Wednesday, February 07, 2018

#ALISE2018 : Critical Thinking

Cultivating a critical thinking mindset among new information practice in an era of “alternative facts”
Rajesh Singh & Kevin Rioux

Lots of evidence of the erroneous reliance of “common sense” instead of critical thinking in recent discourse on misinformation, fake news, and propaganda.  Common sense is not based on systematic observation.

How can we teach critical thinking so students can distinguish sources and teach the skill to others?

They used two cases with students (online class) and then studied the results.  Both cases provided ethical and managerial dilemmas.  The study was qualitative. They identified three type of mindsets: idealist, pragmatic, and skeptic based on students written discussions.  They looked for thoughtful, analytical and reflective discussion as well as leadership, decision making and problem solving skills.  Did students Apple management and ethical theories?

Implications:
Utilizing problem based case studies in learning activities is an effective approach for cultivating a critical thinking mindset.
Responsive. Curriculum design to intellectually engage and challenge students in order to cultivate critical thinking mindset in addition to professional skills.

Health literacy and physical literacy: public library practices, challenges, and opportunities 
AND
Understanding physical activity in public libraries
Noah Lenstra and Ellen Rubinstein

They began with a discussion of what health literacy is and provided definitions from the World Health Organization and others.  Then there was a discussion of physical literacy. “Physical literacy is the ability, confidence, and desire to be physically active for life.” - Aspen Institute Sports and Society.  Physical literacy does not assume physical ability.

Oklahoma is the 43rd worst state in terms of the health of its residents. Rubinstein interviewed library staff about health and health literacy.  Lenstra did research in North Carolina.  NC is in the “middle” of the country based on health metrics and physical activity levels (https://stateofobesity.org).  He also interviewed staff.

Jointly their study is “Movement based programs in the U.S. and in Canada: A survey.”  Their survey received responses from 1418 different public libraries.  Responses came from urban, suburban, and rural libraries.  Programs are being offered for all age ranges.  They are still digging through the data.

There is an ongoing debate about the role of libraries in community physical activities.

There are libraries that have gym passes which can be checked out.

How do we educate students they are prepared to foster these literacies? Should they be prepared?  If yes, can they be prepared to work with people of all physical and cognitive abilities?

Edited for types and reformatted: Feb. 11, 2018

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