Hi Dwight,
Jeopardy is a great came to play to test one's knowledge base. Students love it, and they really retain the information when learning is taking place through the use of having fun, a game. We need to make learning fun for our students. Just think, learning started out as being fun when we started learning in kindergarten.
Patricia Scales
In my Diagnostic course I put the students in groups and assign a lead tech for each fault I put in the vehicle. The groups have to diagnose the faults that I put in the cars by using the resources that we went over during lecture, they can not ask the instructor. The instructor acts as a customer at this time. The lead tech has to explain the fault to the instructor. After each diagnoses I assign a new lead tech so that everyone has to get involved in the diagnoses.
Hi Carlos,
This is great! Students get to see things that will be going on in the real world. Awesome exercise to get students to think critically.
Patricia Scales
I am currently teaching a intro to Business class. I asked the students why it is important to develop a solid business plan when presenting your business plan to a potential investor.
Hi Shane,
A good question to generate critical thinking. This question makes you really think out of the box. I love to do scenarios with my students to generate critical thinking.
Patricia Scales
This is true. I always ask my students, What would you do if? Think about it and then answer.
Hi William,
"If" scenarios are the best to get students to think outside of the box. Great hypothetical to promote critical thinking.
Patricia Scales
When teaching marketing in a business class to designers I ask them to think like the owner of the design firm. If they had a small marketing budget which marketing tools would they use and why? Which marketing tools would be the most effective?
Hi Scott,
I like how you make the students see themselves in the ownership role. This certainly gives the students something to look forward to.
Patricia Scales
A critical thinking that I love involves case study assignments. These assignments are great for a pharmacology class because they require the students to apply knowledge based on what was taught in lecture.
When we discuss recording contracts in my Music Business class, I have the students discuss different aspects of the deal that we look at, and decide whether or not it would be a beneficial deal for the artist, and why.
I teach an introduction to psychology course. Part of the objectives is to understand the research principles. To do this I involve students in a group activity to identify the independent and dependent variables in experiments. Through group discussions and classroom discussion they gain a better understanding of the topic at hand.
Students are given a case study, in that case study students have to identify risk factors and based on the patient risks, the students have to develop a treatment plan for that specific patient.
Hi Justin,
I concur! Scenario-based learning is also another great method to generate critical thinking from students.
Patricia Scales
Hi Chloe,
When you have students answer the "why" of anything, you are really testing students critical thinking abilities.
Patricia Scales
Hi David,
Many brains are better than one. You get some of your best thinking from students when they work in a group because they do not want to appear as not knowing anything.
Patricia Scales
Hi David,
Practical learning is a type of learning that really brings out a student's critical thinking abilities.
Patricia Scales
I am teaching surgical technology school and I will often give the students a scenario that can occur during a surgery and they have to tell me what their next steps should be. For example, if a laparoscopic case should become an open case. What supplies would the circulator need to open for you?
I encourage students to create peer review questions for them to implement in peer review of each others' work.
Love all of the ideas and help given in this course. I am a rookie instructor and am very excited and open to introducing some active learning. 4 hours of straight lecture will not work for myself or my students!!
