ABSTRACT
The poet Wendell Berry says that one of the functions of poetry is to “slow language down” and adds that this “slowing” process helps to protect us against glibness. The key words are self-conscious and reliable, both referring to virtues that are absolutely critical to authentically principled thinking. Many heuristics exist already that can help alleviate these problems: treeing; making grids and flowcharts; doing mean–end analysis and drawing analogies. The particular heuristics described are most applicable once a student has selected a subject for an inquiry: an issue, a particular phenomenon, or a cluster of phenomena. Because the heuristics are initially difficult for students to absorb and master, it is important to give students an abundance of guided practice. Erik Erikson observed that S. Freud’s classic rule for the conduct of therapy applies equally well to the conduct of teaching.
