HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1706        FILED ON: 1/19/2017

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 329

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Aaron Vega

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act to establish more rigorous thinking into MA public education.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1706        FILED ON: 1/19/2017

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 329

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninetieth General Court
(2017-2018)

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An Act to establish more rigorous thinking into MA public education.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

The General Laws, Title XII, Chapter 69 by is hereby amended by adding the following language:

A pilot study should be established based on the following principles:

  WHEREAS logic, critical thinking, and evidence based research are increasingly more important with the rapid pace of scientific and technological advancements.  WHEREAS America is increasingly importing scientists and engineers from other countries.  WHEREAS these skills help to offset the impact of students being in an “echo chamber” in their daily life.  WHEREAS many professional fields benefit from the use of logic, critical thinking, and evidence based research.  WHEREAS using logic, critical thinking, and evidence based research greatly increases the ability for a person to make informed decisions that can prevent harm to themselves or others.  WHEREAS future generations will influence legislative policies that will require logic, critical thinking, and evidence based research in order to develop well informed viewpoints.  WHEREAS teaching and cultivating these skills aids in preparing students for success in college and future jobs.  WHEREAS the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework requires students to use logical thought process in various subjects but doesn’t actually teach the concept of logic or logical fallacies.  WHEREAS students, who are exposed to the internet and a variety of mass media, can learn to better scrutinize the information they come in contact with much earlier in their development.  WHEREAS early and ongoing application of Scientific Method increases students understanding of how Scientists come to the conclusions that they come to.  WHEREAS reinforcing Scientific Method will aid students in making more informed decisions in regards to legislation based on scientific findings as adults.  

The following concepts would be central to the curriculum established in said pilot study:

(1)CREDIBLE SOURCE - A source for information that can demonstrate the trustworthiness of their work based on evidence and academic honesty. 

(2)CRITICAL THINKING – Asking questions and seeking answers that challenge the validity or accuracy of a claim or belief. 

(3)ECHO CHAMBER – A condition in which a person’s social circle and information sources conform to the person’s already held conclusions or beliefs as to reduce or prevent exposure to claims or evidence that would challenge those conclusions or beliefs. 

(4)EVIDENCE BASED RESEARCH – Research that is conducted based on observational evidence that is obtained through direct study following a particular field’s guidelines for credible research or evidence obtained from credible sources that can be independently verified. 

(5)LOGIC – An inference based method of reasoning that is considered valid or results in a logical fallacy. 

(6)LOGICAL FALLACIES – An established series of demonstrable errors in reasoning.  

(7)LOGICAL FALLACY – A formal error in reasoning that renders an argument invalid.  

(8)RIGOROUS – Very thorough, precise, accurate, or exhaustive. 

(9)SCIENTIFIC METHOD – An established systematic and logical method for understanding the universe.