Hi Fred,
Awesome! Students love it when we make learning apply to the real world. This is real learning at its best.
Patricia Scales
Hi Heinz,
Students really can learn a lot from each other through group work. Sometimes students can really reach each other better through peer learning.
Patricia Scales
Hi Mazen,
I love the variation of teaching methods mentioned. These are solid ways to promote critical thinking.
Patricia Scales
Hi Terence,
This is learning made real. Students should do assignments that they will encounter in the real world.
Patricia Scales
In dental assisting I have the students fiqure out how many teeth the patient has if he has had 9 extracted.
I teach dental assisting. I have a cup of fake teeth which I pass to each student. They then arrange the teeth to match the dental radiograph.
I teach a class on Introduction to Crime Scene Investigations. I teach the concepts and steps to follow while conducting a crime scene investigation. I then set up a real live scenario to be investigated-hands on experience-everyone in the class is given an assignment by a leader of the class and all receive a grade for their participation.The final project is then reveiwed by the class and the pros/cons of the investiagtion are presented for critique.
I have my students work in small groups study sections of the constitution and discuss various issues arrising from the constitutio. Then I have them present their ideas to the class for disussion.
Negotiation Skills course: Case studies, role plays, discussion groups, panels, article review/critique, pro vs. con debates and discussing relevant video clips on the topics.
Many times instructors can ask "why" three or four times (to probe deeper and deeper) without being annoying.
After lecturing on breads, our students have to develop a concept for a signature bread. The project involves creating a concept, developing the formula and designing the shape of the bread.
Hi Kathleen,
Case studies/scenarios are excellent activities to force students to put on their thinking cap. Students really can come up with some creative ways of doing things when they have to think out of the box.
Patricia Scales
I give them case studies, as a coworker called them, that require them to make judgements about the situation prior to determining the best course of action. We discuss the scenario as a class and come up with the best plan of action based on everyone's input.
Hi Lisa,
I love how you make the writing apply to the workplace. Students see the relevance, and they are more likely to be exicted/motivated about starting/finishing the assignment.
Patricia Scales
I teach English Composition 1. My students are required to write three essays- Narrative, Descriptive and Process Analysis. When I am introducing these essay to them- I assign a warm up activity to show them how essays relate to the "real world"
For example, when they are preparing to write the narrative essay- I have them brainstorm about how they may have to write a report for their boss about an even that happened at work.
When they write the descriptive essay, they have to recall a moment when they had an accident and had to describe it to an officer or an insurance person. Lisa
I teach physical anthropology which delves into man's evolution from tree dwelling primates to our current form. During the course, I show the video, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" and the students must analyze whether Ceasar could, realistically, be able to exhibit the erect bi-pedalism gait, vocalization/speaking and logical thinking characteristics highlighted in the movie. They have to defend their position based off the course lessons/activities, physical and behavioral characteristics and additional research they conduct on their own.
Hi Seth,
I love it! I know the students enjoy this assignment and learn a lot from it.
Patricia Scales
Hi Jennifer,
Great questions to help students to begin to think out of the box. These are certainly things that they would encounter in the workplace.
Patricia Scales
Tami,
Great question to ask the students to make learning apply to the real world.
Patricia Scales
Hi Holt,
Great methods of teaching to promote critical thinking.
Patricia Scales
I teach a wine and beverage course in which the students learn about all facets of the wine product including grape growing, wine production, and service and pairing of the wine with food. A good critical thinking activity for the students involves determining the wine growing and production methods employed given the aroma and flavor profile of a wine given in class. The students have to determine how the wine was made (for example if it was aged in a barrel or not, or what type of grapes were used, etc.) given the flavors and aromas that are listed on the board or on the handout given to them. This can be an independent or group activity, which is completed with a class discussion on how the students arrived at their answers. The activity is expanded then to take the particular wine profile and determine which food item or items would pair best with the particular wine profile. The students are then asked to make or bring in the particular food item they have selected and the student tastes both the wine for the example wine profile and the food to determine if their solution (wine suggestion) works.
