Montclair State University's

Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children (IAPC)

presents

"The History of the Thinking Skills Movement, or:
How everybody wanted to know why Johnny can't think"

by Claudia Weixlbaumer, University of Salzburg

Thursday, December 15, 5:00 - 6:30 p.m.,
IAPC Conference Room (14 Normal Avenue)

The importance of critical thinking and problem solving skills has been acknowledged since Socrates. In the United States interest in thinking skills for students started around the turn of the last century, with John Dewey being the strongest advocate. However, toward the end of the 1970s thinking skills suddenly became a major topic of widespread concern: not only philosophers and educators, but also politicians, newspapers, psychologists and economic organizations started complaining about students' lack of thinking skills. What factors led to this sudden boom of interest in thinking skills?  What different approaches were developed for teaching thinking?  And what was the relationship of Philosophy for Children (begun in the early 1970s) to this movement?

Claudia E. Weixlbaumer has an M.A. in History and an M.A. in Teaching English and History from the University of Salzburg. Her master thesis dealt with the History of Critical Thinking in the U.S.  She teaches English to sixth-graders and History to eleventh-graders, and as a member of the Bureau of Rhetorics at the University of Salzburg, she teaches the course "Practice of Argumentation."  Weixlbaumer has been an IAPC Visiting Scholar since September and has been conducting further research into the history of critical thinking programs in the U.S.
 

The Philosophy for Children Colloquium Series includes invited presentations from notable academics on issues related to education, philosophy and Philosophy for Children.  The Series also provides graduate students and faculty an opportunity to present work-in-progress.  

• Refreshments and Professional Development Hours Provided.

• Parking is free on Valley Road and Upper Mountain Avenue, which intersect Normal Avenue.  Paid parking is available at the “Red Hawk Deck” or in metered parking spaces indicated on our campus map.

• If interested in presenting as part of this Series, please contact Maughn Gregory (973-655-7049; gregorym@mail.montclair.edu)