Hi Susan,
I like the idea of letting students apply what they have just been lectured. Students retain more when they can do hands-on activities.
Patricia Scales
Hi Don,
I have learned that cases studies are known to be great to generate critical thinking. Scenarios also cause students to think critically.
Patricia Scales
What I do is lecture for a short time then have lab work on what was just covered. The next class period we go over what we did and ask questions.
I teach a class on corrective exercise and I like to give the class case studies to work on as a group. We discuss each exercise they come up with and try to collectively create a best program for the case study with the limited information we have.
Hi Earle,
What an exciting exercise to make students use their analytical thinking skills. This also helps prepare students for the real world.
Patricia Scales
For our nutrition class students have to take a recipe they like to cook and rework it to make a healthier version.
Hi Michele,
This project seems very interesting. I can see how students really get all into this project. This assignment really helps prepare the students for the real world.
Patricia Scales
I teach a massage class that students take right before graduation. They do a project in which they must find a complex client to work with and prepare a case study based on their experience treating this client. In the course of the project, they must research the condition(s) the client presents with, determine consideration or implications for treatment, seek Dr. permission if needed, and determine and execute a treatment plan.
At the end of the term, they all present their cases to the class. It's high pressure, and they invest a lot of time preparing. Because they all think and approach issues differently, it's wonderful to see all the different and still correct ways to do things, and to discuss as a group challenges that come up in the course of the project.
This project is very involved, but so effective that I'm looking for other ways to do smaller versions of this in other classes I teach. It is unforgettable and very rewarding for them across the board.
Hi Luiz,
Awesome questions to ask students to get them to think in an analytical way. Students have to learn how to think on the spot and out of the box. Scenario learning is a great way to promote analytical thinking as well.
Patricia Scales
There are many opportunities for analytical thinking in culinary. E.g. What is that spice that gives this its taste? Why is this the best procedure for preparing this dish? What can be done when a recipe fails?
Hi Robert,
We need to test our students knowledge by letting them share with us what they know. Students will some times surprise you with knowing more than you think they know.
Patricia Scales
Quite often, during the lecture, as I present a concept such as the minimum required clearance between a valve and a piston, instead of telling them how we cure the problem if there is insufficient clearance, I will ask them " How can we get the clearance that we need?" I usually get a variety of responses that shows they are understanding what is needed and they are analyzing the various possible ways to get the issue resolved.
Hi Miriam,
Great questions to ask students to put things in a practical way and to help them understand how useful the skill is. Great questions to generate analytical thinking.
Patricia Scales
For finance:
-How would your knowledge of the time value of money help you to sell personal training packages to clients?
For math:
-How did you use math this week at home or work?
Hi Lloyd,
Awesome! This is exactly the type of situation that students need to learn about so that they know what they will encounter in the work force! Great activity to promote critical and analytical skills.
Patricia Scales
I try to lecture for about 15 minutes, I changed by letting the students engage in the lecture, this keep them in active learning. I show dvds about the objective and presentation slides.
I currently teach a Catering and Buffet course in which the students are engaged with different activities involving analytical and critical thinking. One task they have to do is plan and produce a menu for a given amount of guest, and the other part will be to execute the production and service of the meal. The planning process takes some getting use to, because it is not always food that is only for their enjoyment so they have to plan for certain flares and cultural flavors. The product that is to be used, the time frame of production alone with the equipment, tools and space for working has to be thought out. The cooking procedure will need to be mentioned as it too can hinder to process. The production and service and the flow of things can be a little less problematic if things have been planned well, but if they have not then you can get into some critical situations in which your thinking will switch from analytical to critical very fast.
Hi Carl,
Excellent activity to get students to utilize their analytical skills.
Patricia Scales
Hi Kathy,
Great! You may also want to try scenarios, case studies, mock learning, role playing, and simulations. These are great ways to generate analytical thinking.
Patricia Scales
In a respiratory course teaching the concept of blending two gases into a mixture of oxygen and air ,and achieve a specific amount of each.
the activities
would be to set up an aerosol with a air and oxygen bleed in and using a oxygen analyzer the student will mix the two gases until achieving the required results.
what is the flow of each gas air, oxygen .
what is the mixture's ratio
what is the total flow.
this is onei will try .
