While reading through this section I saw many helpful tips that I hadn't thought much about before, especially with regards to visual aides. Pondering the topics presented as made me see that we could easily combine the visual aides with lecture work sheets. An example of this could be an incomplete vindiagram that demonstrates the relationship between various topics. The students get the aide, while being forced to decode the lecture in order to find the answers they need to remember.

While reading through the third section of this class I couldn't help but think of Case Studies. I love to use case studies because they allow me to take the abstract information I provide during the lectures and make it applicable in a real work scenario. Often, giving an assignment for students to preview, followed by a lecture, and concluding with a case study allows the students to understand and relate to material that they would not have otherwise.

The introduction where you speak of the government dumbing us down by making the world a bit safer for our children is insulting and unnecessary. The implication that we would be better critical thinkers without safety standards is just silly. If I hit my head on an exposed bolt as a child, I wouldn't be any kind of thinker.

I am the externship coordinator for Medical Assisting. One of the issues coming up frequently is letting the student know that even if our curriculum teaches a competency one way, it doesn't make it the only right way. The students can become confused if the site does something differently, and will report back that "they are doing it wrong". I usually explain to the student that unless it illegal, unethical or immoral, it's usually a good idea to accept that method as one of many ways a task can be completed.

We should all be careful to consider what our own learning style is. How will the instructor's learning style color their perception of the learning styles of the students? How will it affect the preference of the style of delivery?

So, this is something I think about a lot. We can let students know that they need to strengthen their body of background knowledge, but we also know that no amount of background knowledge is ever going to be enough. I'm also not sure developing this kind of step-by-step process to critical thinking is useful, because critical thinking is by nature supposed to resist a step-by-step approach. The steps have to be examined, questioned, and so on. What I do in my own classes is to, essentially, find a way to overcomplicate everything that I can. If I can frustrate simplicity--and show the students that a simple solution is often an artifact of social constuctions and shortcuts--then I can showcase the usefulness of critical thinking. For example, the idea that 2+2=4 seems pretty simple and straightforward. But it assumes a whole ton of stuff about the way we see the world. Then again, how far do you go with something like that before it becomes ridiculous? Or is it already?

It is always important to give refuided notes so students are able to disect information.

The pre quiz is very important students know wht they need to spend extra time on, students can apply the pretest questions to the lecture student are able to ask the instructor questions

It seems to me that we have lost the art of “what would happen if” you know those people that never left anything alone always trying something crazy or different. It would appear that those are the ones with the most critical thinking skills because they have the most life experience in doing just that critical thinking. I love when a student asks that question I get excited and I say “I don’t know lets find out” this really gets them going and the flood gates open.

Problem solving takes time and thought. It allows you to write it out, discuss with others and then choose the solution and accept the results.

In the thinking process, you cannot make a right and sound decision without having all of the facts and then weighing them out to make the best choice and that may require talking to others.

Discipline is important when you are on a mission in life to succeed. It requires dedication and commitment, as well as sacrifice.

I love the fact that "common sense" was mentioned when talking about critical thinking. One thing that I have learned that common sense isn't so common, so encouraging someone to think through a problem or situation is helping them to develop critical thinking characteristics.

Many, very eager men just sat under neath Pluto. This is how I learned the planets, in order, from the sun. Who knew this technique had a technical term?

Once your students are clearly aware the pretest is NOT for a grade, you must convey that they do not guess at answers. It is better to leave a question blank, than to get it correct by guessing. This establishes a true base.

I believe it would be a great idea to administer one of the on-line, individual learning assessments on the first day of class. Great Icebreaker!

I am very animated when I teach. This allows the students to creatively file the information I am teaching into long-term memory. They can retrieve information by associating it with whatever "crazy" thing I did while teaching it. Did I mention they are having fun learning!?!

I understand the need to tailor the class to the needs of the students, but say you get a class with several different types of intelligences, where do you start? Is this something that happens often or are there usually just three and you move on? Despite this topic being overwhelming a bit to me, I am excited to know the differences. We all see things through our own lens and I was able to identify my intelligence types and am sure that students would be interested and excited to know that there are different learners and it is ok. For example....I HAVE to listen to either talk radio or music when studying or writing....it works for me!

Wow, what a word. THINK! It is my motto. I raised my son with a plaque on his door saying this. Using the brain is the most important thing anyone can do. In my classroom I am always challenging my students to think. I give them a scenario and they have to come up with a solution. They cannot just be passive and not become engaged in the subject matter. The results are satisfying.

I am a phlebotomy instructor and analyzing the situation prior to performing the procedure is critical to a successful blood draw. Critical thinking plays an important roll. If a student cannot think critically in order to analyze the condition of the patient for the wanted result, the health of the patient will be at risk.