The following are my teaching assignments on critical thinking for California 12th grade students in the semester-long courses, “US Government” and “Economics.” I offer them for non-profit use:
- Information and recommendations for your child’s success (and overall introduction to this article series) 1 of 6
- Heart of social science (2 of 6)
- Critical thinking skills in government and economics (3 of 6)
- Case Study: Economics and policy of ending poverty (4 of 6)
- Critical thinking skills in action: policy analysis of ‘current events,’ past and present (US Government: 5 of 6)
- Critical thinking skills in action: economic analysis of ‘current events,’ past and present (Economics: 6 of 6)
In the progression of these assignments, I as the teacher have:
- connected with parents,
- set the context of social science,
- defined and explained critical thinking skills
Now, before students consider and research a topic of interest, I provide a case study to reveal how dark our history/present can be. Paradoxically, this darkness co-exists with game-changing solutions for Earth to become beautiful and alivebeyond our imaginations. This kind of case study is essential preparation for students to see full factual truths and solutions that thousands of us in alternative media reveal for essential basic education in government and economics (in my public citizen voice):
- Unlawful Wars of Aggression based on easily-provable lies (here, here,here, here),
- Bankster-looting economics (here, here, here, here, here),
- Lying sacks of spin corporate media that “cover” the crimes.
The case study of our .01% “leaders” of the so-called “developed countries” absolute failure to end poverty prepares students to face a reality worse than their capacity to imagine, and recognize powerful solutions ready to implement here and now:
Case Study: Economics and policy of ending poverty
Instructions: Read this passage. Then cut and copy the questions onto your own document. This assignment is worth 1 point per question, for a total of 13 points.
“Every day, I saw more evidence about the evils humankind will inflict on their fellow humans to gain or maintain power… What is more, those who choose not to empathize may enable real monsters. For without ever committing an act of outright evil ourselves, we collude with it through our own apathy… If you choose to use your status and influence to raise your voice on behalf of those who have no voice; if you choose to identify not only with the powerful, but with the powerless; if you retain the ability to imagine yourself into the lives of those who do not have your advantages, then it will not only be your proud families who celebrate your existence, but thousands and millions of people whose reality you have helped transform for the better. We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.” — J. K. Rowling, Harvard Commencement, June 5, 2008.
Poverty is the deprivation of basic economic needs required for human life.
For 18 years I helped create and grow the citizens’ lobby, RESULTS now in over 100 US communities and 7 countries, working with economics and policy to enddomestic and global poverty. I was the founder of this work in Northern California. RESULTS has been a leading voice for US Head Start programs that reach over a million children. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director, James Grant, credited RESULTS with saving over one million children’s lives a year from increased funding we won for cost-effective programs that reduce infant mortality. We championed two UN Summits for heads of state: the 1990 World Summit for Children (largest meeting of heads of state in world history) and the 1997 Microcredit Summit (topic of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Economics). The UN and nations were so impressed with our work that they asked RESULTS to manage nations’ progress toward the Microcredit Summit’s goals. Today, over 100 million of the world’s lowest income families now have access to credit; a total population greater than the United States. This saves millions of lives, tremendously improves quality of life, and in every historical case has reduced population growth rates and promoted wiser environmental management.
That’s the good news.