Table Of ContentWritten at a time when news can be fake and facts can
have alternatives, this book provides teachers with inno-
vative research-based instructional strategies that help
students learn how to think through complex questions
in a deliberate and informed way. It is a timely and
valuable resource for practitioners who are looking for
effective ways to address a pressing educational priority:
teaching students how to critically evaluate various types
of information and reach a sound conclusion. Importantly,
the book treats teachers as co-inquirers, who reflect on
their own thinking and continue to learn with their
students.
Alina Reznitskaya, Professor, Department of Educational
Foundations, Montclair State University, New Jersey
In this brief volume, Dr. Sanacore provides a desperately
needed reprieve from the onslaught of teaching guides
that focus on “delivering content” and scalability, and
guides us through some of the ways we can help to foster
more critical engagement from our students. Some of the
specifics here are likely to be familiar to those who have
teaching experience—indeed, some of them have been
used over millennia in one form or another—but even the
most experienced teachers will find something useful to
draw on and to help improve not what their students
know, but how they know. It is the sort of book you keep
nearby when you need a reminder of what is important
about teaching, and how you can contribute to the lives of
your students and to our broader discourse through your
choices in the classroom.
Alexander Halavais, Associate Professor of Data & Society,
New College, Arizona State University
Teaching Critical
Thinking in the Context
of Political Rhetoric
During the past several decades, there has been a blitz of information,
sometimes referred to as the knowledge explosion, and students have
struggled in their attempts to distinguish true, fake, and terribly biased
information, especially regarding political issues. This book highlights
the value of critical thinking as a way to navigate this difficult and
frustrating terrain, so that students grow and develop as know-
ledgeable, independent thinkers. To promote this growth, the book
offers thoughtful, evidence-based advice for teachers to support
students’ deep thinking as it relates to real-world contexts. Strategies
presented include student reflection based on experience, moving from
narrow to broader perspectives, and using graphic organizers to build
and activate knowledge before, during, and after instructional activities.
With the instructional guidance and activities presented in this short,
easy-to-apply volume, teachers can give students the tools they need to
negotiate the often-murky waters of political communication.
Joseph Sanacore is a journalist, researcher, and professor in the
Department of Teaching and Learning at the Post Campus of Long
Island University, Brookville, NY. He has authored more than 100
articles, essays, and book chapters. He was also an elementary,
middle, and high school teacher and a K–12 Director of Language
Arts and Literacy.
Teaching Critical
Thinking in the
Context of Political
Rhetoric
A Guide for Classroom
Practice
Joseph Sanacore
First published 2022
by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa
business
© 2022 Joseph Sanacore
The right of Joseph Sanacore to be identified as author of this
work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections
77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission
in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be
trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for
identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Sanacore, Joseph, author.
Title: Teaching critical thinking in the context of political
rhetoric : a guide for classroom practice / Joseph Sanacore.
Description: New York, NY : Routledge, 2022. | Includes
bibliographical references.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021018696 (print) | LCCN 2021018697
(ebook) | ISBN 9781032079707 (hardback) | ISBN
9781032079691 (paperback) | ISBN 9781003212300 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Critical thinking--Study and teaching. |
English language--Rhetoric--Study and teaching. |
Rhetoric--Political aspects.
Classification: LCC LB1590.3 .S248 2022 (print) |
LCC LB1590.3 (ebook) | DDC 370.15/2--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021018696
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021018697
ISBN: 978-1-032-07970-7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-07969-1 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-21230-0 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003212300
Typeset in Palatino
by MPS Limited, Dehradun
To my five delightful grandchildren (in chronological birth
order): Gabriel, Spencer, Darien, Nathan, and Cayden. May
you always have a zest for seeking the truth and thinking
critically. I love you guys with all my heart and soul.
Contents
Easing into the Book.................................................................x
1 Introduction..............................................................................1
2 The Need to Teach Critical Thinking................................10
3 Promoting Critical Thinking...............................................13
4 Application and Transfer of Learning..............................32
5 Other Strategies and Activities That Support Transfer
of Learning.............................................................................71
6 The Value of Hard Work.....................................................80
7 Reflections on Critical Thinking.........................................84
8 In Retrospect........................................................................101
References...............................................................................105
About the Author..................................................................117
