我们先来看一段家长反馈：
上海某国际学校六年级学生家长的来信
女儿经常焦虑的对我说：妈妈，我英文进步很小，特别是阅读理解和写作方面，你帮我找个老师教我加强阅读写作吧！
女儿高中准备读IB课程，IB课程对英文能力要求几乎达到英文母语的程度，目前，孩子学校的英文教学安排，远远达不到IB课程的要求，这让我和孩子都觉得挑战很大。
还好，机构批判性思维写作课程为孩子提供了很大帮助。孩子说美国老师很专业，教学思路清晰，字字珠玑，几堂课上下来，她收获很多。
孩子说好那就是真的好，我觉得这个批判性思维写作课适合要冲击IB课程的孩子，机构的老师和课程值得信赖！
这位家长的反馈说到了很多私立学校家长的心里。
IB课程要求学生有大体量阅读和论文写作能力，强调批判性思维的培养。但学校里有限的时间不可能提供这么多的专项训练。
批判性思维强调以问题为基础进行教学和训练， 而persuasive essay writing正是通过问题导出论点，再对论点进行思考、反驳、归纳、总结。
比如机构本次奖学金课的写作主题（Driving Questions）就是：“有些人认为应该放慢经济发展来使生态环境变好，你是否同意这个观点？”。
不管是立论还是驳论，学员都需要带着“经济发展和环境保护是怎么样的关系”这个问题进行深度思考。根据这个 “Driving Questions” 去搜索信息、查阅资料、整理论据并最终形成自己的论点。
很多家长来咨询，机构的“批判性思维写作课”到底是怎么上的。这次我们就结合上课实例，来看看到底什么样的课程让学霸们也感到受益匪浅吧。
第一节课
外教老师首先举了一个简单的例子：学校的午餐能不能供应冰淇淋？
通过这个例子来讲明白：
1，什么是论点？人的观点是论点。
2，什么是论据？事实是一种论据，能成为论据的事实一定具备“ 真实的，相关的，充分的 ”这三个特质。根据事实来分析、推演、总结，称为讲道理，就是论证。
主观观点不能成为论据，而事实存在也不能成为论点。概念讲清楚后，老师又分析了一篇范文，和大家一起拆解了文章的论点、论据以及论证结构。
作业
撰写文章的大纲，即根据问题写下自己的论点和论据。
第二节课
老师老师逐个讲解每个孩子的论点论据，及架构文章。
01 论点
在立论时，这位学员直接把自己的结论当做了论点：I think we should develop economic to save the environment.
老师老师犀利地指出这么表达属于答非所问，令读者费解。
老师老师指出立论第一句必须非常鲜明的回答论题：同意或者不同意，应该或者是不应该。之后再细节阐述。
同时老师老师强调第一段是整篇文章的总纲，下面文章的展开都要紧扣总纲，不要在后面的证明过程中随意添加其他论点，所以在老师老师的帮助下，开头调整为：
“I believe that it is it not necessary to slow down economic growth in order to protect the environment because I think that these two things can co-exist and the environment can benefit from the healthy economy. ”
这段开头堪称完美，回答了论题，并提出自己的论点。接下去就要用各种论据去证明自己的论点达到说服读者的目的。
02 论据
课程进行到点评论据，她指出，充分的事实依据才是证明论点的强有力的证据。
首先，老师肯定最好的论据是第三个。为什么第三个最好呢？因为支持这个论据是“fact based”。
接着讲解剩下两个需要进一步讨论的论据：
第一个论据，对于经济发展的必要性，学员很直白地说“People need money”，然后用自己的想法来解释。老师认为这个论据和题目里的“经济发展”和“环境发展”都没有联系，说服力很弱。
其他学员踊跃发表意见，老师和学生一起讨论如何完善这个观点。
第二个论据，We need money to develop technology, and we need technology to help or save the environment.老师指出，在这个点上，不仅可以使用正面论据，也可以使用反面论据来解释。讨论如何使用经济发展得来的钱，来获得权利，继而就可以选择使用清洁能源或化石能源（石油、天然气等）。
针对每一个论据，老师都和学员细细分析讨论了可行性，或者是否可以换成其他的论据。在此过程中，老师老师不断地强调需要更多的事实作为论据来支持论点。
03 不同角度
当其他孩子选择“经济发展和环境保护可以共存”时，第二位小朋友， 他从经济发展对环境的危害着手进行了立论。
老师老师一直强调论据是某种事实，不要再去重复观点。这位小朋友在架构文章时首先开宗明义地提出论点，接着从三个证据入手，用了数据、事件（伦敦大雾霾、北京雾霾）作为自己论点的论据。
小朋友还从经济发展对环境的影响中分拆出第一产业（农业）、第二产业（工业）和城市生活对于环境的影响。
我们惊喜地看到，小朋友在老师老师的指导下， 在Driving Questions 的引导下查阅、整理资料、提炼论点，并使用事实论据作为支撑。
整个架构行云流水、一气呵成，论点鲜明且论据详实。从中我们能看到了孩子的思考，和由思考带来的主动获取信息、筛选信息、提炼论点论据的练习过程。
04 架构文章
接着，老师老师给学员们演示了建立文章框架的过程：
老师老师示范文章的开头和主要结构。老师认为，文章开头先要回答论题，提出论点，然后做一些背景介绍，最后要有一个Thesis Statement。Theis Statement里简述的论据，就是之后文章主体里几个段落的Topic Sentence的精华。这样文章总分结构鲜明，前后呼应。
老师老师在例举了三个支持“放慢经济发展来使生态环境变好‘’的论据后，构建一个明晰的文章结构。在抛出 topic以后， 得到：
论据paragraph 1: urbanization is destroying forests;
论据paragraph 2: burning fossil fuels is leading to global warming;
论据paragraph 3: natural resources and species extinction.
老师指出，在打磨文章结构时，需先拆解文章主题，找到有力的论据，并按照一定逻辑顺序把论据串联起来，按照组织好的结构框架，填充正文内容。
课堂小结：
1. 论点要立得清晰明白, 立场鲜明。
2. 论据要真实正确、相关、充分。推理严密的论证才是有效论证。
哪些材料不能成为论据？自己的主观想法；存疑的材料；虽然是事实，但是对论点没用的材料。老师认为，宁可让论据短一点，也不要放入让人不信服的论据。
3. 有同学提问: 找不到论据怎么办？老师坦诚回答：如果你总是找不到论据，是时候问自己，我的论点是不是正确的？有的时候，你或许不得不推翻自己的论点。所以说，批判性思维写作课，不仅是写作，更是逻辑思维、批判思维的训练！
在课堂上，老师和学生都为自己的观点展开辩论，非常精彩。最终老师通过抽丝剥茧的分析让孩子明白了批判性思维写作的方法和重点。
作业
根据自己的文章大纲，填入细节，完成一篇 persuasive essay writing。
第三节、四节课
在老师指导下，各个学员修改自己的文章，下面为修改后的文章。
Cici Cheng
Economic Development Helps the Environment
I believe that it’s not necessary to slow down economic growth in order to protect the environment because I think that these two things can co-exist and the environment can benefit from a healthy economy. Economy development brings technological development that can save animals and forests. Economy development can also help us recycle better, and help us find more green resources.
Economy development promotes new technologies, some of which can help to preserve bio-diversity. One of the most likable parts of modern technology is the amazing 3D printing. Many birds in the wild lose their beak, they can’t eat or drink, the only thing they are facing is death. With modern technology, veterinarians are able to print new beaks for these birds. Many rhinos and elephants lose their horns and trunks. 3D printing will also help them. Trees are very important; they are the only way for people to get a lot of oxygen for free. But nowadays trees are getting fewer and fewer, because we cut too many trees down to make things we need, and burn them down to plant crops. People have decided to bring the trees back. But bringing the trees back requires high technology because only a few people want to go to a hot place and plant trees on their own. Hence, we need technology to plant, water, and keep trees healthy.
Technology can improve recycling efficiency, which in turn saves the environment. Water is often an important part of plastic recycling: “To make recycling even better for the environment, some recyclers have developed technologies that can clean, cool, and create recycled plastics without water. Recyclers typically collect several different types of plastics. Hand sorting can be slow and expensive, so more and more recyclers are turning to a high-tech solution: infrared (IR) laser. IR beams shine on the various plastics and detect their types, and then air spurts puff the different plastics into separate streams for recycling.” Recycling without water needs high technology and it costs a lot of money.
Technology offers choices for us to use cleaner resources. If you want to save money and the environment at home all by yourself, having a home wind generator is a good idea. “The power production capability of a home wind generator differs about as much as the beginning price. Many cheap generators will produce only enough power to offset 10-15% of your home energy costs. Expensive wind generators can cost up to $45,000 dollars, but can offset almost 90% of your home energy needs.”
A thriving economy helps the environment, so we should develop the economy to save the environment. It is possible and necessary for economic development to move away from harming our environment, and to be used to preserve and develop it.
Rachel
Economic Development
Some people argue that we should slow down economic development in concern for the environment, but I don’t agree with this view. With economic development we can get technological development to protect the environment. Recycling contributes to both environment and economic development. And finally, there is no proof that all economic development is harmful for the environment. It is true that in the last few years economic development has brought troubles to the environment, but we can develop our economy to be environmentally friendly.
Economic development brings technological development to save the environment. Solar panels and wind turbines are examples of making electricity without hurting the environment. The only issue about them is that they are not commonly used, but if we increase the use of these machines, burning fossil fuels can be reduced. Solar panels only use solar energy and turn this environmentally friendly product into energy.
Recycling, which protects the environment, is also an important part of economic development. Now, a lot of the products being sold are recyclable. Bottles can be recycled to create new furniture, paper straws to new bags, rigid plastic to new ones. Recycling conserves our resources and protects our environment. Environmental benefits include the amount of waste being reduced and sent to landfills and combustion facilities. In addition, recycling can create new jobs, in turn stimulating the economy.
There is no proof that all economic development is bad. We are reducing wastes and using technology to make more environmentally friendly machines. Economic development can help our environment if we stop using environmentally harmful products, ways of doing things, and changing them into environmentally friendly ones. Doing this might cost money, but it is worth it.
In my opinion, we shouldn’t slow down economic development. Instead, we can develop the economy to be environmentally friendly by changing to green energy sources and moving away from heavy oil consumption. Technology can invent environmentally friendly machines and recycling helps to save materials. There is no proof that all economic development is bad.
批判性思维写作课程的特点及收获
1. 老师首先会帮助学生修改写作上的基本错误，例如语法，用词不当等写作基本问题。密集的写作练习会大大地提高写作能力。
2. 学生需要查阅大量的资料，找证据来支撑自己的论点。而词汇，拼写，语法，语感，阅读速度等都会基于大量的阅读而提高。
3. 学会Essay文章的基本写作技法。
4. 老师会和学生探讨逻辑问题，这是批评性思维的核心之一，如果学生提出的证据不支持论点，老师会提出质疑，并集思广益一起修改。
5. 初步涉及并培养批判性思维的三大关键特质：勇于质疑，多元观点，独立理性。
6. 和小组同学一起讨论是扩宽思维和自我反思的过程：
- 如果同学提出的论点和自己相反，那正是一个非常好的锻炼辩证性思维的机会。
- 如果同学的论据和自己的相同，那也是对自己想法非常好的补充。“一千个人眼中有一千个哈姆雷特”，每个人提出的证据和论点都各不相同，在团队中碰撞出深度思维的火花也正是我们课程的精彩之处。
本次奖学金课程课堂内容偏向批判性思维写作。在机构正式批判性思维课中，会涉及阅读和写作两方面。
批判性阅读是一种Evidence-Based Reading，重点考查学生对论据的甄别及掌握能力(Command of Evidence)；对科学研究的分析能力(Analysis in History/Social Studies and in Science)；提炼概括论点的能力（Refine and summarize the argument）。
我们会以一篇文章为材料，要求考生从原文提炼观点，找到支持观点或推理的最佳论据; 辨别作者的论证方法; 理清信息图表与相关文章的关系; 验证假设; 解释数据;思考寓意等等。
考生需要思考：
论点是否具有代表性；论据是否真实可靠；论据对论点的支持是否强有力；潜在的假设是否真实可信；演绎推理是否符合逻辑和规则；样本是否具有代表性；类比或比喻推理是否恰当等。
总之，无论是对论点的提炼、对论据的把握还是对推理过程的审视，都要求考生具有严谨的批判性思维。
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