Critical Thinking as a Professor
Something that really made me think is that as a professor it is really important to allow students to express their perspectives so that they can create well-informed beliefs. It's hard sometimes, though, when students are not so willing to share their thoughts.
Richard,
This is a great example of how we all can continue to learn and grow in our knowledge. By refining our own critical thinking skills we are better able to meet the needs of our students as they expand their thought processes.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Teaching Automotive Classes we get into the diagnosis of the systems and teach others I have found has improved my own Critical thinking which in hand has improved my diagnosis abilities.
Jaye,
Discussion boards are one way to get contributions from students that are not as open in class discussions. We need to encourage them to share in class and we can do that by using panels and small group discussions where they don't feel like they are being put on the spot.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I think students are quiet because they fear social shaming. I wonder if this is where discussion boards can fit in.
Edward,
This is a good point because instructors are critical thinkers as a result of trying to develop instructional content that matches the learning needs of current students. By finding the right combination of content and activities that help students to move toward their career goals we know we have been successful with our own critical thinking problem solving process.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Teaching a critical thinking course makes you think about your own methodology of thinking. I have found myself being more aware of my thoughts as I teach the course.
Geraldine,
This has been my experience as well and that is why I use groups in a lot of my problem solving assignments. Each student contributes to the solution and as a result there is individual growth as well as growth in the area of working with others.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
The group setting has worked well here at our school. Many of our instructors found that when the students are in a group setting they come up with many ideas. The ideas turn into clear and concise points that become results and answers. The students share information with each other and they recall the lessons learned.
Emeka,
This is an important point for students to understand. They are taught using the spoon feeding method throughout their secondary school years so when they get on the post secondary level they want that method to continue. Real life does not work that way so the more skill they can develop in the area of critical thinking and problem solving the more successful they will be in their careers.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I agree that critical thinking is very critical for us as professors. My experience is that you have to always make your students understand that you expect them to think critically to be outstanding.
Sandy,
This form of discussion and problem solving is important because they are using their newly acquired knowledge to work with others and come up with solutions. They are taking steps toward independent thinking through the method. As graduates they won't have their instructors do fall back on in case something doesn't go right so they need to be able to work through the steps themselves.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Yes, I have also found that getting the students to work in small groups gets them talking, and thinking more. I like to just over hear what they are talking about, and listen to how they are answering the questions or drawing conclusions. I don't chime in, unless I hear that they are going in the wrong direction. I let them mostly figure it out themselves.
Stephanie,
Getting everyone to contribute is always a challenge. What I do is put the students into small groups (3-4 students) and assign them a case study. Each member of the group has certain questions to research and answer. This way everyone in the class contributes because I have given them an assignment which gets them started talking. I have found that once they start talking they get comfortable and are more willing to contribute even more in our discussions.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
