Critical Thinking on the Ground: Getting Past Axioms and on to Action Presented at the Emergency Management Institute Higher Education Conference Emmitsburg, MD, June 9, 2011 by Al Lawrence, Jim Savitt and Rob Baker

Critical Thinking: Aristotle 05/23/11 Critical Thinking: Aristotle Don’t believe everything you think…. It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. Aristotle 2

Critical Thinking Encourages depth of thought Requires questioning and skepticism Calls for judgment, reason and logic Evaluates evidence in search for viewpoints and truth Promotes civic responsibility and citizenship Promotes better writing

Critical Thinking… Depth of Thought 05/23/11 Critical Thinking… Depth of Thought Dilbert from 31 March 2011 4

Critical Thinking: Provides Ability to… Identify Issues Articulate Assumptions Integrate Other Perspectives Communicate Develop a Position or Hypothesis Analyze and Present Supporting Data Draw Conclusions / Implications

Critical Thinking: Rationality 05/23/11 Critical Thinking: Rationality Dilbert (from Pactiss.org website) 6

Strategies Discussions: Exercises: Online Face-to-Face Structured / Project Planning Debates Case Studies Team Based Activities

Why Teamwork? Employers seek graduates with improved skills and content knowledge Students develop core competencies of: Organization Leadership Collaboration Trust (See Naim Kapucu , “Developing Competency-Based Emergency Management Degree Programs in Public Affairs and Administration”, presented at 14th annual Emergency Management Higher Education Conference, Emmitsburg, MD, 10 June 2010)

Educational Values Constructivist Principles / Collaborative Learning Student-centered / Shared Responsibility Teaches the Value of Teamwork Promotes Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Advantages Two heads are better than one Higher marks Learn more Learn about working together

Critical Thinking, Economics, and Teamwork 05/23/11 Critical Thinking, Economics, and Teamwork Dilbert from 13 March 2011 11

Needed for Success Time Management Planning Coordination Role Allocation Cooperation

Setting Ground Rules Be punctual Prepare for meetings Complete work on time Value diversity, strength of member / respect Be honest Keep everyone informed Participate in meeting / play an active role Value Consensus

Critical Issues Exercise Think – Discuss – Share

Critical Thinking: Alternative Points of View 05/23/11 Critical Thinking: Alternative Points of View Dilbert from 3 April 2011 15

Thought Starters What questions does this case exercise raise for: Law Enforcement (mission) Civil Liberties Federalism State and Local Governmental jurisdictions Homeland Security (mission) Community Politics

Dearborn Case Study After 9/11, the federal government announced a major program to conduct "voluntary" interviews with 5,000 holders of temporary visas from Arab countries thought to have significant ties to Al Qaeda. The Justice Department wanted local law enforcement personnel to conduct these interviews, with federal agents playing a supporting role. In Dearborn, Michigan, where the population of individuals of Arab descent has grown to nearly 30 percent since the 1960s, city and police officials resisted this plan. They insisted that the feds conduct the interviews (in plain clothes), supported by the local police and monitored by them to make sure that the feds acted professionally. The locals also got the feds to abandon the idea of unannounced calls and agree to schedule visits via letters, stressing that the interviews were voluntary and that there was no reason to suspect the individuals being interviewed of terrorist activities. (Source: Thacher, David: "The Local Role in Homeland Security," 39 Law and Society Review 635-76 [September 2005]).

Critical Thinking: Alternative Points of View, Cont. 05/23/11 Critical Thinking: Alternative Points of View, Cont. Dilbert from 17 April 2011 18

Critical Thinking: Speaker's Motivation 05/23/11 Critical Thinking: Speaker's Motivation Dilbert from 25 March 2011 19

Critical Thinking: Reality Check 05/23/11 Critical Thinking: Reality Check Dilbert from 29 March 2011 20

Critical Thinking: A Knowledge Base 05/23/11 Critical Thinking: A Knowledge Base Dilbert from 14 April 2011 21

Critical Thinking: Ask Why 05/23/11 Critical Thinking: Ask Why Get Fuzzy 14 May 2011 22