Teaching Critical Thinking in the Context of Political Rhetoric

During the past several decades, there has been a blitz of information, sometimes referred to as the knowledge explosion, and students have struggled in their attempts to distinguish true, fake, and terribly biased information, especially regarding political issues. This book highlights the value of critical thinking as a way to navigate this difficult and frustrating terrain, so that students grow and develop as knowledgeable, independent thinkers. To promote this growth, the book offers thoughtful, evidence-based advice for teachers to support students’ deep thinking as it relates to real-world contexts. Strategies presented include student reflection based on experience, moving from narrow to broader perspectives, and using graphic organizers to build and activate knowledge before, during, and after instructional activities. With the instructional guidance and activities presented in this short, easy-to-apply volume, teachers can give students the tools they need to negotiate the often-murky waters of political communication.

Written at a time when news can be fake and facts can have alternatives, this book provides teachers with innovative research-based instructional strategies that help students learn how to think through complex questions in a deliberate and informed way. It is a timely and valuable resource for practitioners who are looking for effective ways to address a pressing educational priority: teaching students how to critically evaluate various types of information and reach a sound conclusion. Importantly, the book treats teachers as co-inquirers, who reflect on their own thinking and continue to learn with their students. Alina ReznitskayaProfessorDepartment of Educational FoundationsMontclair State University, New JerseyIn this brief volume, Dr. Sanacore provides a desperately needed reprieve from the onslaught of teaching guides that focus on "delivering content" and scalability, and guides us through some of the ways we can help to foster more critical engagement from our students. Some of the specifics here are likely to be familiar to those who have teaching experience--indeed, some of them have been used over millennia in one form or another--but even the most experienced teachers will find something useful to draw on and to help improve not what their students know, but how they know. It is the sort of book you keep nearby when you need a reminder of what is important about teaching, and how you can contribute to the lives of your students and to our broader discourse through your choices in the classroom.Alexander HalavaisAssociate Professor of Data & SocietyNew College, Arizona State University

Joseph Sanacore is a journalist, researcher, and professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at the Post Campus of Long Island University, Brookville, NY. He has authored more than 100 articles, essays, and book chapters. He also was an elementary, middle, and high school teacher and a K-12 Director of Language Arts and Literacy.