Field Day Assignment - ENGL M01C

CRITICAL THINKING EVALUATION SHEET

A – always

S – sometimes

N – never

If the participant records 5 or more of the following questions with the letter “A” then the participant can be deemed a critical thinker.

1. Is the participant willing to read and listen attentively? A
2. Does the participant think before acting? A
3. Does the participant keep curiosity alive? S
4. Does the participant base judgements on evidence rather than personal preferences? A
5. Is the participant honest with himself/herself? A
6. Does the participant strive for understanding and put forth a genuine effort to do so? S
7. Does the participant avoid pretending that he/she knows more than he/she actually does? A
8. Is the participant interested in other people's ideas even if they oppose his/her own viewpoints? S
9. Does the participant regard controversial topics as exciting challenges? A
10. Does the participant avoid becoming preoccupied with himself/herself and his/her opinions? A

My participant recorded 7 of the questions with the letter “A” forcing me to believe that he is a critical thinker.

CRITICAL THINKING CONVERSATION

Conversation Facts

Topic: Poverty

Duration: Just over 5 minutes

Location: Thousand Oaks Library

Note-Taker: Matthew

ME: What, in your opinion, is poverty? Give me your best definition.

JONATHAN: Lacking the means of acquiring material needs. Not having enough food and money to live comfortably. I'd say that'd be my best definition, I guess. I've never been asked to define it before.

ME: I'd say the same thing. Not being able to afford fundamental needs such as food, healthcare, clothes, and shelter. I might include education in there too.

JONATHAN Yeah, I suppose. Not having an education can land someone into poverty.

ME: Do you think poverty is a legitimate issue in our society that every American citizen should be concerned about? Or is it not everybody's problem? For example, should you and I be worried about poverty in our country?

JONATHAN: Well yeah, I believe everyone should be concerned about it.

ME: Why?

JONATHAN: All the indicators of its prevalence in this country.

ME: What indicators? You mean like statistics?

JONATHAN: Yeah, the gap between the rich and poor is growing, the middle class is shrinking, more minorities and also more children are living in poverty. I could go on forever about this.

ME: I remember reading an article in “The Economist” a few months ago and it said that most Americans will live below the poverty line for at least one year.

JONATHAN: Well, that answers your question then. We should all be concerned. You and I might live in poverty one day. That's a scary thought.

ME: Why don't you think we, collectively as a society, are not as concerned or worried as we should be?

JONATHAN: People are just oblivious. Too locked up in their lives to recognize its significance. Maybe people are more concerned with paying attention to other issues like healthcare and the wars in the Middle East. I'm not sure really.

ME: What do you think causes it?

JONATHAN: Individualism. Definitely, individualism. That's the first thing that comes to mind.

ME: Individualism? What do you mean by that?

JONATHAN: Well, individualism is all about self-reliance, right? Our country places a great importance on that. Maybe that's one of the reasons why people aren't concerned about people being poor. They don't view it as being their problem to fix or deal with.

ME: If you're poor, it's your problem. Not mine.

JONATHAN: Yeah, exactly. I'm not saying everyone is like that but I know lots of Americans who live by those words. They appear to only worry about themselves.

ME: Well, besides individualism, what are some other causes of poverty? Or is it just individualism?

JONATHAN: Oh, no. Individualism was just the first thing that came to my mind. Lacking an education, failing school systems, and the formation of gangs could all be causes. Perhaps the minimum wage being too low. That could be a cause too, I guess. I'm sure there are more causes. Those are just the ones that I can think of at the moment.

ME: Formation of gangs?

JONATHAN: Yeah, there is no family connection. People form gangs because of conditions associated with poverty.

ME: What about the obstacles pertaining to poverty? What do you think they are?

JONATHAN: Obstacles?

ME: Yeah, what are the obstacles in defeating poverty? Overcoming it? Getting rid of it in society?

JONATHAN: Fixing the causes of it, I guess. Budget cuts for social programs and people turning to crime. Living arrangements could also be an obstacle in defeating poverty. These days, it costs a lot of money to pay for rent and utilities and all the other necessary items that people need such as food, clothing, and transportation. Our government should do more than what its doing right now. Did you know that 1/6 families live below the poverty line in California today?

ME: Really? Where did you hear that?

JONATHAN: My dad told me.

ME: I never heard of that. Speaking of our government, what do you think its role should be in combatting the growth of poverty?

JONATHAN: I said the middle class was shrinking a little bit earlier so making it easier for people to gain access to the middle class should definitely be one of our government's primary priorities in fighting poverty.

ME: But how would our government do that? I bet lots of people in America would deem that difficult. Some would probably say that's impossible right now.

JONATHAN: Yeah, but the government could invest more in education so students, like you and I, could receive a better education. It could raise the minimum wage for struggling individuals. I know lots of people who can barely make it with the salary they make. It could also improve public transportation and raise taxes on the extreme wealthy and large corporations but that's another issue entirely.

CRITICAL THINKING PARAGRAPH

            Are we all critical thinkers? If you had asked me this question a few weeks ago, I would have sent you a blank stare with a slight smile certifying my defeat. Critical thinking, I learned, can be defined as a quest and a search for answers concerned with what to believe or what to do. Based on my field day assignment about poverty, my participant turned out to be a great critical thinker throughout the conversation. He demonstrated numerous traits typical of critical thinkers such as listening attentively, thinking before acting, regarding controversial topics (such as the one we discussed) as exciting challenges, and being honest with himself. So, are we all critical thinkers at this very moment in time? My response to that question would be no. Some of us happen to be strong critical thinkers (like my participant), some of us are satisfactory critical thinkers, while others really struggle with it. Nonetheless, all the folks belonging to the latter category possess the capability and the unique potential to transform themselves into successful critical thinkers if they wish to do so. They all have a quest along with opinions and beliefs pertaining to certain issues whether they will admit them or not. It's up to them to subjugate their tendencies associated with uncritical thinkers such as acting impulsively, basing judgements on first impressions, being impatient with complexity, and preferring to remain confused instead of seeking understanding. Will they cease thinking uncritically and join the rest of the critical thinkers around the world? I guess we'll see.