在课堂教学领域哈佛大学有着举足轻重的地位。本文一窥美国批判性思维培养的现状。Michael Sandel 十分擅长为批判性思维的出现及逐步培养创设良好的环境,哈佛大学公正课给我们树立了很好的榜样。

本篇论文旨在通过对哈佛大学公正课的整个过程进行阐释来理解批判性思维的培养。整个课程是如何培养批判性思维值得我们深究，本文将会回答以下问题：什么是批判性思维？在大学英语课堂中，培养批判性思维的必要性是什么？在哈佛大学公正课中，批判性思维是如何体现，并针对中国大学英语课堂提出具体的建议。

在教育领域，哈佛大学公正课成功培养批判性思维的案例意义重大。在中国，大多数学生缺乏批判性思维，成功地实施批判性思维的教学显得尤为重要。

本文只进行了定性的研究，仍需要进行定量研究，从而更加科学地进一步探索。

Harvard University plays a leading role in classroom teaching. This study provides a possibility to catch sight of cultivating critical thinking in the USA. Michael Sandel is prominent at creating comfortable environment for the boom of critical thinking, which sets an excellent example to tackle the issue.

The purpose of this study is to describe the behaviors in this Harvard course which are beneficial to critical thinking. The aim of this study is to answer the following questions: What is critical thinking? What is the necessity for critical thinking in college English classroom? What techniques or skills to learn in the classroom?

The success of cultivating critical thinking in Justice with Michael Sandel presents great significance in education, especially in China where students lack of this kind of thinking. 

Since only qualitative research is conducted in this study, quantitative problems still remain in this prospect. More effort is demanded for the further study.

Introduction 

With the development of college classroom teaching in domestic area, critical thinking has exerted greater and greater influence on thinking modes in teaching. As an abstract idea of thinking, critical thinking might be hard to be vividly expressed in daily classroom. While critical thinking is a stepping-stone to innovative thinking, the problem why most of students are insufficient with innovative thinking is indeed a lack of critical thinking. Cultivating critical thinking actually is a prerequisite for the cultivation of innovative thinking, which attracts more and more attention from home and abroad. As a study lack of practical experiences in domestic teaching field, it is essential to follow an example of great success from foreign classroom. Michael Sandel is an experienced teacher in lecture classroom teaching; his eloquence is absolutely presented in audiences’ eyes.

First of all, this study will be focused on the present situation of critical thinking in the domestic college classroom, where this kind of thinking apparently lacks. Taking the example of Justice with Michael Sandel, the thesis will explain critical thinking from the definition and classification in the Delphi report to dig into investigation. Therefore, how the art of cultivating critical thinking is employed proficiently is the main body of this study, while many of our domestic college teachers are short in this term. Students, whose teachers are deficient of this type of teaching experiences, lacking critical thinking, are bound to fail in fierce competition in modern society. Critical thinking is the core competitiveness in modern society. As a member of modern work force, it is of great importance for college students to foster critical thinking. 

Apart from practical benefits mentioned above, the art of cultivating critical thinking will make up the insufficiency of teaching skills in today’s college classroom in a form of lecture from a theoretical perspective. As a field short of specific criteria, only weighed from an abstract qualitative angle, it suffers from a risk of quantitative support, but it is still a breakthrough to learn from foreign good examples.

The overall structure of this thesis will be like this: part 1 demonstrates the definition and classification of critical thinking; part 2 explains the necessity of critical thinking of classroom teaching in today’s colleges; part 3 shows the art of teaching of Michael Sandel in Justice and how to apply the art of teaching in college classroom. After all, it is rather difficult to cover all aspects in classroom teaching. 

Conclusion 

Justice with Michael Sandel sets a good example to follow, which is terrific at cultivating critical thinking. Michael Sandel is good at controlling his mood and organization. He creates a relaxing atmosphere where students talk about the topics they are interested in. Sometimes it is for the reason of the justice theme, while the great role played by Sandel is never to be overlooked. The teaching modes in his class like ask and answer, taking a poll all set students absorb in critical thinking, especially the moral dilemma. It is hard to find out the answer, cultivating critical thinking is realized in the pursuit of the answer. Debates show great significance in the emancipating the thinking styles. Teaching aids like CAI also act well. In addition, reflective study motivates critical thinking. Reforming the assessment also improves the present grade-testing system. These are all beneficial to cultivating critical thinking in the college English classroom. 

Critical thinking is the prerequisite for future employing market. Without critical thinking nothing can be done well in the information society. Critical thinking is complementary with innovative thinking, which is the core competence in national and international market. It is hard to predict what will happen in the future, only with the competence to think can college students keep pace with the time and improve competitiveness. Critical thinking is, in particular, essential for the college students, who are the main work force in the future. 

College English teaching has far more space to improve. Critical thinking may be easy to cultivate in social or political subjects. In this thesis, only qualitative study is involved, quantitative study may mend the weaknesses more rapidly and comprehensively.