Using Critical Thinking as a Tool for Teaching Concepts: The Engaged Lecture

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Using Critical Thinking as a Tool for
Teaching Concepts The Engaged Lecture

• TACT
• Fall 2004

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Workshop Purpose

• To demonstrate the engaged lectureone way CT
  can be used on a day-to-day basis to deepen
  students understanding of a disciplines key
  concepts.
• Todays engaged lecture will focus on three
  mathematical concepts mean, median, and mode.

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Our Topic Measures of Central Tendency

• Mean
• Median
• Mode
• Read about the concepts in the handouts
• provided. Feel free to annotate your copy.
• (Students would do this as homework before
• class.)

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The Engaged Lecture Instructors Role

• The instructor models his/her understanding of
  the concepts, the relationship between the terms.
• The instructor briefly discusses the goals and
  purposes underpinning the key concept.

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The Engaged Lecture Instructors Role

• The instructor models the moves he makes in
  thinking through the content (e.g., he questions
  how authors he is reading may be using/misusing
  the concepts he clarifies his purpose and the
  precise question he is trying to answer in
  problems involving these concepts he gives
  examples of how he uses his deep knowledge of
  these concepts to solve problems etc.).

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The Engaged Lecture Questioning Students

• The instructor randomly questions students in the
  class
• about their understanding of the thinking being
• demonstrated. Questions typically require
  students to do
• the following
• Explain their understanding of the concepts
• Make connections between the concepts
• Evaluate the quality of their peers
  understanding
• Put their thinking into action, to applye.g.,
  Why do most instructors base final grades on
  students average (mean) in the course?

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Reading, Writing, and Rethinking Concepts into
Our Thinking Processing the Engaged Lecture

• Spend approximately five minutes processing the
  engaged lecture. You may review your handout and
  your notes. An evaluation component will follow.

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Reading, Writing, and Rethinking Concepts into
Our Thinking Checking Students Understanding

• Spend approximately 10-15 minutes writing your
  understanding of mean, median, and mode. Be sure
  that your definitions involve
• Stating,
• Elaborating,
• Exemplifying, and
• Illustrating (NOTE create an analogy or metaphor
  that demonstrates your understanding of the
  concept).

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Reading, Writing, and Rethinking Concepts into
Our Thinking Evaluating Students Understanding

• Working in your group, evaluate the writings of
  your peers. Select the writing that best defines
  the concepts. Use the intellectual standards
  (e.g., clarity, precision, depth) in reaching
  your decision. You will be asked to share one of
  your best definitions and to explain why it was
  chosen.

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Online Resources Engaged Lecture and Active
Learning

• Featured Article The Change-Up in Lectures
  by Joan Middendorf and Alan Kalish (1996)
• Active Learning Guidelines on Learning that
  Inform Teaching at University of New South Wales
  (2004)