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Most students dont like critical thinking that I have came in contact with. I do use it and explain that it helps in solving real world issues they may come up against. 

I'm teaching a Career Preparation class right now and I use this a lot. I want them to what I call think outside the box.

Collaboration in the classroom is helping them to be better with what they may come up against right now in society   

Flipped classroom used as active learning tool where the students learn from teaching themselves and other students. Pbl can be combined with collaborative learning. Giving a small group and problem and then they have to use their critical thinking skills to solve the problem.

Problem and Critical based instruction helps students in many ways.

I learned that vritical thinking is very importat for the online student. Being able to be  good critical thinkinrs will help students when they need to deal with situations out in the field. GIving them the tools that will help them is very critical. i

In general at the beginning of teaching online we were asking very basic questions trying to get students to engage. I think aross the board we needed to give students deeper more meaningful work/assignments in order to set up a standard for learning that we wanted to implement. This didn't happen. I think studetns have the ability to think more critically on their own, we just have to implement better "standards."

 

Although students can learn by themselves, it is out job to guide them to extended learning through a variety of ways including explaing and justifying their positions on topics at hand, having students to deeply think about their ideas/repsonses over a short time period and then revisit it and definitely asking open ended questions.  Reflection plays an essential role in learning environment period, but especially distance learning.  In order to have a strong cooporative learning environment, you must start out strong by establishing norms or ground rules that must be followed.

 

Some of my students have had the hardest time developing their critical thinking skills in my classes. Many are so used to being "spoon-fed" the info and then regurgitate it back to a teacher. Some of my most rewarding and frustrating interactions have been with students who are trying desperately not to think so hard! It is a real-world skill that will allow them to discern what is important and valuable in the world of work and in their own lives as they navigate social media and the political world of today. Finally, I feel that PBL is my favorite activity to use in class, as well as debates. Both require students to research and develop a healthy knowledge base, think critically about the topics and then either present an argument or design a solution. These are all real-world skills that will make them effective thinkers and doers!

I leaned into the idea of PBL as a method for further developing critical thinking skills.  It forces a student to tear down the problem into its parts in order to build up a solution.  For example, if a company is financially unstable, you need to look at a variety of components to understand how they got there before devising a solution in getting out; e.g.is it a lack of revenue, do they have too much debt, COGs too high, etc. I like to think of it as reverse engineering or deconstructing.  This can't be the only method of instruction, but it is a tool in helping students to have a better understanding of the material.  

 

I, too, like the idea of PBL. However, I've generally seen this referred to as "Project-Based Learning." In my classroom, I frequently use Project Based Learning. I am able to seamlessly incorporate content and skills into each project, and students learn organically by completing the projects. Students often say it is a nice "break" from the traditional forms of teaching, and many students discover that they learn best by hand-on, project-based learning. It is a great way to teach and for students to learn, and helps some students who have been labeled as "struggling" in other areas to discover how they learn best. I hope that I can continue to use PBL in an online format. I plan to have students divided into "support" groups to help them work through the projects. It will be interesting to see how this strategy pans out in an online environment. 

Active learning makes it more attainable and realistic for the student. They can apply their learning to real life situations, which can in turn deeper their content knowledge. 

 

Critical thinking creates problem-solvers and teamwork promotes positive relationships with teammates, said to be critical to employment. Active online learning helps develop both of these attributes through cooperative and collaborative learning. This type of learning requires students to research answers on their own reflect on them and bring them back to the group for discussion and evaluation or the creation of a jig saw project. The flipped classroom also contributes greatly to critical thinking and reflection, allowing collaboration in the discussion of the findings in the following synchronous session or through discussion boards. Real world topics and situations may be most motivating as they spark student interest. Students should be asked to find relationships between discreet facts, justify and explain their positions, explore new materials, and be inspired to further investigation based on open-ended questioning. I look forward to reading about specific cooperative activities in Alice McPherson's Cooperative Group Activities for College Courses and honing my skills in developing and delivering these types of activities to bring higher levels of learning to my courses.

critical thinking is important to cultivate and encourage

Many students do not or have not learned what critical thinking questions are -- an instructor needs to teach them what critical thinking questions are.

I consistently promote critical thinking as what employers are looking for in a possible employee. It is skill learned and developed in the classroom either face 2 face or online.

Critical thinking is imperative for students to learn as it will prepare them for work in the 21st century.  Collaborative is a powerful tool to help students learn how to critically think.  

It is not only important for the student to develop critical thinking abilitys for the purpose of class but to develop this type of thinking to apply this to everyday life.

Critical thinking development via group-based learning (collaborative/cooperative) is important.  While possibly a bit more challenging in the on-line environment it is very doable.  2020 has provided ample opportunities for group-based activities I plan to incorporate into this school year.  

Active learning is a great means of allowing a larger intelligance pool to work on a given problem and find a solution, rather than just the individual. This can promote brainstorming that could identify possible solutions that would have otherwise been over looked. 

I really like the collaborative learning process.

 

Respectfully,

Kendrick Kim

kkim1@fullcoll.edu

I've learned that through active learning techniques, students will learn and retain much more than through traditional lecture. Activities, such as cooperative/collaborative learning and problem based learning (PBL), are excellent ways to ensure the students practice reading, research, writing, presenting and especially critical thinking skills.

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