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October 09, 2005
Critical Thinking Skills
The news this week seems particularly bleak. The EU wants governmental control of the Internet, Italy is giving the names of Internet cafe customers to the police, and Google and Sun don't know what they're up to.
But before turning to all that, I found a great Web site and some happy news for bridge-playing teachers. The Web site is New Horizons for Learning. Lots in there for sessions on problem solving and critical thinking.
"How would it affect educational systems if everyone truly believed that the human brain could change structurally and functionally as a result of learning and experience--for better or worse? How would it affect how we teach and how students learn if everyone believed that the kinds of environments we create for learning, how we teach, and the learning strategies we offer students could result in better mental equipment they will use throughout life? In News from the Neurosciences, you will find articles that support the validity of this concept, as well as articles of current interest on various other aspects of brain research and its implications for education."
I continue to teach at least one ten minute group exercise per week on problem solving. I believe it's a key part of undergraduate education, and easy to justify in an MIS class. My mantra to the students: "You are part of every information system you use. If you don't know how to utilize the information you get, what value is the IS?"
But back to New Horizons. Many interesting topics, and I, of course, was drawn to "Successful Aging of the Healthy Brain" Check this:
"... I set about finding a game everybody has heard of and decided on the card game of "bridge". Playing bridge calls for working memory, planning ahead, sequencing, initiative, and judgment--all functions associated with the dorsolateral frontal part of the cortex.
"We invited 12 women to come to the lab to play bridge with one another. Before they started playing, we took blood samples from them to measure the initial level of their T cells. Then we took blood from them after they had been playing for an hour and a half. The before and after data were exciting to us because we found a significant increase in their CD4-positive T lymphocytes. We did not find such a T cell increase in the blood samples of the control women who did not play bridge, but sat listening to quiet music during the time the others were playing bridge.
"We were terribly thrilled with these results. Clearly, the cerebral cortex has a role in controlling the immune system, and our present task is to find ways to "educate" the critical dorsolateral cortex and keep our immune systems healthy."
All these years I thought I was wasting time, at worst, or having fun with friends, at best. But, no. Alas, we were increasing our CD4-posititve T lymphocytes. Deal 'em out!
On to the news ...
Posted by DavidK at October 9, 2005 09:36 AM | Permalink