Describes changes made in a general psychology course to encourage greater student responsibility, active participation, and critical thinking. Aims were accomplished by variety of techniques, including having students develop and discuss a list of expectations and responsibilities, requiring students to write their own examination questions, and…

Discusses a game in which students must guess the flavor of LifeSaver candy without the aid of sight and smell. Explains that this demonstration assists students to understand the phenomenon of random occurrences. Describes how the presentation is conducted as well as the outcomes of the demonstration. (CMK)

Focuses on the use of student publications in journals as a teaching tool. Explores the use of this technique in three contexts: (1) enabling students to understand experimental methodology; (2) teaching students about statistics; and (3) helping students learn more about the American Psychological Association (APA) writing style. (CMK)

Explores the use of journals as teaching tools. Finds modifications are necessary to accommodate the differences between the psychology professor's goals and the composition teacher's goals. Recommends using dialectical reasoning entries and lists some practical methods to encourage students to think critically. (NL)

Describes a laboratory course in developmental psychology as an example of teaching undergraduate students thinking and writing skills. Lists different written and oral communication employed: scientific experimental report writing, sequential and topical protocols of infant behavior, blooper examination responses, and oral presentations.…

Describes a writing assignment based on the main character of a novel, an autobiography, or a biography about mental illness. Requests students to describe the characters' symptoms, to provide a diagnosis, to suggest a treatment plan, and to describe the treatment received. Notes the assignment promotes critical thinking and empathy for the…

Contends that, in many ways, college teaching has remained largely unchanged since the days of the medieval university. Discusses the role of cooperative learning in higher education and maintains that the technique can enhance critical thinking skills. (CFR)

Asserts that case studies and discussion method pedagogy are replacing lecture and small-group discussion as the primary higher-level teaching method. Describes and discusses the case study approach as a technique for teaching critical thinking skills. Presents 11 arguments for using these pedagogies. (CFR)

Presents an inquiry-based approach to promoting critical thinking in psychology. Maintains that the model emphasizes helping students ask thoughtful questions. Discusses research results supporting the use of questioning techniques to enhance critical thinking. (CFR)

Asserts that conference teaching techniques foster critical thinking skills. Describes conference-style learning and discusses its use in the college psychology classroom. Concludes that the approach helps avoid the sense of struggle and alienation that can arise between teachers and students in the traditional classroom. (CFR)

Presents a negotiation model for thinking about controversial issues in psychology. Provides students a framework for managing conflicts, including conflicting positions on professional ethics. Discusses relationships among three models of critical thinking. (CFR)

Asserts that written work has advantages over oral discussion in the development and assessment of students' critical thinking skills. Describes a set of short writing assignments that focuses on eight essential aspects of critical and creative thought. Provides examples of how to use writing assignments in college psychology courses. (CFR)

Describes techniques for creating collaborative student-constructed hypertexts. Maintains that student goals include courseware development, promotion of critical thinking skills, and facilitating student-directed learning. Reports that students' reactions to the assignments were overwhelmingly positive. (CFR)

Maintains that cognitive flexibility, the ability to generate many possible solutions, is identified as the most critical aspect of creativity training. Describes the use of word tables, computer games, and riddles to develop cognitive flexibility. Presents evidence that these methods are effective in enhancing creative and critical thinking…

Describes the application of the problem method, or case study approach, to teach undergraduate research methods. Maintains that the approach is particularly applicable because research design is a classic ill-defined task. Reports that students find the method challenging and interesting. (CFR)