Discovering The American Past: A Look at the Evidence

Rating:
Summary: Teaching Critical Thinking? Not.
Review: In my opinion, the authors should introduce evidence in The Evidence rather than making bold, uncorroborated statements in Questions to Consider (thus tainting the evidence with bias); however the authors are prone to guiding the reader to a pre-chosen conclusion. This, to me, is unconscionable in a book purported to help students become critical thinkers. The authors apparently use a different definition for "critical thinker" than I am familiar with. In truth, the book intends to be censor morum, teaching the student to become a politically-correct thinker.

I loved reading The Evidence but I can really do without the editorializing in the other sections of each chapter. Allow the student to come to his own conclusions, I say. Unfortunately (or fortunately, rather) not all textbooks are equal.

Caveat Emptor.