On the persistence of unicorns: The tradeoff between content and critical thinking revisited
Craig E. Nelson 1999 Pine Forge Press The social worlds of higher education: Handbook for Teaching in a new Century
This is a follow-up to Craig Nelson's earlier piece ('Skewered on the unicorn's horn,' published in 1989) that describes how to deal with the perceived trade-off in courses between emphasizing critical thinking versus disciplinary content. The basic premise is that the trade-off is illusory, and that content can only be learned well if critical thinking skills are employed in the process. He emphasizes being explicit and reflective about methodology, building students' metacognitive skills as well.
