Critical Thinking Course

This looks like quite a good wee course from what I've seen (briefly!) - for those not familiar with blog-type formats, once you click on the link below, you'll need to scroll to the bottom of the screen - to work through the course in order, you'll need to start at the bottom and work your way up :)

Hi everyone,

If you are looking for a means to teach Critical Thinking from a New Zealand and Christian friendly perspective (it is not heavily Christian, just not anti like a lot of these courses are - it would suit non-Christian groups as well) then I invite you to take a look at my Fallacy Friday series on MandM http://www.mandm.org.nz/tag/fallacy-friday which sees a new instalment published every Friday. The first four lessons are already online, the next will be up later today and another the following Friday and so on... It is most suitable for teenagers through to any adults who may want to learn too.

I am also available to teach this course as a seminar. I live in Auckland but am happy to travel - I could do the course as an intensive over a couple of days for out of town groups or we could do it by Skype connection.

Once I have published all the lessons on MandM I intend to publish my course as a self-teaching critical thinking resource for home-schoolers, schools, lay people, etc.

I hold a PhD from the University of Otago, a Masters with First Class Honours and a Bachelors from the University of Waikato and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Secondary Teaching from Bethlehem Tertiary Institute. I am qualified to teach philosophy, critical thinking, ethics and religious studies at both secondary and tertiary level. I have been teaching my subject areas in a tutoring/adjunct lecturing capacity within universities and tertiary institutions for 14 years now and this year will be my third year of teaching in a relief-teaching/ guest teaching capacity within high schools. I have extensive experience writing for and interacting with lay people on the topics of my area of speciality, some of you will be aware of my blog MandM and of my monthly column "Contra Mundum" in *Investigate Magazine*.

I have been speaking to church, home-schooling and community groups and have been involved in youth programs and community outreaches for years. Finally, Madeleine and I have home-schooled all of our 4 children, on and off, over the years and have shared the responsibility for doing so, so I very much understand home-schooling and the need to speak and present the material in plain English to young people.

I am currently not working so I would like to charge something for teaching a course and of course would need my travel costs covered but I am aware of the need to make it accessible and of the fact that home-schooling families are usually one income families so if you are interested let's talk, I am sure we can work something out.

Matthew Flannagan (Dr) PhD, MSocSci (Hons), BSocSci, DipTcgSec
(contact via his blog, linked above)