As instructors/ facilitators it is important to enhance students to utilize their critical thinking skills to help bridge the gap between what they are learning in theory and clinicals. Critical thinking skills helps the student engage in activities that will help them understand the material from a different perspective
Creating opportunities for critical thinking through group work, projects, and discussions are all great ways to keep students engaged. It is really important for students to be able to approach a problem by listening to their peers and being open minded.
Critical Thinking can be done through discussion, peer reviews and thinking outside of the norm. Lots of research and note taking, then put it all together and how would a critical thinker comes out with new idea to implement new strategies, they will have to be creative. Encouraging students to be explorers, mentoring them and guiding them help the outcome.
In an online environment, the instructor should provide opportunity for the students to critically think, the ability to build team work, and be in charge of how they will be successful. Proposing a problem to the students and have them work through and find the best course of how to solve said problem. Ask open ended questions to help facilitate critical thinking. Instructors need to realize they can learn from the student as a student can learn from the instructor.
Reflecting back to when I was completing my masters degree, I remember wondering why I had to write, what felt like a million, peer reviewed research papers. I now realize that it was almost exclusively to allow me to develop my critical thinking skills, in an active learning environment.
Active learning includes collaborative learning, cooperative learning, and problem solving. Each of these help with people skills, positive interactions, and help facilitate critical thinking. Taking notes during lecture does little to engage the brain. Use of technology can be beneficial. I like the idea of flipping the classroom where students are provided the answers in advance and should come up with the questions.
Critical thinking isn't easy for many students; they need to do more than just listen. They must actively read, write, discuss, and engage in problem-solving with their peers.
This section made me think about the fact that many students are now "digital natives" and have grown up their whole lives surrounded by technology, and that I must consider that, but I must balance that with the older students I have in my courses.
I am impressed by the versatility of wikis and their use in active learning and how they can facilitate self-reflection in students, understanding of themselves and their capacity and progress in their career.
I would apply it by encouraging its use in discussion forums.
Critical thinking skills will be utilized by every student at some point in their career. It is helpful to develop and strengthen those skills now so the student is ready to think independently to solve problems. Which leads me to problem based learning which teaches students to solve problems. Giving them real life scenarios to solve in small groups might be a fun active learning technique to help strengthen critical thinking skills.
From this module, I learned the critical thinking skills from the students point of view. From successfully evaluating differences to building rationale, I will encouraged students to think outside the box and be flexible with their ideas.
Problem based learning can teach students to critically think.
New hires that have little experience present these challenges upon onboarding. I used elearning to complement virtual instructor-led training. It seems as though they have not had to use critical thinking, and I can't really expect them to know how since they have little to no experience on which to build their learning.
It is very critical to add collaborative learning for the students so they can grasp the concepts very well
Collaborative and cooperative learning is the learning of the future. While we a lack of it in K-12, it must be brought to the forefront of higher education. Challenging discussion boards for example. I have a political science/history discussion board that revolves around the Housing crisis of 2008 and askes the student to evaluate two groups, Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party, to show their similarities and differences. How they reflect into American political concepts like Progressivism, Equality, Pursuit of Happiness or the Preamble.
I love the term "digital natives." I have noticed this for my past 14 years of teaching. Incorporating digital learning activities enhances this group of learners. I have used online discussions, student created glossaries and test questions, and peer/self-reflection exercises. I would like to try the "jigsaw" activity in the future.
I enjoyed the phrase, "student-centered and instructor driven".
The content also admitted that students want to hear from the instructors on their opinion or insights that can not be gleamed from their own discoveries.
Posing a problem that would be relevant to their current life can help engage them in problem solving exercises.
Encouraging critical thinking is the most important aspect of active learning. Performing activities that promote and encourage critical thinking is important in active learning environments.
Today's businesses are seeking individuals with strong critical thinking skills. These skills include the ability to evaluate information, analyze complex situations, problem-solve, and recognize that being right is not always imperative. Making mistakes is inevitable, but they provide valuable learning opportunities. Businesses are in need of individuals who can effectively solve problems while utilizing critical thinking skills. These are some of the important points I plan on imparting to my future students in upcoming courses.
Critical thinking is the key component when seeking employment. Utilizing group discussions and collaborative involvement will help individuals bring that out.
