Discussion 1: Dialoguing an Issue

What insights did you gain as you completed and submitted a critical analysis of a case study in Assignment 1? As you reread the case study and read and reflect on your Assignment 1 submission, consider your own position on the issue posed in the case study. Assuming and supporting positions on issues in fields related to education is important for a leader in education, but your responsibility extends beyond this. You must also be able to communicate your position to others. In addition, you must know how to listen to other individuals' perspectives and participate in a dialogue about the issue. In this Discussion, you and your colleagues will read and discuss one another's perspectives as you debate your positions on the issue in the case study you selected. Note that the Discussion threads are specific to each case study so be sure you post in the area designated for your case study.

Be prepared to defend your position in your initial post and to answer your colleagues' questions about and challenges to your position.

Discussion 2: Thinking Critically About Issues

What did you discover as you debated with your colleagues about an issue this week? Did you or a colleague uncover information that made you consider altering your position? Perhaps the debate helped you to realize how much more you need to know before you are completely clear about your position. As a leader in education, you must stay abreast of the issues that matter in your specialization, regularly deepening and refreshing your knowledge to stay informed.

In this Discussion, you look more closely at the case study issue you debated in the Discussion 1. To prepare for this Discussion, consider all you have discovered about the case study this week. Conduct a search to obtain at least three scholarly articles that relate to the issue you debated. Finally, consider how the process of exploring and debating issues relates to your role as a change agent and advanced graduate degree student.

Keep in mind that the articles you obtain may support or refute the position you held in the debate or may introduce a different perspective altogether. Your purpose in this assignment is to learn more about the issue you have been exploring.

Submit a post covering each of the following elements:

• Explain what you have discovered about the issue from the debate and from the resources you located for this discussion.

• Identify answers to questions you have raised about the issue.

• Identify new questions you have now that you have discovered more about the issue.

• Explain how you might apply the critical analysis and research skills you have been practicing this week to your student and professional roles.

Assignment: Preparing to Debate an Issue

Note: In this module, you complete this Assignment first as it prepares you for the Discussion. You will use the information you obtain and analyze in this Assignment to inform your debate postings in the Discussion.

As a leader in education, you will need to be aware of issues that impact the work in your specialization. You will need to be well-informed about the issues and understand their potential impact in your field. As a leader, the position you take on an issue may be influential, so your position should be carefully considered and supported. The critical analysis skills you practice in this Assignment as you carefully examine a case study reflect the types of skills you will use as a leader in your field.

In Module 1, you identified three topics of interest in fields related to education. You also read case studies and selected one that was particularly relevant to you and your interests.

Review the case study that you selected as well as the resources related to analyzing issues and developing and defending positions related to those issues. Examine the information in the case study to identify stakeholders and problems related to the issue. Consider the information you need to obtain to develop a better understanding of the issue and consider how you might locate this information.

Submit a 2- to 3-page analysis of the case study in which you:

• Identify at least two stakeholders and explain their relevance to the issue described in the case study.
• Explain at least two problems associated with the issue.
• Pose at least three questions that will help you gain a better understanding of the issue.
• Explain how you would proceed to obtain the answers to your questions.

Learning Resources

Note: To access this module's required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in theCourse Materials section of your Syllabus.

Required Readings

Walsh, M. L., Pezalla, A., & Marshall, H. R. (2014). Essential guide to critical reading and writing. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities. Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].

• Chapter 1, "Critical Thinking" (pp. 7-16)
• Chapter 2, "Reading Strategies" (pp. 17-26)

Case Study Documents (PDF files)

• Scenario for your chosen case study
• Documents 1-4 of your chosen case study

Continue your review of the scenario and the documents for your chosen case study.

To access the Case Study documents, click Case Studies on the Course Overview page.

Foundation for Critical Thinking. (2013). Becoming a critic of your thinking. Retrieved from http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/becoming-a-critic-of-your-thinking/605

Foundation for Critical Thinking. (2013). Critical thinking in everyday life: 9 strategies. Retrieved from http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/critical-thinking-in-everyday-life-9-strategies/512

Foundation for Critical Thinking. (2013). Developing as rational persons: Viewing our development in stages. Retrieved from http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/developing-as-rational-persons-viewing-our-development-in-stages/518

Walden University Writing Center. (n.d.). Constructing Arguments. Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/writingprocess/arguments

Walden University Writing Center. (n.d.). Critical reading. Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/writingprocess/criticalreading

Required Media

Laureate Education (Producer.) (2014). Degree path road map [Multimedia file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

View the map this week to see how the process of finding a topic relates to timeline of your advanced graduate degree program.

Accessible player --Downloads--Download Video w/CCDownload AudioDownload Transcript

Laureate Education (Producer). (2014). Analyzing perspectives of education-related issues [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 5 minutes.

Student interviewees address how they considered various perspectives of theirtopics and how this helped them approach their final projects.
Accessible player --Downloads--Download Video w/CCDownload AudioDownload Transcript

Laureate Education (Producer). (2014). The relevance of critical thinking [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 4 minutes.

Optional Resources

Hartley, J. (2010). The joy of counting. Journal of Scholarly Publishing, 41(3), 364-374.

Hyland, K. (2008). Persuasion, interaction and the construction of knowledge: Representing self and others in research writing. International Journal of English Studies, 8(2), 1-23.

McDonald, L. (2013). In their own words: U.S. think tank "experts" and the framing of education policy debates. Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies (JCEPS), 11(3), 1-28.

Walden University Academic Skills Center. (n.d.). Strategies for thinking critically. Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/ASCsuccess/ASCstrategiesforthinkingcritically

Walden University Library. (n.d.). Evaluating resources. Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/library/evaluating

Walden University Library. (n.d.). Keyword searching. Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/library/keyword

Walden University Writing Center. (n.d.). What is APA style? Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/apa

Walden University Writing Center. (n.d.). Paper templates. Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/templates/general

Walden University. (2013). Writing persuasively in academic writing: Using sources and citations [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7siKD0lmfg

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 23 minutes.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2012). The practice of critical reflection [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 57 minutes.