Frequently Asked Questions

Why This Site Was Developed

As an owner of a small business for over 15 years I was involved with hiring many employees to work for me. One of the things which I began to notice was the difficulty some of them had with working independently and using critical thinking skills.  Recognizing this as a problem I would incorporate opportunitites within the positions so they could work on these skills. They were fortunate that I would work with them. In other employment situations the lack of this skill could result in either termination from the position or not being hired at all.

After I sold the business I began teaching at the college level and noticed that some of the students in my classes had the same problems with respect to critical thinking. It was at this point that I decided to work on this issue by developing a program for people young and old to help them work on developing this skill. This is the purpose of Practical Learning Online and Pract The Facts.

What is Practical Learning  Online?

Practical learning online is a web site that promotes learning through critical thinking.  The purpose of the site is to give the students and users the skills needed to find relevance in the information they are exposed too on a daily basis so they can make good decisions both academically and in life.

How do you define critical thinking

I like the definition which revolves around thinking about thinking.  It has been described in more detail as "the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action".

When you take this definition and apply it to our site it means making the information you receive practical to your life situation. To do this we have undertaken this philosophy:

1.      Determine if the information is relevant to you.
2.      Do the research to determine if the information is accurate.
3.      Determine how you will react or use this information. What decisions will    you make based on the information?

These concepts make up what we call the ability to Pract The Facts!

How do you do this?

The format for Practical Learning Online is the same as the discussion question format for many online courses taught at the high school and college level.  We post interesting topics or questions on the site and invite the users to make a comment.  We seek to reach our learning objectives with the users by requiring them to respond to the topics with the use of articles, examples, and/or references to support their facts.  This can be done either in the open forum format or through group or individual tutoring programs. The key here is that the user needs to do some research to support his or her position. It is the process of doing the research, processing it, and then making a decision based on the research that represents the key to learning objectives.

Don’t students usually learn these skills in school?

They should however some don’t. For those that do the site represents a practice ground for them to reinforce what they have learned. This is expecially true during the summer period. For those that don’t the site could give them the exposure needed to master the skill. This concept is not new but it is one that we are focusing on with this web site.

How do I get online to get your service?

Go to our website at practice-learning.com and register to become a member.  The only information we need is an email address and your name. The information you give use is never given to any other databases so you don’t have to worry about us selling your information to anyone else.  Once you are a member you can respond to any of our general online forums.

How much time is required by the student per week.

For a student who registers to the “general forums” we think there goal should be at least 1 and a half hours per week. This will give them time to read a question, do some research, and then prepare their response. The time to complete a lesson plan can vary per student/parent usage. Lesson plans could be about 1 to 2 hours per week.

Can we see an example?

Sure. You can see free demos of the lesson plans on our website.

How much does it cost?

It is free to anyone who would like to come on line and Pract The Facts in our different discussion forums. Lesson plans are $20.00 each.

How do I pay for the service?

Payment for the service can be done using Paypal.  When you click on the specific forum you want to participate in it will take you to Paypal to make your payment.  

What are the qualifications of your staff?

Currently our staff consists of instructors from the college level. Our instructors have taught at both the undergraduate and graduate level and have advanced degrees.  They also have years of experience with teaching online classes using the E-college and Blackboard platform. See what students say about our staff.

Can I call and talk to an advisor?

Yes. We can be reached at 773-429-9522. You can also email us at customerservice@practice-learning.com.