September 2011 Newsletter

 

 
Surry CC is currently completing the round two application--the Aspen Institute will select 10 colleges for round two. Surry is stressing in their materials the crucial role that the learning philosophy and critical thinking have played and continue to play in their students' success. Their overall point is that they succeed by holding students to rigorous standards that require them to think critically--while at the same time they balance that rigor with student services that provide academic support focused on helping students think through the material.
 
Congratulations to Surry for their commitment to infusing critical thinking across the curriculum, as is evidenced in recognition by the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.

31^st International Conference on
Critical Thinking
July 25-28, 2011
Preconference July 23-24
Claremont Hotel in Berkeley, CA*

Register by July 4th for the Early Registration Rates.
We offer group rate discounts for 2 or more.
Click here for registration and rate information.
  
*Book your room at the Claremont by July 4th to receive our special rate of $159/ night, $5 parking, restaurant discounts and complimentary use of the spa facilities.
 



Sessions incude:

• Developing a Substantive Approach to Socratic Questioning Through Critical Thinking
• How to Work Together with Colleagues to deepen Your Understanding of Critical Thinking Through Extended Book Studies
• Teaching Students to Think Within a Field or Discipline
• What are Intellectual Traits and How Does One Teach for Them?
• Fostering Critical Thinking in the Secondary Classroom
• Advanced Session: ‘On the potential of the critical vocabulary of the English language as an academic lingua franca’ (for returning registrants)
• The Role of Administration in Creating Critical Thinking Communities
• Using Peer Review on a Typical Day to Foster Substantive Critical Thinking
• Teaching Students to Distinguish Strong and Weak Sense Critical Thinking
• Fostering Critical Thinking in the Social Disciplines 
• Using the Tools of Critical Thinking to Teach Students How to Study and Learn
• Teaching Students Fundamental and Powerful Concepts
• The Art of Close Reading and Substantive Writing

  
For a conference brochure click here.

• First Strategy. Call on students regularly and unpredictably, holding them responsible either to ask questions they are formulating as they think through the content or give a summary, elaboration, or example of what others have said.
• Second Strategy. Ask every student to write down themost basic question they need answered in order to understand the issue or topic under discussion. Then collect the questions (to see what they understand or don’t understand about the topic). 

Or you might:(a) call on some of them to read their questions aloud,
or
(b) put them in groups of two with each person trying to answer the question of the other.
Through activities such as these students learn to monitor their listening, determining when they are and when they are not following what is being said. This should lead to their asking pointed questions. Reward students for asking questions when they do not understand what is being said.