The Basics of Logic
This class will introduce the basic concepts of logic in a fun way. This will prepare students for college courses. It will also provide some good skills for evaluating arguments in everyday life!
Nathan Dowell, MA
Average rating:
4.8
Number of reviews:(8)
What's included
1 live meeting
1 in-class hoursClass Experience
Students will learn what an argument is, what the structure of an argument is, and some basic bad thinking to watch out for when other people are arguing. After covering the basics of logic, we will learn how to construct to turn what we hear into arguments that we can evaluate along with some key mistakes people make in reasoning. The class will be a mixture of some lecture and some discussion among students. We will use some PowerPoint slides.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
We will only use Microsoft PowerPoint. Nothing objectionable will be covered.
Language of Instruction
English
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined June, 2020
4.8
8reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
General Teaching Philosophy: Greetings, young intellectuals! My name is Nathan Dowell. I am extremely curious and love to learn almost anything. I am also incredibly passionate about going as deep as I can into any subject to see how that subject connects with the rest of human thought and life. How can we examine the human experience from all angles so as to live our lives to the fullest, to live well? This has attracted me to the discipline of philosophy. As one philosopher put it, philosophy is just thinking really hard about something. My desire is to see students grow in thinking hard about what they read, hear and believe. This definitely helps them to excel no matter what degree or career they pursue, and it especially benefits them personally too!
Degrees and Teaching Background: I have been on my intellectual journey for some time and love guiding young minds as they begin it! I hold two M.A.'s in philosophy, one from Yale University, and I am currently pursuing a PhD in philosophy at The Ohio State University. I have taught philosophy and research skills in a university setting for 5yrs. and I have been teaching ESL online to younger children for the past 3yrs.
Courses I teach: Many of my courses will be in philosophy and exploring the philosophical assumptions of various academic areas and even things like literature, poetry, culture and politics. Flourishing in our lives also means thinking critically and using right reasoning (logic) to analyze ideas that others present to us. So my courses will also cover critical thinking and logic. In addition, I love reflecting on and reading about how to (1) be more productive and get the most out of your day (personally and professionally), (2) be more creative, (3) form lasting habits and (4) read poetry. Expect to see classes offered on these as well!
Something fun: I am rarely serious in my daily life. I like to laugh and make others laugh. As a result, I regularly bring humor into my classes. (As an aside here, I have recently been reading through P.G. Wodehouse's 'Jeeves and Wooster' series. If you have not, give one a try! They are hilarious!)Reviews
Live One-Time Class
$14
per classMeets once
60 min
Live video meetings
Ages: 11-14
2-6 learners per class
