The effect of critical rationalism in the classroom Introduction Critical rationalism, a name given by Karl Popper is a term that is given to a group of philosophy that considers the nature of problems and their solutions. Critical rationalism emboldens a way of thinking that deals with real problems in the most practical and appropriate way, thus leading to real solutions (Critical Rationalism: a personal account, 2002). Critical rationalism is also a practical guide to knowledge and action. This concept offers direction in obtaining new information, in evaluating the legitimacy of information offered by others and in taking action to solve problems using the information that is available (Critical Rationalism: a personal account, 2002).
Body According to Baumgart et al. (2007), critical rationalism is a theoretical way of thinking. The basic principle of knowledge improvement and problem solving is trial and error. Critical rationalists maintain that scientific theories, and any other claims to knowledge, can and should be realistically assessed, and if they have realistic content can and should be subjected to tests, which may contradict them. Knowledge building and knowledge growth requires a critical approach. The use of the critical rationalism approach as a professional development tool exposes teachers to the concept of thinking of several alternative propositions concurrently in pursuing an elucidation of a particular phenomenon. In practice, it is vital that teachers address overwhelming problems that may arise in the classroom immediately, and to not focus on the actual word meanings of the problem. By expressing problems beyond their word meanings, appropriate solutions can be generated, which can be tested against the new evidence discovered. I, as a teacher will try to avoid discussing and mentioning topics that would cause heated debates and arguments in the classroom. Examples include religion and political views. These two topics are extremely sensitive as each individual has a different viewpoint of the same topic. I am fully aware that this option is not always possible, as certain topics need
to be covered and discussed in a classroom environment. However, I will try my best to explain the topic to the best of my ability based on reason and knowledge that I have gained over the years through research and literacy rather than on religious belief or emotional response. I feel it is important to have debates and discussions within the classroom, but it is just as important, as a teacher, to ensure that each student in the classroom has a clear understanding of the topic being discussed and fully understands as to why certain conclusions are drawn or reached. In this way, confusion will not arise thus resulting in the avoidance of unnecessary arguments.
Conclusion Critical rationalism has the ability to open new opportunities in ethics, which in the past was not even considered an option. It also has the ability to create individuality amongst the teachers, because even though teachers might have the same or similar knowledge about certain topics, their teaching style differ. The approach encourages teachers to measure, individually or cooperatively, evidence quantitatively in the establishment and evaluation of their theories, and forces them to look at unpredictable data with an analytical attitude (A Critical Approach for Building Teacher Knowledge, 2010). Through trial and error, errors and shortcomings are made visible and can therefore be eliminated or minimized. The approach places responsibility on the teachers individually and therefore improvements are achieved independently. The critical rationalism approach not only helps teachers to build and grow their knowledge but it is a way for teachers to maximize student success. A disadvantage of the critical rationalism approach is that a substantial amount of background knowledge is required to solve a given problem. The substantial amount of background knowledge has the tendency to introduce a number of restrictions. Therefore, teachers need to develop ways to frame the problems and solutions so that the substantial amount of background knowledge will not interfere with the thought process (A Critical Approach for Building Teacher Knowledge, 2010). Teachers are therefore required to only use background knowledge that is applicable to the problematic areas that they are focusing on (A Critical Approach for Building Teacher Knowledge, 2010). This will successfully solve the problem.
Bibliography Baumgart, M., Houri, Y. & Maras, O. 2007. Critical Rationalism [Online]. Available: http://www14.informatik.tumuenchen.de/personen/baumgart/download/public/presentation_CR.pdf [2015, June 24]. Burnham, R. 2002. Critical Rationalism: a personal account [Online]. Available: http://www.wisewords.demon.co.uk/popper/ [2015, June 24]. Chitpin, S. 2010. A Critical Approach for Building Teacher Knowledge [Online]. Available: www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/ije/article/download/358/323 [2015, June 24].