Learning to think critically

"Learning to Think Critically" is both a provocative and enjoyable intellectual engagement with the everyday challenges of teaching and learning in schools and universities. In 32 short and easily understandable essays, renowned cultural critic and educator bell hooks responds to specific questions she received after the publication of her bestsellers "Teaching to Transgress" and "Belonging: A Culture of Place." The topics are diverse and wide-ranging: Is effective teaching possible in large learning groups? What can students do to combat boring classes? How can Black female educators maintain a positive authority in the classroom without being viewed through the lens of negative racist and sexist stereotypes? Can humor be beneficial in learning? And how should a teacher handle tears in the classroom? The answers bell hooks provides to these and many other questions are refreshingly practical. In the essays collected here, the author, drawing from her diverse and extensive experiences as a professor at colleges and universities, celebrates the transformative power of imagination and storytelling in education as a reliable means to resist racism, sexism, and classism while promoting critical thinking.