The Pedagogy Institute: 21st Century Strategies for Engaging Students

Critical Thinking Strategies for Student Engagement
AKA: How to use visual tools in an interacting and engaging way!

Dr. Lynn Baynum

Associate Professor

Teacher Education

Directory of Strategies

Using Emaze, Powtoon, (Power Point):

–            Word Splash

–            Think Pair Share

–            Focused Listening

–            Note Share

–            Kahoot

–            ReQuest

–            Modified KWL

–            Lino 

–            Pass the Paper

–            Take a Guess

–            Fishbowl

Word Splash (brainstorming, rehearsing key ideas, rehearsing steps)

•              Purpose:

–            to rehearsal strategies that require students to think about, recall, and reflect on both the content and how that connects to skills and tasks.

–            to use teacher talk the describes expectations while showing students those expectations, specifically while using rubrics or checklists. 

–            to use teacher talk (think aloud) that describes metacognitive processes associated with content knowledge connections, skills or a task. 

–            connect prior knowledge to new knowledge. 

•              Steps:

–            Create a list or a word web of terms to describe a typical class. 

–            Code the Text: Underline (or circle) the key terms that describe the essence of your pedagogy.   

Three Critical Listening Strategies
(Think/Pair/Share, Focused Listening, Note Share)

Interactive Notebooks and Graphic Organizers

Fold paper into three sections and note the name of the strategy at the top and details about that strategy below.

Think-Pair-Share (cognitive rehearsal and oral integration of content)

•              Purpose:

–            to reinforce or recall details at intervals in a lecture, video, or short discussion,

–            OR to assess background knowledge prior to teaching a concept.

•              Steps:

–            Lecture/share information about a concept, key term(s), or process.

–            Ask students to recall information shared individually.

–            Ask partners to turn and restate information conceptualized from the lecture.

–            Ask a small number of students to restate to the whole group concepts shared with a partner to confirm the scope and sequence of the topic, key term(s), or process.

Focused Listening (connecting expectations, scaffolding to determining importance)

•              Purpose:

–            to establish a reason for listening to a lecture, video, or short discussion.  

•              Steps:

–            Explain or list key concepts or topics to listen for during the lecture, video, or short discussion.

–            Use questions throughout the lecture to rehearse information.  Ask students to write or share ideas/answers. 

–            After the lecture, video, or short discussion, write a brief summary. 

Note Share (cognitive rehearsal and integration of content) 

•              Purpose:

–            to review key concepts or terms with peers to reinforce effective note taking.

•              Steps:

–            Share a lecture, video, or short discussion.

–            Ask students to organize and summarize the information in their notes.

–            Prior to the end of class, ask students to find a partner and share notebooks.

–            Read notes, return notebooks, and write a brief summary of the lecture, video, or short discussion based on the partner’s notes. 

–            OR code notes with similar connections, ie. Circle items in both partners’ notes, underline different ideas. 

Reviewing and Assessing Information: Using Kahoot 

Two Critical Questioning Strategies
(Request, Modified KWL, )

Interactive Notebooks and Graphic Organizers

Fold paper into hat, name of the strategy at the top and details about strategy in the flaps.

ReQuest: Questions and Answers (critical thinking: synthesizing, evaluating and summarizing)

•              Purpose:

–            to summarize (through questioning) concepts at various intervals in a lecture, video, or short discussion or while reading a text. 

•              Steps:

–            Share information in a lecture, video or short discussion or while reading a text. 

–            At intervals in the lecture or reading, ask students to find a partner. 

–            Have each partner to generate a question based on the discussion or reading. 

–            Take turns asking and answering each other’s questions. 

–            Encourage partners to ask multiple level questions: literal, inferential, evaluative, synthesized (text to text, text to self, text to world), or aesthetic questions. 

Modified KWL (critical thinking: synthesizing, evaluating and summarizing)

•              Purpose:

–            to activate background knowledge prior to reading to summarize concepts shared.

•              Steps: What the Author’s Point, What Questions Do I Have that Match the Author’s Knowledge, What Has the Author Taught Me???

–            Use a table format to organize notes.

–            Ask students to skim the textbook or article. Ask students to list at least five key features they know about a topic.

–            Ask students to write only two questions, one based on content from headings or vocabulary, and one based on the author’s purpose (theme).

–            Ask students to read the selection, and then answer the questions.

–            Share a few questions and answers in small or large groups. 

Reviewing and Assessing information: 
Using Lino to Describe of Close Reading

Three Summarizing Strategies to Rehearse Content, Concepts, and Connections
(Pass the Paper, Take a Guess, Fishbowl)

With a group read the slide and select key components in the steps to present the strategy.  In a minute, model the steps for the group.  The group will guess which strategy was demonstrated.  

Pass the Paper (cognitive rehearsal and integration of content for a share understanding) 

•              Purpose:

–            to assess students’ background knowledge and shared understanding of a concept or key terms.

•              Steps:

–            Ask students to use a piece of note paper or an electronic tool, like Evernote.

–            Pose a discussion topic based on a lecture or required reading. 

–            Ask students to write for one minute in either a list, definitions, or descriptions of the topic.

–            After one minute, pass the paper to another student and continue writing for one minute either adding additional information or using codes to agree/disagree with information.  Code can include circles, stars, underlining.  

–            At the end of class, use the codes to discuss the topic, either as a whole group or with partners.

Take a Guess (cognitive rehearsal and integration of content for a share understanding)

•              Purpose:

–            to assess students’ background knowledge of a concept or key terms.

•              Steps:

–            Before the lecture, have students with a partner or small group create a list of three to six important facts about the topic which they think you will discuss in your lecture.

–            Post the lists. 

–            During the lecture, take a few minutes to circle concepts on the list that are shared in the lecture, video, or short discussion.

–            At the end of class, use the circled concepts, to generate a summary of the content, either individually or with a partner. 

Fishbowl (cognitive rehearsal and integration of content for a share understanding)

•              Purpose:

–            to observe and summarize a short discussion or demonstration.

•              Steps:

–            With a small group in the center of the classroom, have a discussion or demonstration based on a concept. 

–            Ask the other students to gather around the small group with notebooks.

–            Lecture information or demonstrate a skill.

–            During the lecture or demonstration, encourage the small group to ask clarifying questions, plus take notes during the observation.

–            Ask the outside group to take notes highlighting their observations of the small group. 

–            At the end of the discussion or demonstration, ask the outside group to share their observations.