Constructive Controversy

Constructive controversy is an uncommon method of discussing or learning about a certain topic. It is commonly used in order to reach a consensus about a controversial topic, without having any preconceptions about it, and leading the subjects to a judiciously consensus about the controversy. Constructive controversy is an interesting working method because it can often lead to the students, or subjects, learning much more than just about the topic, because it can make one defend a viewpoint which they might not share from the beginning. Constructive controversy can be seen as an application of the philosophical concept of Methodic Doubt, by René Descartes, which is described as “a way of searching for certainty by systematically though tentatively doubting everything”

Through studying the concept it has been found that when faced with the intellectual challenge it will often result in higher-level reasoning strategies, the development, of more complex and coherent conceptual structures, and more critical thinking. (CITE: D.W. Johnson et al., 2000). In these studies the concept was held up against concurrence seeking, debate and individualistic efforts, and the results showed that if constructive controversy frequently was used the subjects would be “imprinted with a pattern of intellectual inquiry that includes building coherent intellectual arguments, giving persuasive presentations, critically analysing and challenging others’ positions, rebutting others’ challenges, seeing issues from a variety of perspectives, and seeking reasoned judgements.” (CITE: D.W. Johnson et al., 2000).

This article will be written as an in-depth description of a particular method. it will include:

• Explanation of the concept

The concept will be explained in this section along with the background and origin of it.

• Step by Step guide on how to apply it

Here the general five steps of how to apply the concept will be accounted for.

• Discussion

In this section it will be discussed when it is appropriate to use the concept and what the positive and negative aspects of it can be, as well as the role of Constructive controversy in project management.

References

As you can probably see I've had some problems with making the references. I've tried http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Footnotes and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Wiki_markup#References_and_citing_sources, but it does not seem to be working for this situation.