One strategy that meets these needs is teaching critical thinking. Critical thinking will help the students to understand the logical connections between ideas. The students will be able to identify, construct and evaluate arguments. Teaching critical thinking will equip the students with the knowledge to detect inconsistencies and common mistakes in reasoning. Most students can’t “pick up” critical thinking abilities along the way in a course that centers on content. They need comprehensible instruction in thinking critically. This process should be modeled for students, make understandable the “rules” for critical thinking in your discipline. Give them many chances to practice critical thinking and get feedback on their efforts. Move from easy, well-structured problems to complex, ill-structured ones, and do all this in class where you can help students figure it all out. The second strategy is clarifying strategies for learning. Clarifying strategies will improve students participation in the classroom. The students will be able to learn most contents independently. Helping students comprehend and practice approaches to learning in and out of the classroom will help them make the change to the kinds of thinking expected of them as students. The third strategy is preparing for emotional reactions. Emotional reactions are reduced significantly if the students feel well prepared to enter the course. Significantly heightened emotions will interfere with the students learning. Some things in the classroom will draw out intense emotional reactions from students, mainly those students who haven’t learned to analyze difficult situations in objective ways. This is the time to offer opportunities, structure, and guidance for discussing these responses. Explain why you ask students to do what you ask of them and provide advice that is not only critical but also helpful
One strategy that meets these needs is teaching critical thinking. Critical thinking will help the students to understand the logical connections between ideas. The students will be able to identify, construct and evaluate arguments. Teaching critical thinking will equip the students with the knowledge to detect inconsistencies and common mistakes in reasoning. Most students can’t “pick up” critical thinking abilities along the way in a course that centers on content. They need comprehensible instruction in thinking critically. This process should be modeled for students, make understandable the “rules” for critical thinking in your discipline. Give them many chances to practice critical thinking and get feedback on their efforts. Move from easy, well-structured problems to complex, ill-structured ones, and do all this in class where you can help students figure it all out. The second strategy is clarifying strategies for learning. Clarifying strategies will improve students participation in the classroom. The students will be able to learn most contents independently. Helping students comprehend and practice approaches to learning in and out of the classroom will help them make the change to the kinds of thinking expected of them as students. The third strategy is preparing for emotional reactions. Emotional reactions are reduced significantly if the students feel well prepared to enter the course. Significantly heightened emotions will interfere with the students learning. Some things in the classroom will draw out intense emotional reactions from students, mainly those students who haven’t learned to analyze difficult situations in objective ways. This is the time to offer opportunities, structure, and guidance for discussing these responses. Explain why you ask students to do what you ask of them and provide advice that is not only critical but also helpful