The Postgrad Critical Discussion Toolbox Techniques to have more - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
The Postgrad Critical Discussion Toolbox Techniques to have more interesting discussions, tutorials and debates Presenter: Nina Ginsberg 1 26/7/19 NINA GINSBERG (T2 2019) BICYCLES CREATE CHANGE.COM 2 26/7/19 NINA GINSBERG (T2 2019)
Techniques to have more interesting discussions, tutorials and debates
Presenter: Nina Ginsberg
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NINA GINSBERG (T2 2019) BICYCLES CREATE CHANGE.COM
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NINA GINSBERG (T2 2019) BICYCLES CREATE CHANGE.COM
English language use Ethnicity Age Religion Politics Culture Gender Diff-Abilities GPA results Physical attributes Emotional state Identity/Orientation Family Structure Employment status Race Nationality Neuro diverse SES status Personality Experiences Living conditions Historical biography Skills and Competencies Educational background Thinking and learning styles Personal perspectives/beliefs How well you ride a bike Amount of imaginary friends All are welcome, safe and valued in my sessions
Images: Deloitte, Auckland Council & PRSA 26/7/19
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Go to: Bicycles Create Change.com > Resources Page
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ØMore verbally focused – not written ØTechniques are valuable precursors to improve critical thinking ØAdapted from Edward de Bono’s work ØParticipatory ØWill take time to integrate into practice, so this session is about introducing + reinforcing some key moves ØListen (to yourself and others) - how is what we cover today not/used? ØThere are many more techniques – these are just a few key ones ØTechniques in this session can be frustrating, not because they are difficult, but because once you know them and start applying them, you realise how insufficient and uninteresting many conversations are!
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Critical thinking is how the university trains us to evaluate material and make ‘judgements’ Helps expand how to ‘think about the real world’ – which is mainly perceptual, not critical VIP: Being able to think about thinking (metacognition) – not just what you think (UG), but WHY and HOW you think it (PG) Ability to fully explore a subject, not just make a judgement about it Making a judgement about a subject comes AFTER you have thoroughly explored the subject in comprehensive detail (today’s focus) Applying these skills improve participation in discussions, tutorials and debates – skills can also be applied elsewhere (transferable)
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As you discuss: notice some of the ‘conversational moves’ that occur and how the idea is ‘examined’ by your team
Should university education be free?
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Extras: Much more content at the end of this PPT
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0% 50% 100%
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AGREEMENT You are totally right… I agree with everything you said.. I completely agree with you… Absolutely right.. I agree with you 100%.... = no discussion! Insignificant contribution DISAGREEMENT Yes, but… I totally disagree… You are wrong there…. That is not so… You are not right about that at all.. =argumentative / superiority Common in academia
Never 100% ( or 50%) take a position
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Curious exploration of a subject Not personal Avoid the need to be right
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OB3 = Opinion + because + 3 reasons Anyone can provide an opinion – few give reasons for it! ‘because’ is your new favorite word! Why? Three is the magic number – why?
Revisit this question using OB3: Should Australia introduce a sugar tax?
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PMI = Positive, Minus, Interesting point What do you think of Australian politics? I think Australian politics is _(+)_ , however __(-)_. I find it interesting that _____ . Take Aways:
Use in a combo …like with OB3 = ‘critical details’ I think Australian politics could be seen as useful because it is (+ #1), (+ #2) and (+ #3). Conversely, I think that it has a number of drawbacks, such as (- #1), (- #2) and ( - #3). Also, I do find it interesting that ….. Great for pretty much any topic, discussion or brainstorm!
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Past Present Future
Good for general topics or ‘discuss the issue of X..’ questions Connected to 3 is the magic number Compare & Contrast variation Check facts (past), present (experience) & speculation (future) Check use of tense What do you think about education?
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globally continent regionally country state suburb family
Compare and contrast variation How many sphere to include? Depends.. Expand out OR contract in Need to clearly identify spheres (who, where)
Discuss recycling.
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Explore topic in relation to a (new?) social domain Can help extend a subject in a new direction Stimulates lateral thinking on how issues could be connected or influenced Some examples: Education Food Entertainment Business Leisure Sport Sanitation Parklands Family Media Employment Resources Fashion Law/Legal Manufacturing Pets Advanced: Domains can be used creatively to extend, such as.. Classifications: Sports: Basketball, Roller Derby, Netball, Soccer. Opposites: Employment vs Family And in many any other ways - it is up to you! Make a list of as many ‘Social Domains’ as you can in 1 min
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Economics Production Resources Logistics Transport Accounting Regulations Law/Legal Labour Employment Welfare Technology Buildings Sanitation Wealth Distribution Governance Justice Communication Migration Identity Security Ethics Energy Water Air Flora Animals Pets Farming Food Habitat Waste Sanitation Sustainability Mobility Recreation Creativity Beliefs Fashion Religion Gender Age Disability Violence Crime Shopping Gardening Skills Sexuality Customs Norms Industry Learning Education Health Medical Wellbeing Fitness Games Family Friends Work Leisure Spirituality Travel Memory Furniture Business Commerce Art Music Dance Poetry Time Culture Science Houses Drugs Nature Weather Geography
Sub-cultures Rights
Task: Discuss ‘Pets’ in relation to: Public Holidays or Music or Religion or Buildings…
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Main Idea (Super) Support Idea (Sub 1) Details Details Details Support Idea (Sub 2) Support Idea (Sub 3)
Helps people understand the various elements in your contribution Clear distinction between your ‘levels’ of super/sub (you can also include whys ‘because’) Strong link to critical thinking Transition words are critical here! Helps with summary, expression & cohesion skills Shows strong organisation/structure and logic Helps connect/link elements within a subject/categories
What are the main reasons some university students do not complete their studies?
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Visualise a scale 0 – 10 Never position: 0 or 5 or 10 Useful for your discussion and assignments: To what degree…? The scale can structure your answer Is a good way to more interestingly answer closed questions
Is Australia the ‘lucky country’?
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Helps you think widely and rank answers You can explain your ‘thinking out aloud’ as part
move!) Forces you to take a position and make a judgement (which then needs to backed it up!) Gives some structure (for you) and gives you audience more to respond to Challenge your audience to commit to ranking answers like: ‘What do you think are the three most…
What daily actions can individuals take to protect the environment?
You can then modify and specify for more critical detail or focused discussion
What three daily actions can individuals take in the morning to protect the environment?
Watch: who is stumped, who is really ‘listening’ and who actually answers the (full) question
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Discuss: What is today’s most critical environmental issue?
(Use one technique fully before moving on to the another)
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How to turn a disagreement into agreement
Arranged marriages are a good idea
Take away: Make an effort to find a special circumstance within a statement that does make sense, and then agree with the statement but only for those circumstances
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“If I had those values, I would agree with you” Similar to special circumstances
Telling a lie is never acceptable.
Answer is based on values
Consider: Murderer in pursuit of a victim
Conflicting values – moral principle vs. pragmatism: value of human life Take away: Spell out the different values involved and that you would agree under one set of values, but not under another set of values.
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How to turn a disagreement into agreement Exception: an instance or case not conforming to the general rule. Exemption: free from an obligation or liability to which others are subject; release
Women earn less money than men in all occupations. In Australia, an adult is a person who is over the age of 18. Take away: Make an effort to present and explore a situation where the general rule (or ‘agreement’) is not the case – then discuss WHY
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Can be difficult to disagree with
You can disagree with the generalisation, but still agree with some aspects of it. For the last example, instead use: ØWomen can be as logical as men when necessary but also tend to be more intuitive. ØMen usually work in groups and logic is a way of convincing others to go along with a Plan. Women tend to act on their own and can rely on intuition as they do not need to persuade anyone else. ØI agree that women do tend to have more scanning mind that takes in more factors instead of just moving from one point to another. ØWhat other statement can you come up with? Think and share. Take away: You can disagree with the sweeping generalisation but show agreement with some of the implications.
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all/every by and large the majority most many some a few none
Apply gradation language unless backed up by fact (reference). Be aware of opinions presented as fact Consider the meaning of the gradation language the majority = 50.1% or 99.5%?
Hot Tip: this is ALWAYS useful … readings, literature,…
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Other types of qualifying language – ‘hedging’ 1. Modals: ….might, may, can, could, must, would, ought to, will, should
For more ideas on hedging: EnglishHELP>Academic Skills>Hedging
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ØSpecial Circumstances ØSpecial Values ØExceptions & Exemptions ØSweeping Generalization Ø100% vs Gradation
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Focus: use some of the agreeing techniques
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Is a valuable and important skill It works most effectively when both parties are genuinely trying to explore a subject Can be unpleasant, but it it necessary = truth & to fully investigate an issue objectively & comprehensively Some people’s disagreement can be:
Ørude or aggressive Øin order to ‘battle’ and to ‘win’ Øto showoff of their ego Øto demonstrate superiority Øthey have been taught that is was conversation is about Øthey don’t know any other way of exploring a subject
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HARSH, OFFENSIVE & RUDE
You are just stupid. You don’t know what you are talking about. That is the silliest thing I have ever heard. That is wrong. That is poor logic. You obviously haven’t thought about this. I disagree with everything you have said. How stupid can you be? You can’t possibly believe that.
POLITE & RESPECTFUL
I am not sure I follow your reasoning. That is only one point of view. How about this other possibility? I think I have some doubts about your conclusion? Maybe that is so, and maybe it is not so. I can think of an alternative explanation. As much as you think that, others may propose another point of view.
Disagreement is valid – it can be gentle or aggressive. Predominately, being polite is better
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Example: Across Europe, the number of people in prison range from 89-120 per 100,000 people. In the USA, the number is 750 per 100, 000, which is 6 x times more than Europe. This means that people in the USA are less law abiding. This preposition does not necessarily follow from the statistics. What other conclusions did you come up with?
the number ending up in prison is higher. By seeking alternatives, you can show that the number of people in prison does not necessarily mean a greater amount of crime. This is just one possible explanation.
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Take Away: 1. When someone offers a conclusion, think of an alternative explanation for how something ‘seems to follow’ 2. You can disagree with the logic of how something ‘seems to follow’ = challenge that necessity/conclusion 3. It is best to offer an alterative when you do this – this makes your challenge much stronger
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Extension: For ideas on how to identify other errors in logic and fallacies see: Ideas Channel (PBS Ideas Channel) on YouTube
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Example 2: Statistics in Australia show that people born under the Zodiac sign of Gemini are more likely to have car accidents than any other sign. How can this fact be explained? Discuss other possible interpretations.
To explore this interpretation: you would like to know whether this finding is significant across different periods and in different locations (countries?). The size of the difference would also be important. What possible interpretations did you come up with? One possible interpretation is that those with a Gemini birthday reach a legal age of driving in Winter (June in Australia) and so start driving in difficult conditions and weather.
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Selective perception means perceiving things in such a way as to support a pre-formed idea The mind has a fixed pattern = only notices things that fit that pattern Examples: A wife who finds out her husband is having a affair looks back over the whole marriage and picks out only those points which suggest that he did not truly love her. A fierce feminist would be ready to pick on any male behavior evidence to indicate male chauvinism. Classic use of selective perception = stereotypes and prejudices (racism)
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have no way of knowing what has NOT been said, or what has been LEFT OUT. A person who tells you all the instances where an employee seems to be lazy may choose NOT to tell you all the instances where the same person HAS worked exceptionally hard. Outside of white Australians, African migrants commit the most crimes in Australia. If you believe that a certain race commits more crimes, you will only notice instances of that race committing crimes. You may not see that crime occurs more often in certain economic groups and that there happens to be more of that race in these groups.
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Different personal experiences lead to different opinions If your personal experience differs from a speakers, you may well find yourself disagreeing with the speaker’s conclusions
differently than those from countries with a government or dictatorship structure.
marriage than someone who is happily married.
There is not ’right’ or ‘wrong’ or ‘more valid’ experience TAKE AWAY: In disagreeing, point out that your experience is different My experience of studying at Griffith University is obviously not that same as
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HINT: There is different experience AND different interpretations of experience For example:
At first, these two sets of experience seem contradictory It could then turn out that in the second case, the hospital was understaffed and the nurses were overworked = little time for patients
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This is one of the most important points about disagreement You maybe willing to accept something as a ‘possibility’ but very unwilling to accept it as a ‘certainty’
difficult to accept this as a certainty.
relationship is due to the break-up being more of a surprise to men than it is to women. TAKE AWAY: When disagreeing with something that has been put forward as ‘certainty, you can indicate to level of ‘possible’ at which you are prepared to accept the statement.
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Disagreement implies a regard for the truth = ‘truth concern’ You do not want to let anyone get away with something which is either untrue or offered as true without being proved to be so What spaghetti sauce do you like? It is a matter of choice. If someone suggested sprinkling ground coffee on spaghetti, you would probably reject this as plain ‘wrong’ - but it is still a food, edible and possible If, however, someone suggested using diesel fuel on spaghetti, you would certainly reject this – not only in terms of taste, but also it may be poisonous
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TAKE AWAYS: So in disagreeing you may be implying one of several things…
It is too abrupt and simple to say ‘I disagree!’ This wide range of disagreement should, as far as possible, be spelled out. Once this is done the disagreement can be explored.
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ØDo not disagree for the sake of disagreeing or just to show cleverness ØDisagree politely and gently, rather than aggressively and rude ØDisagreeing can be used to point out:
Øa fact or statement is simply wrong Øerrors in logic/show that one conclusion does not necessarily follow from what went before ØSelective perception and particular interpretations of statics or events ØShow different personal experience ØSweeping generalisations (you should almost always pick up & challenge these!) ØIt is very important to challenge ‘certainty’ ad to suggest ‘possibility’ instead ØDistinguish between having a different opinion and disagreeing with an opinion
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At what age should parents start teaching their children about sex?
Focus: use some of the disagreeing techniques
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1. Female stick insects can have ‘baby girl’ stick insects without any need for a male at all. If we could work out the hormonal combination that triggered the cells to divide then feminists could really get rid of men! 2. The seahorse maybe the most feminist of all creatures. The female produces the egg, which the male fertilises. The female then hands the fertilised egg to the male, who has to look after it until the babies hatch. 3. In Queensland, there is a frog that swallows its eggs which have been fertilised by the male frog. The frogs then turns off the hydrochloric acid and digestive juices in it’s stomach. The eggs develop in the frog’s stomach. When the young frogs are mature, the mother frog opens her mouth and the babies just pop out!
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Unusual information is one type of ‘interest’ You can accumulate such information by remembering what you have read in the media and research. You can also take a special interest in some specific or exotic matter and really become an expert:
For most discussions, however, let us suppose that you have no special
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What if dogs could be taught to speak? What would happen? What if China becomes the dominant economic power in the world? What if women were the only ones allowed to propose marriage? What if human cloning became available and relatively cheap? What if the HIV/AIDS level in the USA reached the same level in parts of Africa?
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The ‘what if?’ approach involves playing with ideas Since ideas are being played out in the future, there is no way of checking which will happen and which will not Provides an open ended exploration = if it made to put forward ideas that are as ‘logical’ as possible For the sake of humour, the occasional ‘fantasy’ might be allowed This playful approach = simplest of situations can be turned into an interesting exploration TAKE AWAY: ‘What ifs?’ can add interest and encourage new
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Get into the habit of saying
‘Now that is interesting!’
Using this phrase will help reframe anything that comes up in conversation Instead of just carrying on with the flow of conversation, you now pause at that point… and explore/focus on that point…
You can elaborate around the point You can open the possibilities and alternatives You can make connections You can ask for distinctions, definitions, exceptions and/or exemptions 1. You'll need to explain WHY you find that point interesting 2. You will need to build up and lay out the interesting aspects 3. You invite the other speaker to join you in exploring the point
TAKE AWAY: learn to use this phrase formally as an attention directing tool. Don't just wait for the attitude to arise. You need to ‘direct attention’ in a deliberate manner.
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ØThe truth is important, but so is being interesting ØInterest may arise from things you have done, are doing or know about ØUse ‘what if?’ to open up new possibilities and lines of thought ØFind & make connections = link ideas together & generate interest ØUse the phrase ‘Now that is interesting’ to direct attention ØWhen someone else opens up an interesting line of thought, go along with it and help to develop the interest further
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With a Partner How can you be more interesting when you talk about ONE
Frogs Bicycles Steering wheels Carrots Chewing gum Alarm Clocks Underwear Scrambled eggs Flags
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What was the most useful or interesting aspect of this workshop for you?
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De Bono, E. (2004). How to have a beautiful mind. Sydney, Australia: Random House Australia.
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