Critical Thinking
Teen Focus 12+
Through this course, students will develop critical thinking skills as they work through entertaining crime scene scenarios. Acting as detectives for the LAPD, students will examine evidence, witness statements, and expert testimony to determine the validity of arguments while solving fictional crimes. Follow-up activities will solidify students’ understanding of logic and reasoning, allowing them to apply their newfound critical thinking skills to other areas of academic and social life.
“Critical thinking is identifying and evaluating evidence to guide decision making.” So state the authors of our textbook as they introduce the concept of critical thinking as an essential skill in both academic and everyday situations.
Through this course, students will develop critical thinking skills as they work through entertaining crime scene scenarios. Acting as detectives for the LAPD, students will examine evidence, witness statements, and expert testimony to determine the validity of arguments while solving fictional crimes. Follow-up activities will solidify students’ understanding of logic and reasoning, allowing them to apply their newfound critical thinking skills to other areas of academic and social life.
This class is especially recommended for students planning to take academic writing classes, as clear writing begins with clear thinking.
Critical thinking topics and skills covered:
- Fact vs. opinion
- Ambiguity and vagueness
- Recognizing arguments: finding premises and conclusions
- Evaluating Claims
- Syllogisms
- Inductive arguments
- Fallacies
This is a 16-week class for teens working at the high school level. Weekly webinars are 50 minutes long. Recordings are available for students who must miss a session.
Required Books:
- James Madison Critical Thinking Course by William O’Meara and Daniel Flage, The Critical Thinking Company
| Topics Covered | Fact vs. opinion |
|---|---|
| Challenge Level | Aimed at students ready for work appropriate to grades 9 through 12. This is a high school course open to students ages 12 and up who are prepared to think critically and discuss issues with a healthy skepticism. |
| Time Commitment | Most students report spending approximately 1 – 2 hours per week on homework outside of the webinar. |
| Instructor | Headmistress Guinevere |
| Required Materials | James Madison Critical Thinking Course by William O’Meara and Daniel Flage, The Critical Thinking Company |
| Usually offered | Spring Semester |
| Prerequisites | Prerequisites: Students must be prepared to read and analyze challenging material at a high school level. Students must also be able to write multi-paragraph texts independently and participate actively in written discussion forums and webinars. |
| Available Sessions | Spring 2025 Mon 11am Pacific, Spring 2024 Tuesday 10am Pacific, Spring 2023 Tuesday 11am Pacific |