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I have been doing a lot of thinking lately. One conclusion I made is that one of the most important skills we have as humans is our ability to read. What a wonderful skill! So much can be experienced, learned, explored, examined, and evaluated.
That leads me to another conclusion. As equally important as the skill of reading, is critical thinking. Why? Because what we read must be filtered to evaluate it. Without that, how would we know what is true and what is false or fancy. I am thankful to my professors who challenged me to read and interpret what I read. I remember a statistics course I took where the professor asked us to review published research and examine it to determine if the conclusions were justified. We were shocked to discover how many research studies had flawed methodologies, analyses, and conclusions that didn’t stand up to closer scrutiny. This certainly made us read and examine carefully what we read. What a valuable lesson learned! Reading and critical thinking applied to the Freeh Report on the Sandusky Scandal and the role of the University and University leaders is an example of a study filled with flaws. One only has to read it and apply critical thinking to see the evidence of its flaws. The Critique of the Freeh report: The Rush to Injustice commissioned by the Paterno Family and the PS4RS Critique of the Freeh Report points out its flaws. Read and apply critical thinking yourself and you will find significant--even glaring--flaws in the Freeh conclusions. Peggy L. Glaser, Ph.D. |