, unavoidable, devastating point.

Whatever few doubts I may once have still had about this election, they are resolved now.

Obama has to win. The alternative is unthinkable.

Tags: palin

trucker raps police

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:51:51 GMT

clipped by: silvanaraihane
clipper's remarks: I tend to agree with this trucker! read from the source as the story is long and interesting

Clip Source: www.winnipegfreepress.com

Trucker questions police’s actions on night of gruesome killing

THE Good Samaritan trucker who stopped to help travellers after the brutal murder of Tim McLean on board a Greyhound bus in July is critical of some RCMP actions during the horrific situation.

Bus-killing suit places blame

Christopher Alguire, 28, a long-haul trucker, said he was the first to arrive after the bus stopped and, although he was terrified, felt the need to try and help the other passengers.

"I was the first one there," the Steinbach-born Alguire said. "I was not going to let nobody get hurt while I was there. I wasn't thinking about myself. I was thinking about everybody else who needed to be protected.

Alguire described holding a pipe and boarding the bus with the bus driver to confront Li. It was the man's dark eyes that struck him most. "They were empty. It was like staring into a black hole." He said he considered taking a swing at Li with the pipe but decided not to because of a lack of space in the bus.

Secular Humanism

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 22:38:01 GMT

clipped by: Elfrida

Clip Source: www.secularhumanism.org

Secular Humanism is a way of thinking and living that aims to bring out the best in people so that all people can have the best in life. Secular humanists reject supernatural and authoritarian beliefs. They affirm that we must take responsibility for our own lives and the communities and world in which we live. Secular humanism emphasizes reason and scientific inquiry, individual freedom and responsibility, human values and compassion, and the need for tolerance and cooperation.

The Council for Secular Humanism promotes rational, human-based viewpoints on important social and ethical issues. In particular, it tackles issues where traditional religion obstructs the right to self-determination, for example, freedom of choice in sexual relationships. reproduction, and voluntary euthanasia. The Council also promotes critical thinking about supernatural and paranormal claims.

Christian Recruiters

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 16:29:50 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: I couldn't help but picture this "harvest" as the missionaries lop off peoples critical thinking with their dogmatic blades.

Clip Source: www.kwtx.com

Foreign Missionaries Defy Ban During Olympics

(August 22, 2008)--Christian groups including Southern Baptists that ignored a Chinese ban on foreign missionaries say their underground evangelism during the Olympic games was a success.

Drawn to a nation of 1.3 billion people under atheist rule, the groups prepared for years for what the Southern Baptists once called "a spiritual harvest unlike any other."

Missionary Mark Taylor of Awaken Generation says 115 people from 12 countries gathered in Thailand for orientation before scattering throughout China.

The Southern Baptist Convention and Youth With A Mission carried out larger efforts.

Tags: religion, proselytizing, christian