Gregory Hadley and AndrewBoon: CRITICAL THINKING

Abstract

Critical thinking (CT) was an obligatory pedagogical requirement in composition courses in the USA some years ago. As theoretical paradigms expanded and diverse identarian groups made their voices heard in pedagogy (from different gender, race, ethnicity, and disability orientations), the pedagogical concerns became diversified and CT as a slogan lost its lustre. Teachers and scholars were also critical of CT’s perfunctory and aspirational uses in many language teaching programmes, lacking the critical edge for meaningful educational and social changes. However, with the rise of social media, partisan politics, and biased news, truth has become relativized if not weaponized to favour every group’s own reality. Hadley and Boon raise these recent political and cultural developments to make a persuasive case for more sustained and sustainable pedagogies on CT. More importantly, they provide a manual on how to do it. Though I have been a practitioner of critical pedagogies for many years, I find the treatment of this book, unlike anything I have come across. While many of us introduced CT activities to supplement our required textbooks, assuming that reliable materials and pedagogies were not available, Hadley and Boon review empirical research that has been conducted to assess effective practices. There is much CT research and scholarship out there that I didn’t know of. The book is structured into four parts: that is, From Research to Implications; From Implications to Application; From Application to Implementation; and From Implementation to Research. Rather than making teachers rely on their book for pedagogical pronouncements, the authors introduce the final section on teacher research to help teachers conduct their own assessment of relevant CT practices and development of better contextualized pedagogies. The third section on programme and policy development is also thoughtful as it helps teachers who might want to expand their classroom pedagogies to develop whole courses or new programmes across departments in their institutions. Thus, the book scaffolds CT in available research, policy, and classroom practices. All this is achieved in an accessible prose where philosophers and practitioners, of ancient and contemporary times, ranging from Francis Bacon and John Dewey to Edward Said and Claire Kramsch, make appearances.