1. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ACT CRITICALLY?
Stephen Brookfield
Distinguished University Professor
University of St. Thomas
Minneapolis-St. Paul

2. CRITICAL THINKING
A premature ultimate – its invocation stops further analysis & questioning
In most H.E. mission statements
Broad agreement on process – identifying & checking assumptions
Implementation changes depending on intellectual tradition most influential

3. Critical Traditions ….
ANALYTIC PHILOSOPHY – logical fallacies, argument analysis – inductive, deductive, analogical, inferential
NATURAL SCIENCE – hypothetical-deductive method, principle of falsifiability
CRITICAL THEORY – uncovering power dynamics & ideological manipulation
PRAGMATISM – experimental pursuit of beautiful consequences (democracy)

4. Core Assumptions of Critical Theory
Society organized to make permanent inequity appear normal, a natural state of affairs
Perception of normality created & disseminated via dominant ideology
Point of theory is to illuminate as a prompt to action

5. What Does it Mean to Be Critical? Five Tasks Pursued Experimentally
Understand how power operates – its dynamics, its ethical use & abuse in relationships, work & community
Detect ideological manipulation
Recognize & challenge hegemony
Be alert to how repressive tolerance neutralizes challenges to the system
Practice democracy

6. Understanding Power Researching use of teacher power
Understanding student-student dynamics
CRITICAL INCIDENT QUESTIONNAIRE
Most engaged moment
Most distanced moment
Most helpful action
Most puzzling action
What surprised you most

7. IDEOLOGICAL MANIPULATION
How ideology is embedded in micro-actions & everyday decisions …
Depression – patriarchy
Micro-aggressions: racial & gender
Political participation – “they’re all the same”, “everything’s fixed”, “mustn’t grumble”

8. IDEOLOGICAL MANIPULATION
CAPITALISM
Competition as natural survival of fittest
Efficiency via division of labor
Exchange dynamic
Privatization – taking care of your own

9. HEGEMONY
Enthusiastic embrace of actions & beliefs that harm us & serve the interests of others ….
VOCATION
“Killing me softly”

10. Repressive Tolerance (Marcuse)
Include enough challenge to the system to neutralize it – critical theory texts
Diversifying curriculum as smorgasbord – mainstream always defines the norm
Ideology of democratic tolerance – flattening of discussion when all experiences & viewpoints are considered equally valid

11. PRACTICING DEMOCRACY Decisions after inclusive conversation
Decision making processes represent interests of those most affected
Resources stewarded & used for benefit of widest number of people, ‘common good’
Negotiation of shared interest – collective interest privileged over private interest

12. RESOURCES www.stephenbrookfield.com www.the99ersband.com
The Power of Critical Theory (2004)
Radicalizing Learning (2010) with John Holst
Teaching for Critical Thinking (2012)