Premium Essay

Pros and Cons of Controversy

In:

Submitted By robyndunkle
Words 952
Pages 4
1.93% of higher education faculty believe critical thinking is an essential learning outcome.

A 2005 report by the Association of American Colleges and Universities demonstrated the need for efforts to promote critical thinking by highlighting the disparity between the 93% of higher education faculty that perceive critical thinking to be an essential learning outcome and the 6% of undergraduate seniors that actually demonstrated critical thinking proficiency.

Source: Ian J. Quitadamo and Martha J. Kurts, "Learning to Improve: Using Writing to Increase Critical Thinking Performance in General Education Biology,” CBE Life Sciences Education, Feb. 2007.

2.Critical thinking is considered the second most important life skill after interpersonal skill.

In a 1994 survey of over 11,000 college graduates, the "ability to think critically” ranked as the second most important skill out of 16 in their daily life (#1 was interpersonal skills).

Source: Cooperative Institutional Research Program, "1994 Nine Year Follow-Up Survey (of 1985 Freshmen),” Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA, 1995.

3.Learning and discussing controversial issues in school helps students become more informed and more active citizens.

A 2007 survey of 5,400 secondary students found that: "Students who regularly take part in classroom discussion are more likely to:

•Vote in later life
•Support basic democratic values
•Take part in political discussions
•Follow political news in the media
•Be interested in the political process
•Have confidence in their ability to influence public policy”

Source: Keith Barton and Alan McCully, "Teaching Controversial Issues...Where Controversial Issues Really Matter," Teaching History, June 2007.

4.Learning about controversial topics in school increases students’ political participation.

Studies by Lee Ehman in 1966

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

What Are The Controversy Of Honor Codes Pros And Cons

...Controversy of Honor Codes Schools generally agree to have some sort of honor code to keep students from cheating, but should this be necessary? They are enforced to keep student’s behavior in line and keep them out of trouble. The code has students thinking for themselves, making them think independently and originally. Students are obligated to report those who are violating the honor code making them feel active in a community. These are just some reasons I feel as though schools should have their own type of honor code. Expulsion can be a result of students not following the honor code they have agreed to. Being entirely kicked from a school is not something that anyone wants to happen in their life. This strikes a fear into the student keeping them on their best behavior. Nobody would want to have to tell their family that they were expelled from the school they worked hard to...

Words: 966 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Globalization

...February 10, 2012 Globalization and its Effects What is globalization? If you asked 100 different people that question, your more than likely going to get 100 different answers. Globalization, in general, is the integration of different societies, cultures and economies. (What is Globalization, 2010) Now the question everyone is asking, what are the pros and cons of globalization. A major pro to globalization is that it helps countries’ economies to grow. If one countries’ economy grows, it is said that the growth spreads to neighboring countries which in turn spread to other neighboring countries so much that they start to grow dependent on each other. In contrary to that, a con of globalization is if one country goes into a recession, its neighboring countries will follow and it will continue to spread to other neighboring countries and so on and so forth. (Pros and Cons of Globalization) So globalization in the spreading of economic status has both its ups and downs. I feel that this controversy is a wash. To grow as a country, you have to be able to take the risk that your country may suffer as well. One day your country could be doing fine, and the next day your economy could be going right down the toilet. I think eventually countries will have to take this risk if they want to grow economically and financially as a whole. Some also argue that globalization will create jobs, increase the competition between companies, and at the same time, lower product prices...

Words: 1078 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Animal Testing Speech

...Animal Testing I. Speech Overview: Slide 1 A. General Purpose: To inform B. Specific Purpose: By the end of my speech, my audience will be able to know the history about animal testing and the pros and cons about it. C. Thesis Statement: I’m going to talk about the history of animal testing, its pros, and its cons. II. Introduction: D. Attention Getting Device: An estimated 26 million animals are used every year in the United States for scientific and commercial testing. Animals are used to develop medical treatments, determine the toxicity of medications, check the safety of products destined for human use, and other biomedical, commercial, and health care uses. E. Tie to Audience: Many may not really be interested in this type of subject but animal testing is done on an everyday basis, to have our everyday essentials, like shampoo or cosmetics. F. Speaker Credibility: Having a dog at home made me curious on picking this subject for this speech. I personally didn’t really know a lot about animal testing until I started researching. There are many different opinions on why it should continue and why it should end. G. Thesis Statement: I’m going to talk about the history of animal testing, its pros, and its cons. (Transition: Every year there are tens of millions of animals used as testing material for many purposes.) III. Speech Body slide 2 A. Animal testing goes back thousands of years there’s evidence...

Words: 986 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Stem Cell Research

...Research paper on Stem Cell Research Legislation and the related legal issues: What is the history of Stem Cell Research Legislation in the United States? How does it compare to comparable statutes in the rest of the world? In this paper talk about what the current legislative state of affairs is and where the law on stem cells in the United States should go in the future and why. Make sure you use ample research and cited sources to support your arguments but make sure to state your own opinion on the issues as well. Stem Cell Research TJ AS OF: 2/4/2009--Introduced. Stem Cell Research Improvement Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct and support research that utilizes human embryonic stem cells, regardless of the date on which the stem cells were derived from a human embryo. Limits such research to stem cells that meet the following requirements: (1) the stem cells were derived from human embryos donated from in vitro fertilization clinics, were created for the purposes of fertility treatment, and were in excess of the needs of the individuals seeking such treatment; (2) prior to donation, it was determined that the embryos would never be implanted in a woman and would otherwise be discarded; and (3) the individuals seeking fertility treatment donated the embryos with written informed consent and received no financial or other inducements. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of...

Words: 3563 - Pages: 15

Premium Essay

Genetic Engineering

...term “fingerprinting” is used because finger prints, like DNA, vary from person to person and no two people have the same DNA or fingerprints. So, when scientists identify a person’s DNA, it can only be linked back to one individual and can help to obtain information about that specific individual. DNA fingerprinting can be done through many different ways. Some ways are through blood samples from a vein or heel, saliva samples, skin samples, or hair samples. The purpose of DNA fingerprinting is to help link family members together, find things that cause diseases, to help aid in crime scene investigations, and to identify the deceased. The Pros of this technology are that it can help to bring justice to victims in a criminal case through identifying the guilty party and can help to identify diseases so that they can better be prevented. Cons to the technology are that mistakes might be made and the wrong person might become accused and that the information obtained might be abused. Genetically...

Words: 2310 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

Aed 222

...The Controversy of Medication The controversy of medicating a child who has EBD or ADHD is big, people may not even realize how big it is because it’s hiding in the bushes so to speak, people try to keep it quiet so people don’t form a panic when they find out how their children will be affected if they give them the medication to slow their disability down. Now I say disability light heartedly, because people like to treat children with these conditions like they are breakable, and they shouldn’t, children with these problems should be treated like any normal person in society, just with special care. The most common known drug out there to thin out the possibility or idea of these conditions is Ritalin, there are some successes out there, but there a lot of people who take their children off of it because of the side effects and how different their children start to seem after being on the medication for a prolonged period of time. According to The American Psychological Association, a Dr. Peter Jensen conducted a period of trials on children to see if the medication actually worked and how well it worked, it came back a year later that only 60% of children treated had a success, and the rest failed, but it is said that this medication is not for everyone and it can have some severe side effects. (para. 11). The Helium (2007) website says that the pros and cons of medicating children with these behaviors can include more sleep for those medicated, and less sleep for those...

Words: 534 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Associated With Abortion

...Advantages Associated with Abortion Abortion has caused controversy since it was made legal in the United States during Roe vs Wade. Abortion has many risks and negative consequences for women, but it also comes with some advantages. Abortion can benefit some women who seek to a safe way to end their pregnancy. Women who seek abortion may have a baby whom has health problems, has medical complications herself, or was raped and/or impregnated by a family member. With today’s technology, women can test if their baby will be born with some abnormalities. Abortion can give the option to women to choose if they want to abort the fetus that has medical complications. “Technologies have enabled disease detection amongst unborn babies. Giving life...

Words: 1049 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Cell Phones and Their Service Providers

...There is so much controversy in concern to cell phones and the service providers they come with. This paper is to show the pros and cons of various companies. The top three service providers are Verizon, AT&T, and Straight Talk. Verizon is the biggest service provider around for now. The reason being that they have the best towers, or so people thought. Verizon hasn’t upgraded all of their towers to 4G LTE yet. Most of them are still running 3G towers. Their prices are ridiculously expensive and that’s where most people have their biggest issue with Verizon. Unlike Verizon, AT&T isn’t that sought after. Everyone assumes that since AT&T’s service wasn’t all that great a few years back that it still isn’t, but they are gaining more and more coverage. Most of their towers have been upgraded to 4G LTE so 3G on their network is virtually non-existent. The only issue is that their network will only work in certain areas, like if you live in the country you won’t get a signal. The good thing is that AT&T isn’t that expensive. Straight Talk runs off of both Verizon and AT&T towers. Straight Talk is a great, affordable company and it has a phone that meets everyone’s needs. If you’re out in the country then you will need a phone that runs off Verizon towers, but in the city you can go with AT&T towers or Verizon towers. Since it runs off of both you can have a phone that runs a 4G LTE network and one that runs a 3G network. Every company has its pros and cons, but the decision...

Words: 317 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Cmst

...and whether or not it’s going towards a helpful and productive cause? Thesis: Today we will break down the pros and cons of enforcing welfare recipients to be drug tested. Preview: Our group will inform you all about what welfare actually is, as well as reasons as to why some people believe it is a violation of their rights to be drug tested in order to receive welfare. More importantly, you will hear the opposing side of this issue, which is in favor of drug testing, along with reasons we believe it will benefit the welfare system. (First let’s get a better understanding of what welfare actually is.) Body I. Usually when one hears the word welfare, he thinks of public assistance. A. According to the welfare info website, welfare can also be characterized as a financial assistance to needy individuals, which is supplied through the taxes paid by the working society. (welfareinfo) 1. It also improves the quality of life and standards of living for the poor. II. Now that we all understand what welfare is, let’s look at the pros and cons of enforcing drug testing to receive this assistance. A. As said by Florida’s Governor Rick Scott, “the most important benefit to this is that it would show that we do not want to waste tax dollars, as well as give people an incentive not to use drugs.” (Drug testing for welfare recipients pros and cons) B. A major benefit of requiring financial aid recipients to pass a drug test is that it would help people...

Words: 1308 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

American Apparel

...Decision Maker? (In analyzing the case you put yourself in the decisions maker’s role and try to figure what you would do in his/her position.) * What is the main problem(s) or opportunity(s) that you (as the decision maker) must deal with? * Why this issue is important and how urgent is it? * Provide any sub-issues that are relevant to the case. * Who are the key people and/or groups that you need to consider in solving the problem/opportunity?The decision maker is Dov CharneyMain Problem: American apparel is struggling to find synchronization between their corporate social responsibilities including pro labour practices, domestic manufacturing suppliers, sweat shop free policies, environmentally friendly materials and their increasingly controversial advertising strategies. The issue is important because the company is facing a lot of criticism and controversies and are also at the urge of losing investors. The problem should be solved as soon as possible to keep the company running with a profit.Sub issues: * Bad marketing strategy, took sexual appeal really far * $250 million sexual harassment lawsuit * Challenges repaying debts * On the brink of a collapseKey people: Dov charney, management, stakeholders( customers, investors) | Atiya khan-American apparel B. Key Facts of the Case (relevant facts only, no analysis) - 10 Marks | * Provide the relevant background that led to the problem/opportunity(s). * Provide...

Words: 1314 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Pros and Cons of Could Based Computing

...Pros and Cons of Cloud Computing in Businesses Cloud computing has been a controversy in Information Systems since Salesforce.com, the first of its kind, was released in 1999. According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, “cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction” (Mell). In other words, the cloud uses the Internet to store, access, and process data. Before cloud computing, the only other way to store and process data was through in-house servers, which are simply a server located within the company. The invention of all new technology brings controversy because the amount of issues that could come from it must be compared to the amount of benefits. There are three different types of cloud computing, all of which can be incredibly beneficial for both personal and business use: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS) (Turim-Nygren). Although they all function similarly, they take on their own roles and process information differently. The most commonly known is cloud storage such as Dropbox and Google Drive, which are categorized as SaaS. The pros and cons of cloud computing have been debated over the past decade, and individuals...

Words: 2142 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Justin Haskins Analysis

...Self-driving cars are on of today's biggest controversies. In the article,”Is the idea of driverless cars gaining popularity?” both sides of the argument are presented, however the con argument is stronger. Both sides of the article have different purposes. In addition, the pro’s author, Justin Haskins, has fishy credentials, while Whitt Flora’s are solid. Furthermore, Justin has one okay point supported by studies, but Whitt has many, very logical, science proved and good points. While Justin Haskins has a good argument, Whitt Flora’s is stronger in the article. Both sides of the controversy in this article have different purposes. Haskins’ purpose of the article is to open people up to the idea of self-driving cars. One way his writing shows this is by using an often complained about problem and it’s solution to write his side of the controversy. This would open people up to self-driving cars because it sheds light in a gray area for most people, who would take the fix if it's an easy one. On the contrary, Whitt’s purpose is to make sure people understand all parts of self-driving cars. One sentence that shows this is, “A nationwide network of million of self-driving cars whisking suburban...

Words: 643 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Vaccines Pros Cons

...Even though there is a big controversy, I think that vaccines are beneficial for everyone, even though there are cons the pros outweighs the cons. Most of the cons happen to a small percentage of people. My claims that state the benefits are, the amount of ingredients, the rarity of reactions to vaccines, and the diseases that vaccines have helped and even eradicated. The ingredients are safe in the amount that they are used such as thimerosal, formaldehyde, and aluminum, they can be harmful in large doses but they are not used in harmful quantities in vaccines. These ingredients are used in vaccines such as the hepatitis-c vaccine, polio vaccine, and Pneumococcal vaccine. These vaccines have benefit millions of people and it is ignorant if...

Words: 254 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Pros and Cons of Free Trade

...Pros and Cons of Free Trade I. Introduction Free trade, the ever present driving force behind our national and world economy, is a trade policy embroiled in controversy. It is considered by most economists to be an almost perfect trade policy, barring a few negative effects. Free trade has been shown to increase production, output and income levels in an economy. However, there are many people that view free trade as destroyer of economies and a catalyst of poverty. Critics of free trade have pointed out that in the short-run, free trade causes a loss of jobs which in turn causes a rise in poverty levels. It is interesting to note that the argument for free trade and the argument against free trade are inverses of each other. Proponents of free trade see it as a tool to stimulate an economy while detractors see it as a policy which exacerbates poverty, causes dependency and reduces economic stability. In general, there is no consensus on free trade. Economists see free trade as the devil that we know. While imperfect, it is the best we have to work with. Popular opinion sees free trade as a cause of inequality. Even though it alleviates poverty and causes economic stimulation in the long-run, it can cause the exact opposite in the short run. The pros and the cons of free trade must then be weighed, which will then allow us to determine if free trade is truly a beneficial trade policy. Therefore, this discussion will weigh the benefits and harms...

Words: 352 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Pros And Cons Of Embryonic Stem Cell Research

...Embryonic Stem Cell Research: Its Pros and Cons Because of its concept, embryonic stem cell research has become a hot topic in debates among scientific researchers, moral activists, religious groups and governments. It is a relatively a new science that holds medical treatments for many debilitating diseases and disorders affecting people today. But like other new scientific technologies, it is also believed to potentially do harm. To get a good insight about this type of research, let us take a look at some of its pros and cons. List of Pros of Embryonic Stem Cell Research 1. It can help treat many diseases. As scientists direct the differentiation of embryonic stem cells into specific cell types, they will be able to use the resulting differentiated cells to treat certain diseases, which include diabetes, traumatic spinal cord injury, Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy, heart diseases, and vision and hearing loss. It is also claimed to have the potential...

Words: 556 - Pages: 3