1. Four Levels of Competency – Unconscious Competence – Conscious Competence – Conscious Incompetence – Unconscious Incompetence From T HE E MPATHIC C OMMUNICATOR, William S. Howell, 1982, pp. 29-32

2. B. Methodological Doubt and Belief KEY: undertake pure doubt and pure belief: i.consciously ii.systematically iii.explicitly iv.with discipline Source: Methodological Doubting and Believing: Contraries in Inquiry, in Peter Elbow, EMBRACING CONTRARIES: EXPLORATIONS IN LEARNING AND TEACHING 258 (1986)

3. Individual Exercise: Methodological Doubt – Consider the applicant’s account and doubt everything, no matter how compelling it might seem to find flaws or contradictions we might otherwise miss.

4. Individual, then Group Exercise: Methodological Belief – Consider the applicant’s story and believe everything, no matter how unlikely or repellent it might seem to find virtues or strengths we might otherwise miss.

5. Introduction to Poetry Billy Collins I ask them to take a poem and hold it up to the light like a color slide or press an ear against its hive. I say drop a mouse into a poem and watch him probe his way out, or walk inside the poem's room and feel the walls for a light switch. I want them to waterski across the surface of a poem waving at the author's name on the shore. But all they want to do is tie the poem to a chair with rope and torture a confession out of it. They begin beating it with a hose to find out what it really means. The Apple that Astonished Paris, 1996, University of Arkansas Press, Fayetteville, Ar

6. 4 Observations about Methodological Doubt and Belief 1.Disciplines you to be wary of acting BEFORE you have subjected your action plan to both methodological doubt and belief. 2.Offers those who naturally gravitate to one pole or the other a way to check themselves. 3.Creates a practice for deeply exploring closely, passionately held views. 4.Balances out the widely held misconception that rigorous thinking requires doubt alone.