Natalie Kerr Lawrence et al.
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for 1 minute on what they want to get out of the class meeting or the most interesting
topic they read about for that day’s lecture. This activity can set the stage for more deliber-
ate and focused attention, thus improving their listening. Alternately, if you are discussing
a controversial issue or using a debate in class, you can use the “two-column method”
(McKeachie, 2002, p. 47) to summarize different points of view. After taking notes on and
participating in a debate or class discussion, students can summarize the points “For” and
“Against” each argument. This exercise helps students identify different points of view in
addition to basic recognition and listening.
By engaging in summary writing assignments, students can learn to describe and iden-
tify concepts, identify alternative points of view, and refine their listening skills.
Furthermore, these assignments can encourage metacognition (Halpern, 2002). Self-
assessment of foundation skills is as important as that of higher skills, and if you ask stu-
dents to attend to their abilities on these basic skills, they can better monitor and think
about their progress. As Halpern (2002) stated, “students can become better thinkers and
learners by developing the habit of monitoring their understanding and judging the qual-
ity of their learning” (p. 98). Being able to summarize what they have learned is the first
step in this process.
Summary writing is one way of helping develop your students’ foundation critical
thinking skills; there are many others. For example, have students define key terms in their
own words (Stoloff & Rogers, 2004); ask students to distinguish between an inference and
a behavior using examples from cartoons or the media (Halonen, 1999); and incorporate
media summaries, explanations, and critiques so that students learn to generalize skills to
other arenas. Providing time for students to practice these basic skills will result in build-
ing a better foundation of good thinking skills.
Higher Level Skills
Once students have the foundation of critical thinking, instructors can focus on develop-
ing students’ higher level skills. These skills might be most appropriate for intermediate
courses, but instructors can also emphasize them in introductory courses. There are many
pedagogical tools that instructors can use to develop higher level skills. It is important for
instructors to realize that they can employ a specific technique (e.g., writing) to develop
skills at any level. The way instructors frame their assignments determines whether the
technique will build foundation, higher level, or complex skills.
We can sharpen students’ higher level skills by helping them draw connections between
psychological knowledge and their everyday lives. One way to do this is to have students
keep a journal. Journal writing is a popular assignment in a variety of psychology courses
(e.g., Bolin, Khramtsova, & Saarnio, 2005; Connor-Greene, 2000; Graham, 2006;
Hettich, 1990). Some instructors ask students to keep a journal in which they write about
their personal experiences. These autobiographical journals tend to promote affective out-
comes, such as self-knowledge and personal growth (Bolin et al., 2005). Other instructors
ask students to make connections between course content and material outside of class,
such as film, television, books, and current events. The focus of this type of journal is
cognitive rather than affective (see Connor-Greene, 2000).