A Seminar with

Dr. Stephen Brookfield

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Koussevitzky Arts Center Room 111

3:00 – 5:30pm, followed by a reception

“Opening Minds: The Role of Discussion in Fostering Critical Thinking”

The development of critical thinking ability in our students has become a central focus in the quest to make a college education relevant and meaningful. When learners think critically they become actively responsible for their own learning, and that ability to analyze, reflect, and synthesize will serve them in myriad future endeavors. How do we as instructors help students develop that capability? Join special guest speaker Dr. Stephen Brookfield in an exploration of how we can use discussion as a method to develop and enhance critical thinking in the classroom. This is a unique opportunity to listen and interact with one of today’s leading thinkers in the field of adult education and critical reflection.

Since beginning his teaching career in 1970, Stephen Brookfield has worked in England, Canada, Australia and the United States, teaching in a variety of college settings. He has written and edited nine books on adult learning, teaching and critical thinking, four of which have won the World Award for Literature in Adult Education. In 1991 he was awarded an honorary doctor of letters degree from the University System of New Hampshire for his contributions to understanding adult learning. During 2002 he was Visiting Professor at Harvard University, and taught for 10 years at Columbia University. He now holds the title of Distinguished University Professor at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

This seminar is funded under a Title III Strengthening Institutions grant.