Fostering Critical Thinking in Students Throughout Seminars and/or Tutorials

 Tips/Strategies shared by a colleague. Highly applicable to Academic and University prep courses.

1) Good discussion questions are not answered "yes" or "no". Instead they lead to higher order thinking about the work (analysis, synthesis, evaluation).

Why? "Yes" and "No" confirm or infer a response, this is an entry level question but doesn't demonstrate critical thinking because there is no process-just like in a math problem.

2) Good discussion questions call for more than simply recalling the acts or guessing what the teacher already wants to know, but are open ended, leading to a variety of responses.

What does that look like? Considering connections between a student's personal experience to a text and determining what may be similar or different between the two.

3) Good questions recognise that readers will have different perspectives and interpretations-such questions may require dialogue between teacher and student.

Consider if a student read Spider-Man #01 (Amazing Fantasy) or watches the first 20-something minutes of Spider-Man (2002)-You know, the one with Toby McGuire? Well, then ask yourself or a student. Is Spider-Man a good role model for children or does he promote irresponsible use of power?

4) Good discussion questions require a careful reading of the text. They often focus on a particular passage or focus on particular connections between different parts/aspects of the text.

5)Good discussion questions are simply and clearly stated. They do not need to be reworded or repeated to be understood.

6) Good discussion questions are useful to the students. Good questions can help to clarify passages or issues students may find difficult. They help students understand cultural differences that influence their reading. They invite personal responses and connections.

7) Good discussion questions make connections between the text at issue and other works as well as the themes and issues of the course.

8) Lead up to larger and more open questions by introducing first questions that create context and fluidity into the train of thought required to understand the question successfully. 

9) Ask interpretive questions before evaluative questions. Let your earlier questions lay foundation for your later questions.

10) Be flexible about your list of questions. If you let the conversation get to far gone though, you need to consider how to tie it back to the original discussion focus.

11) Be respectful and appreciative at all times, but don't be afraid to disagree with a comment. consider asking "What do others believe?"