Texas to Ban Critical Thinking Skills? | Hacker News Reader

Texas to Ban Critical Thinking Skills?

thediplomat.com

18 pointsdangeur7 comments

As far as I can see, they in fact oppose specific programs, not critical thinking skills in general (clarified e.g. here: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/06/texas_gops...) - the phrase about critical thinking was a mistake. I couldn't find much detail about the programs, but it looks like it is specifically geared towards having students challenge accepted beliefs and authority, which may be both good and bad, depending on maturity level of the students (imagine student that refuses to accept arithmetics or grammar because it's all enforced authoritarian rules and he wants to self-express by making 2+2=5 and riting wiz no gramor it al - probably not a very good idea). Also, wikipedia article on HOTS states:

Many forms of education reform, such as inquiry-based science, reform mathematics and whole language emphasize HOTS to solve problems and learn, sometimes deliberately omitting direct instruction of traditional methods, facts, or knowledge.

The last part of this phrase - about omitting instruction of traditional methods, facts and knowledge - can be very dangerous. It is important to question and challenge existing conventions and authority, but this can be productive only when based in solid background of knowledge, understanding and facts. Otherwise it may easily lead to nihilist know-nothing attitude in which disdain for conventions and self-importance replaces any need for knowledge, rational thinking and relation to facts. It could also put student that do value traditional values, methods and knowledge as somehow defective and failing to achieve "higher", "cooler" stance where these things are irrelevant.

It'd be very interesting to know more details about the specific program(s) in question, without these details it is impossible to know if there's any justification for RPT's opposition to it.

I was just about to post that link. While my knowledge of different teaching techniques is limited, from what I can tell they are mostly opposed to more freeform education which is likely to deviate from the set education standards and curriculum. Not totally surprising for a conservative perspective.. but it's less likely to do with challenging religion than most hackernewsers would think. They probably see these alternative forms as hippy free-thinking ways that will produce individuals that want to live within a different system, mostly by deviating from traditional workforce paths and not respecting existing authority and hierarchy.

I should say the rest of the PDF contains much more interesting nuggets... from the obvious opposition to 'normalizing homosexuality' to the not-so-obvious opposition to the patriot act due to large government.

"We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (...) which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority."

Obviously we can't have children questioning authority or the fairy tales they're fed in Sunday School. That would be anarchy!

Is this really a place for politics?

Also:

"We oppose any sex education other than abstinence until marriage."

"We support school subjects with emphasis on the Judeo-Christian principles upon which America was founded and which form the basis of America’s legal, political and economic systems. "

The full platform document is an interesting read. I didn't realize that Judeo-Christian principles formed the basis of America's economic system.

I knew that the republican camp includes many religulous Christian conservatives, but I had no idea that it was formally written into their documents. How can one seriously be opposed to teaching critical thinking? I wonder what percentage of republican voters completely agree with all of this.

>> Judeo-Christian principles formed the basis of America's economic system.

To some extent, yes. E.g. concept of private property, rule of generic impersonal law, prosperity through individual achievement, etc. Not all societies accept these principles to the same measure. Of course, you can accept the same principles without agreeing with the rest of conservative Christian platform, but they can claim these principles as part of their cultural heritage.

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