ABSTRACT
Mosteducationalcommentatorsandmostofthegeneralpublicseem toagreeonatleastonething:theschoolsareindeeptrouble.Many graduates,atalllevels,arecharacterizedaslackingtheabilitiestoread, write,andthinkwithaminimallevelofclarity,coherence,andcriticaV analyticexactitude.Mostcommentatorsagreeaswellthatasignificant partoftheproblemisapedagogicaldietexcessivelyrichinmemorization andsuperficialroteperformanceandinsufficientlyrichin,ifnotdevoid of,autonomouscriticalthought.Thiscomplaintisnotentirelynewin Americaneducation,butthedegreeofconcernandthegrowingbut quietrevolutionrepresentedbythoseattemptingtomeetthatconcernis worthyofnote.(ArecentERICcomputersearchidentified1,849articles inthelastsevenyearswithcriticalthinkingasamajordescriptor.1The rootsofthismultifacetedmovementcanbetracedbackinanumberof directions,butoneofthedeepestandmostimportantgoesbackasfar asEdGlaser'sExperimentintheDevelopmentofCriticalThinking (1946).Themannerinwhichthisrootofthemovementhas,aftera haltingstart,progressivelybuiltu~aheadofsteam,hasbeenpartially chronicledbyJohnsonandBlair.Itisnowfirmlyestablishedatthe collegeanduniversitylevel,whereitaffectsanincreasingnumberof coursesthatfocuson"criticalthinking"or"informallogic,"courses designedtoprovidethekindofshotinthearmforcriticalthinkingthat generalcompositioncoursesareexpectedtoprovideforwriting.3The influenceofthiscurrentinthemovementisbeingincreasinglyfeltat lowerlevelsofeducation,butinamorevariable,ifsomewhatless effective,way.
