Using Social Media to Enhance Critical Thinking: Crossing Socio-Educational Divides

Abstract

Imagine the case of a first-year music student who is writing a review of an all-Beethoven concert that she attended the previous night (a typical assignment type for a music undergraduate). The student should first have carried out background research (reading/listening) on the performers and repertoire before attending the concert and taking notes. Ideally she will now not only summarize her experience, but will also take the critical ``step back,'' to reflect on the event and offer evaluative comments that are supported by evidence. This will involve consideration of various parameters (musical, visual, social, etc.) and perspectives (audience reception, performers' expression and style, comparison with similar ensembles, etc.). Even if the repertoire is familiar, the task is complex, especially the reflective evaluation based on multiple perspectives. Typically students stumble over the latter, so that the shift out of descriptive mode, and out of the frame of their own unexamined reactions, never fully takes place.