Ride the Storm: Navigating Through Unstable Periods / Katerina Rudko (Belka G...
Dr. james hupp teaching critical thinking in professional school
1. Dr. James Hupp: Teaching
critical thinking in professional
school
2. ● Dr. James R. Hupp, in his essay "Healthy skepticism
- the essence of critical thinking," appearing in the
journal Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine and Oral
Pathology, expresses a concern that, for the most
part, dental students are not being taught critical
thinking skills.
● The process of analyzing and evaluating information
in order to reach sound conclusions or decisions
represents the basis of critical thinking.
● Healthy skepticism helps promote the use of critical
thinking.
3. ● Dr. Hupp discusses how most education
consists of students being passive
memorizers of facts delivered by lecturers and
textbooks.
● Students are taught to fully trust the
information provided by teachers, textbooks
and other sources.
● They are rarely exposed to differences of
opinion or instructed how to evaluate the
quality of information.
4. ● Dr. James Hupp's article provides examples of how
dental students could have their critical thinking skills
developed.
● Dr. Hupp acknowledges though, that faculty must be
skilled and comfortable teaching this method of
approaching problem solving.
● Unfortunately, standardized tests rarely contain items
requiring critical thinking. This serves as a disincentive
to faculty.
● However, Dr. Hupp is confident that once a faculty
recognizes the importance of their graduates
possessing a healthy degree of skepticism for
information and able to use critical thinking to make
good decisions, that needed curriculum change will
come.