The following are some examples of active learning techniques that can be used in teaching critical thinking.
Explain concepts to new learners
Debates, dialogues, or writing assignments to defend or attack a thesis or point of view
Small group problem solving
Using data to determine a thesis or hypothesis
Role-playing
Writing summaries of articles, films, lectures, etc.
Case Studies
Case studies of fictional situations can be used to generate discussion, solve a problem, or resolve a conflict
Simulation games
Journal writing
Independent research
Discussion
Socratic Questioning
Writing assignments
The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Thinking in Higher Education by
Palgrave Handbook of Critical Thinking in Higher Education explores critical thinking in higher education in all its forms, from definitions to teaching and incorporating it into the curriculum, its relationship to culture and the professions, and its social perspectives and scientific and cognitive manifestations. Davies and Barnett ask what is critical thinking, especially in the context of higher education? The handbook explores these questions, with contributors offering their insight into the contemporary understandings of higher education worldwide.
Engaging Ideas by
Learn to design interest-provoking writing and critical thinking activities and incorporate them into your courses in a way that encourages inquiry, exploration, discussion, and debate, with Engaging Ideas, a practical nuts-and-bolts guide for teachers from any discipline. Integrating critical thinking with writing-across-the-curriculum approaches, the book shows how teachers from any discipline can incorporate these activities into their courses. This edition features new material dealing with genre and discourse community theory, quantitative/scientific literacy, blended and online learning, and other current issues.
Developing Student Criticality in Higher Education by
>
Team-Based Learning in the Social Sciences and Humanities by
Team-Based Learning (TBL) is a unique, powerful, and proven form of small-group learning that is being increasingly adopted in higher education. Teachers who use TBL report high levels of engagement, critical thinking, and retention among their students. TBL has been used successfully in both small and large classes, in computer-supported and online classes; and because it is group work that works, it has been implemented in nearly every discipline and in countries around the world. This book introduces the elements of TBL and how to apply them in the social sciences and humanities. It describes the four essential elements of TBL - readiness assurance, design of application exercises, permanent teams, peer evaluation - and pays particular attention to the specification of learning outcomes, which can be a unique challenge in these fields. The core of the book consists of examples of how TBL has been incorporated into the cultures of disciplines as varied as economics, education, literature, politics, psychology, and theatre. The authors explain why they felt a need to change how they taught and why they chose TBL. Furthermore, each chapter provides examples of the assignments and exercises they use to help their students achieve the specific learning outcomes of their courses.
Critical Thinking and Learning by
The editors of this book employ social, cognitive, linguistic, and political theoretical innovations to develop a new conception of critical thinking. They examine how such a construct might be taught in a variety of social settings and disciplines. Using a host of previously neglected perspectives--sociocognition, issues of political economy, complexity theory, and critical theoretical notions of epistemology and power theory--the editors and authors present a conceptually sophisticated yet accessible compendium on critical thinking. The introduction guides readers through the reconceptualization process. Specific entries focus on particular dimensions of the challenges to old-style critical thinking. In this context, readers can choose entries that discuss various means of engaging students in the critical complex perspective of critical thinking. The encyclopedia is aware of both theoretical concerns and the everyday realities of schooling in the 21st century. As such, it rounded in a respectful view of teachers that assumes they are capable of levels of expertise unacknowledged by many contemporary articulations of school reform. The educational, cognitive, and professional vision developed in the encyclopedia offers a profound alternative to the top-down impositional models now sweeping the nation's school districts.
Abrami, P. C., Bernard, R. M., Borokhovski, E., Waddington, D. I., Wade, A. C., & Persson, T. (2015). Strategies for teaching students to think critically: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 85(2), 275-314. doi:10.3102/0034654314551063
Huber, C. R. & Kuncel, N. R. (2016). Does college teach critical thinking? A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 86(2), 431-468. doi:10.3102/0034654315605917
Johnston, B., Mitchell, R., Myles, F., & Ford, P. (2011). Developing student criticality in higher education: Undergraduate learning in the arts and social sciences. New York, NY: Continuum. STROZIER LB2395.35 .D48 2011.
Team-Based Learning Activities
Sweet, M. & Michaelsen, L. K. (2012). Team-based learning in the social sciences and humanities: Group work that works to generate critical thinking and engagement. Sterling, VA: Stylus. STROZIER H62 .T288 2012
Active Learning Techniques
"Teaching Tactics That Encourage Active Learning," in Paul, R. & Elder, L. (2000). Critical Thinking: Basic Theory and Instructional Structures Handbook. Tomales, CA: Foundation for Critical Thinking.
Bean, J. C. (2011). Engaging ideas: The professor's guide to integrating writing, critical thinking, and active learning in the classroom. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass. STROZIER PE1404 .B35 2011
© Florida State University Libraries | 116 Honors Way | Tallahassee, FL 32306 | (850) 644-2706