Critical Thinking

                When we were discussing “threshold concepts” in class on Tuesday, February 5th, I thought about my experience in Introduction to Education at Connecticut College and shared a bit of the story. However, the extent to which this course impacted my way of thinking goes beyond a simple reference in class. Not only did we learn about one another’s feelings on the issue of race sensitivities and injustice, but we also watched several films that illuminated the thoughts of people beyond our classroom. One film, The Color of Fear, shows a dialogue about race and racism in America between eight North American men of different races (two White men, two Black men, two Asian men, and two Latino men). The conversation gets very heated and exposes many underlying and overt feelings associated with racism in their lives. Another film illustrated the differences between an extremely under-funded and low-income public school with a high-income public school. It was clear how much the disparity affected the children, and how inequitable it was.

                Viewing these films and discussing these issues in education class finally uncovered just how much they affect schooling and literacy in this country. I became aware of the inherent bias of textbooks and standardized testing, and was able to identify ways in which students’ learning was influenced as a result.