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Developing Critical Thinking in Undergraduate Courses: A Philosophical Approach

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Abstract

This paper is centred on twentieth century philosophers of science. I will examine how they have influenced current physics educational research by others and myself. I will also examine how I have introduced a study of these philosophers in several courses including the calculus-based introductory physics course on optics and modern physics. Students study one philosopher all semester as a group project and report regularly on how their philosopher would view the subject matter of the course. As a consequence of this use of philosophers of science, the students seem to have made a marked improvement in their critical thinking skills and in their grasp of the underlying concepts of the subject matter of the courses.

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  1. Department of Physics, Concordia University, 1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd W., Montreal P.Q., H3G 1M8, Canada

    C. S. Kalman

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Kalman, C.S. Developing Critical Thinking in Undergraduate Courses: A Philosophical Approach. Science & Education 11, 83–94 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1013071130538

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