Engaging Ideas


Book Description

Use your course's big ideas to accelerate students’ growth as writers and critical thinkers The newly revised third edition of Engaging Ideas delivers a step-by-step guide for designing writing assignments and critical thinking activities that engage students with important subject-matter questions. This new edition of the celebrated book (now written by the co-author team of Bean and Melzer) uses leading and current research and theory to help you link active learning pedagogy to your courses' subject matter. You'll learn how to: Design formal and informal writing assignments that guide students toward thinking like experts in your discipline Use time-saving strategies for coaching the writing process and handling the paper load including alternatives to traditional grading such as portfolio assessment and contract grading Help students use self-assessment and peer response to improve their work Develop better ways than the traditional research paper to teach undergraduate reading and research Integrate social media, multimodal genres, and digital technology into the classroom to promote active learning This book demonstrates how writing can easily be integrated with other critical thinking activities such as inquiry discussions, simulation games, classroom debates, and interactive lectures. The reward of this book is watching students come to class better prepared, more vested in the questions your course investigates, more apt to study purposefully, and more likely to submit high-quality work. Perfect for higher education faculty and curriculum designers across all disciplines, Engaging Ideas will also earn a place in the libraries of graduate students in higher education.




Academic Reading with Academic Critical Thinking


Book Description

This book offers a coherent strategy (ACT-Active Critical Thinking) for reading academic texts with a critical perspective.




Engaging Ideas


Book Description

Learn to design interest-provoking writing and critical thinking activities and incorporate them into your courses in a way that encourages inquiry, exploration, discussion, and debate, with Engaging Ideas, a practical nuts-and-bolts guide for teachers from any discipline. Integrating critical thinking with writing-across-the-curriculum approaches, the book shows how teachers from any discipline can incorporate these activities into their courses. This edition features new material dealing with genre and discourse community theory, quantitative/scientific literacy, blended and online learning, and other current issues.




Teaching at Its Best


Book Description

A complete, accessible, evidence-based guide to better teaching in higher education This higher education playbook provides a wealth of research-backed practices for nearly every aspect of effective teaching throughout higher education. It is filled with practical guidance and proven techniques designed to help you improve student learning, both face-to-face and online. Already a bestselling research-based toolbox written for college instructors of any experience level, Teaching at Its Best just got even better. What is new? A lot. For this updated 5th edition, Todd Zakrajsek joins Linda Nilson to create a powerful collaboration, drawing on nearly 90 combined years as internationally recognized faculty developers and faculty members. One of the most comprehensive books on effective teaching and learning, the 5th edition of Teaching at its Best brings new concepts, new research, and additional perspectives to teaching in higher education. In this book, you will find helpful advice on active learning, interactive lecturing, self-regulated learning, the science of learning, giving and receiving feedback, and so much more. Each chapter has been revised where necessary to reflect current higher education pedagogy and now includes two reflection questions and one application prompt to reflect on your teaching and stimulate peer discussions. Discover the value of course design and how to write effective learning outcomes Learn which educational technology is worthwhile and which is a waste of time Create a welcoming classroom environment that boosts motivation Explore detailed explanations of techniques, formats, activities, and exercises—both in person and online Enjoy reading about teaching strategies and educational concepts Whether used as a resource for new and seasoned faculty, a guide for teaching assistants, or a tool to facilitate faculty development, this research-based book is highly regarded across all institutional types.







Critical Reading, Critical Thinking


Book Description

Contemporary Critical Readingequips students with the critical reading, writing, thinking, and problem-solving skills essential to understanding and responding to current issues and ideas.




Study and Critical Thinking Skills in College


Book Description

For Study Skills and Critical Thinking courses. Study and Critical Thinking Skills in College, Eighth Edition is ideal for instructors who want to teach study and learning techniques. McWhorter discusses the active strategies that develop students' proficiency with text and lecture material--emphasising the cognitive approach to learning, the basis for how to apply study skills to academic disciplines, and how to identify early warning signs of academic difficulty. At the same time, she stresses that students must adapt how they read and how they study to suit the characteristics of each unique academic discipline. This text aligns closely with the ways students read, study, learn, think, and network in the twenty-first century. While printed textbooks and other reading materials remain core learning resources, students increasingly read, study, collaborate, and take tests online. Study and Critical Thinking Skills in College encourages students to study and think in ways that match their learning styles and to use technologies (such as online databases and social media) that maximise their productivity.




The Critical Thinking Companion for Introductory Psychology


Book Description

This concise paperback helps develop students' critical thinking skills through exercises keyed to the main topics in introductory psychology.