What does Costa-Gavras have in common with Derek Bok?

Watched Costa-Gavras film 'Z' last night, and read Bok's chapter on critical thinking. As Costa-Gavras points out in the director's commentary on the DVD, the film was an expression of hate against the Greek colonels who took power in 1967 - the "imbeciles". Shouldn't critical thinking at a Jesuit, Catholic university be intended in part to prevent people from accepting "imbeciles" in power? The film does a great job of presenting the rhetoric of the colonels- for God and country. Could their rhetoric withstand a healthy does of critical thought? (Rhetoric of the leftists, however, is left unexplored.) Worth remembering that in most countries of the world students (in Burkina Faso, the high school students!) are typically the first to question the rhetoric of oppression.

So what does Bok have to say about teaching critical thinking? A bit more than teaching English composition. Active learning is what Bok believes is clearly important. Teachers simply have to get away from the one hour lecture, and use classroom time to stimulate group work and discussion. He give three wonderful examples: Halloum and Hestenes who find that understanding of physics principles advances little in the standard physics course; Triesman who finds that group problem-solving is extrememly effective; and Mazur who required advance reading and left classes for very structured discussion.

After two chapters (4 and 5), I think a theme is beginning to emerge: focus less on changing curriculum and more on changing courses. Use educational research to improve teaching. The neglectful zookeepers of the present should not be entrusted with new animals.