Faculty Panel on Friday, January 17: Promoting Critical Thinking & Active Learning

We’re starting of the 2014 Faculty Fridays with a Faulty Panel on Promoting Critical Thinking and Active Learning in the Classroom. We’ll meet in 1310 Surge III at 12pm on Friday, January 17.

Because of the topic, we’re going to take a slightly different approach to this panel. First, we will have some of our faculty colleagues present to share the ways they design interactive classroom activities -- David Webb from Physics and Chris Thaiss from the Writing Program and the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Writing will be among them. Then we will want to hear how you encourage critical thinking and active learning in your own classrooms (including, even, your large lecture courses).

Throughout the panel, we’ll contribute to a collaborative Google Spreadsheet that lists categories of activities and details how different instructors have adapted those activities for their particular classrooms. If you’ve wondered how to engage, enliven, and inspire your students, this faculty panel will provide you some helpful perspectives and approaches that you can apply this quarter.

Feel free to visit this link to the spreadsheet so you can contribute before, after, or even (especially) during the noon presentations and discussions.

Meanwhile, please plan to join us at 1310 Surge III at noon this coming Friday to take part in the discussion about Promoting Critical Thinking and Active Learning in the Classroom!