One example of Analytical Thinking I have used is the discussion of Reaction Time
when one has been drinking.It is not just about seeing something ahead that you need to stop. It has to do with all the actions necessary to be taken into consideration. We break this problem down into the different signals sent to the brain for each movement needed to be made by the body and the car/truck in order to bring the machine to a stop before hitting an object.We discuss how alcohol and or drugs effect the time these various transactions are increased with the consumption of alcohol and or drugs. Paul T. Rougemont
Hi Mark,
Very analytical, and you make this real, therefore I know students enjoy the activity.
Patricia Scales
Analytical activities in my environmental science class definitely take the form of understanding the information first and then addressing a "case study" from the real world where the students are left identifying potential concerns, options, and modes/ avenues of fixing or carrying out their experiment. ie a small town outside of Kenya's capital needs water but it would require the damming of water. What are the ecological implications for fish transfer, water level, and down stream effects of the proposed activity to provide one town with water to survive. would it be better to relocate?
One activity that I do is providing the students with the components of a medical chart. Then the students must assemble the chart in the right order and develop a comprehensive plan to address any missing information. It provides them a real-world look at the medical records department.
Sarah
Hi Nicholas,
Perfect example of analysis, breaking down the parts to determine the effectiveness of the whole. This also works well with spices.
Carol Myslinski
Hello,
After a brief lecture on a specific literary topic, students engage in analyzing a poem or sometimes a song. However, they must reinforce their analysis with specfic points from the source.
Students are also asked to analyze a character's behavior or motive.
Carol Myslinski
Hi Wilmer,
Very practical, this will certainly help them once they get on the job.
Patricia Scales
I give the students a handout with a list of different brake valves. They have to figure out what each port is and when it has pressure in it.
Hi Monroe,
Go for it! Our students need to know how to become better thinkers by thinking outside of the box. Try it, sometimes students amaze you with what they can do.
Patricia Scales
In our physics class, one analytical thinking activity involves the planning and constructing phases of building a free standing tower solely out of a single 8 1/2 " x 11" piece of paper and Scotch tape. First students see a demonstration of cutting four 11 " thin strips, folding them in half the long way, taping three together on one end to make a tripod, and then taping the fourth so that it projects upward vertically above the tripod. Second, students assess their on creative designs and build bases, reinforce key stress points, minimize the use of tape to decrease the tower's weight, and build upward. Some groups of students have built towers that are 5 and 6 feet tall.
Some students like to be thoroughly prepared for an exam and not experience any "curve" balls so they can earn an 'A'. How do you feel about giving analytical activities as test questions that students have not seen before? Perhaps they could be for extra credit.
Hi Mark,
Students love it when eating is involved. This is an excellent exercise to apply what have been taught/learned.
Patricia Scales
We do the same thing in the class I currently teach. I explain the differences in taste, texture and color of a variety of game meats. The next day we apply those learnings in a tasting involving bison, venison, and elk. I can almost see the light bulb go off while they are eating and we review and discuss the previous day's information.
Hi Beth,
Great activity to get all involved, and they will love the treat as well.
Patricia Scales
I love the idea of Chocolate tasting for analytical thinking. I am teaching Student Success and thought processing is one of the subjects. I am going to borrow this idea...who doesn't love chocolate?!
Hi Michael,
There are goods and bads to this type of grading, but I feel as though the goods out weigh the bads, and it should be done. I have had some students to grade others really rough because they did not pull their weight.
Patricia Scales
i like to include group grading as a component of group projects. Students grade each other based on participation and teamwork. While this does carry risks of preferential treatment and biased grading, it addresses the possibility of someone "floating" through an assignment and still receiving a superior grade.
H Erin ,
I like how you thoroughly involve history in this learning process. When students learn about the history of something they tend to have more profound respect.
Patricia Scales
I am currently teaching a Comparative Mythology course, and in this course we examine the cultural beliefes that are expressed in specific myths. One example, we look at various creation myths and unravel what view of the worls and peopel do various cultures have/had. When we read the Hindu creation story, for example, I point out that Brahma continuously creates the world from Vishnu's navel (cyclical words). We discuss the imagery and symbolism here--why is the navel so important (womb), what is significant about the lotus flower etc. Then we discuss this idea of cyclical worlds and how that shapes their belief system--reincarnation. We examine each story in this way, go through history. When we get to more familiar, or more contemporary, stories, students have a new appriciation for what these stories represent for our culture and how they shape our understanding.
Hi Fonya,
This is an awesome activity to bring in the practicalities of recycling. When learning is made real and fun to students, they tend to have a better understanding of it all.
Patricia Scales
I teach an environmental science class. During the discussion on solid waste I give students a bag containing several common items we throw away; plastic bottle and bag, disposable diaper, cans, a piece of fruit, newspaper, flip flop, etc. Students are also given slips of paper with various time intervals. Students are instructed to work in small groups to determine how long each item would take to decompose in a landfill. This is followed by a discussion on recycling.
