Implementing Varied Discussion Forums in E-Collaborative Learning Environments

2011 ◽  
pp. 370-376
Author(s):  
Jianxia Du ◽  
George Pate
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Online Instructors ◽  
Dead End ◽  
Group Member ◽  
Difficult Part

Creating quality online instruction is a challenging task for most online instructors, with promoting engaging online discussions being the most difficult part of the instruction. Instructors frequently struggle with creating online discussions that will promote “critical thinking skills” (Toledo, 2006, p. 150) in an asynchronous environment instead of simply presenting dead-end questions that go nowhere. This article will review several suggested variances in online discussions that allow engaged critical thinking, promote subject matter understanding along with group member and individual online discussion participation, and assist instructors in choosing appropriate methods for their particular instructional goals.

Strategies and Principles to Develop Cognitive Presence in Online Discussions

2013 ◽  
pp. 148-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim A. Hosler ◽  
Bridget D. Arend
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Cognitive Presence ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Online Instructors ◽  
Question Prompts ◽  
Reference Guide ◽  
Online Discussion Forums

The chapter is designed to provide online instructors with strategies and techniques for fostering greater cognitive presence in asynchronous online discussion forums. Online discussions, moderated and facilitated by instructors and students, are a staple in online learning environments and provide powerful mechanisms for engaging students in dialogue. However, oftentimes dialogues stall out at the initial inquiry stage, and deeper, critical thinking is neglected. Realizing the foundational nature of discussion forum activities, the authors present ways in which instructors can nurture cognitive presence and foster deeper lines of thinking in online discussions. The chapter outlines the four stages of cognitive presence while offering strategies and question prompts to engender cognitive presence in online discussions. A quick reference guide is included as a discussion aid, suggesting ways to recognize the stages of cognitive presence as well as providing question prompts for engendering greater cognitive presence and critical thinking.

scholarly journals Socratic Self-examination and Its Application to Academic Advising

2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 36-48
Author(s):  
Marlene S. Kuhtmann
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Academic Advising ◽  
Student Development ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Socratic Method ◽  
Socratic Questioning ◽  
Self Examination

Nussbaum (1998) proposed that Socratic activity is a worthwhile pursuit with regard to academic advising relationships. While it offers the promise of certain benefits, such as the development of critical thinking skills, Socratic activity arguably cannot be universally applied to all advising relationships. In presenting and analyzing issues related to the Socratic method, I offer support for a model of quasi-Socratic activity in advising as first identified by Hagen (1994). Referred to as “beneficial dialectic,” it can function from a more contextual standpoint than the traditional Socratic questioning method because through it advisors can consider factors such as level of student development, learning environments, and individual proclivities.

Critical Thinking, Instruction, and Professional Development for Schools in the Digital Age

2016 ◽  
pp. 27-46
Author(s):  
Howard V. Coleman ◽  
Jeremy Dickerson ◽  
Dennis Dotterer
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Digital Age ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Depth Of Knowledge ◽  
Critical Thinking Instruction

This chapter presents theories, issues and practices for creating effective, technologically rich learning environments in schools. In the digital age, teachers and school leaders must work together to ensure the development of higher level critical thinking skills for students. Using Bloom's Revised Taxonomy of Knowledge and Webb's Depth of Knowledge as theoretical guides, this chapter discusses how teachers may move towards more flexible, student-centered instructional models rather than traditional teacher-centered methodologies. Guiding questions are presented to assist teachers in determining what to consider when designing technology-enhanced instruction to promote higher level critical thinking skills. Topics include a review of technological factors influencing technology integration, modifications of teacher practices to best match the changing culture in K-12 classrooms, examinations of pedagogical practices in techno-centric classrooms, current and future professional development needs for teachers, and the importance of assessment and evaluation in monitoring the effectiveness of instructional practices in 21st Century learning environments.

Critical Thinking, Instruction, and Professional Development for Schools in the Digital Age

2017 ◽  
pp. 1235-1254
Author(s):  
Howard V. Coleman ◽  
Jeremy Dickerson ◽  
Dennis Dotterer
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Digital Age ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Depth Of Knowledge ◽  
Critical Thinking Instruction

This chapter presents theories, issues and practices for creating effective, technologically rich learning environments in schools. In the digital age, teachers and school leaders must work together to ensure the development of higher level critical thinking skills for students. Using Bloom's Revised Taxonomy of Knowledge and Webb's Depth of Knowledge as theoretical guides, this chapter discusses how teachers may move towards more flexible, student-centered instructional models rather than traditional teacher-centered methodologies. Guiding questions are presented to assist teachers in determining what to consider when designing technology-enhanced instruction to promote higher level critical thinking skills. Topics include a review of technological factors influencing technology integration, modifications of teacher practices to best match the changing culture in K-12 classrooms, examinations of pedagogical practices in techno-centric classrooms, current and future professional development needs for teachers, and the importance of assessment and evaluation in monitoring the effectiveness of instructional practices in 21st Century learning environments.

(Re)Assessing Student Thinking in Online Threaded Discussions

2013 ◽  
pp. 265-280
Author(s):  
Felicia Saffold
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Teacher Educator ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Student Thinking ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Threaded Discussions ◽  
Online Discussion Forums

A teacher educator examines the level of critical thinking of her preservice teachers participating in an urban education course through online discussions. The objective was to see if online discussions, which were the heart of the learning process, could be an effective strategy to promote critical thinking skills. Using the revised version of Bloom’s Taxonomy (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001) as a guide, participants’ posts and responses were assessed to determine the quality of thinking that occurred in the online discussion forum. Results show that utilizing online discussion forums can be an effective pedagogy for classes where complex, often controversial issues such as social justice, equity, and white privilege are discussed.

scholarly journals Promoção do Pensamento Crítico em Alunos Universitários: o Uso do Fórum de Discussão no Ensino a Distância

EAD em FOCO ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fábio Luiz Da Silva ◽  
Fabiane Tais Muzardo ◽  
Juliana Chueire Lyra
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
On Line ◽  
Blooms Taxonomy

O desenvolvimento do pensamento crítico é um dos objetivos do ensino, tanto no presencial quanto na modalidade a distância (EaD). No ensino a distância, o contato face a face entre professor e aluno é substituído pela interação por meio de ferramentas virtuais de aprendizagem, com destaque para os fóruns de discussão on-line. Esta pesquisa buscou refletir sobre a possibilidade de os fóruns desenvolverem o pensamento crítico dos alunos. Para isso realizou-se um estudo de caso com 28 alunos que cursavam licenciatura na modalidade a distância. Os participantes foram divididos em grupo de controle e grupo experimental; este foi submetido a intervenções no fórum baseadas na Taxionomia de Bloom revisada. O desempenho dos alunos foi analisado por meio da aplicação de pré-teste e pós-teste. Os resultados obtidos indicam que, no caso estudado, não houve diferença significativa entre os dois grupos. Apesar disso, acreditamos que o fórum pode colaborar para o desenvolvimento do pensamento crítico caso faça parte de uma remodelagem dos ciclos de formação dos cursos.Palavras-chave: Pensamento crítico, Fórum de discussão on-line, Taxionomia de Bloom.Development of Critical Thinking in College Students: the Usage of On-line Discussion ForumsAbstract The development of critical thinking is one of the objectives of education, as much on classroom education as in distance education (Ead). In distance education, the face to face contact between professor and student is replaced byvirtual tools for learning, with emphasis on the online discussion forums. This research seeks to reflect about the possibility that the forums develop the students critical thinking skills. For that, a case study was carried out with 28 students who attended to licentiate degree classes on the distance education mode. The participants were divided in Control Group and Study Group, being the latter one submitted to interventions on the forum based on revised Blooms taxonomy. The students performance was analyzed by means of usage of pre-test and post-test. The results obtained indicate that, in the case studied, there wasnt any substantial difference between the two groups.Despite this, we believe that the forum can contribute to the development of critical thinking if it is part of a reshaping of the course cycles.Keywords: Critical thinking, Online discussion forums, Blooms taxonomy.

Critical Thinking, Instruction, and Professional Development for Schools in the Digital Age

2016 ◽  
pp. 1774-1793
Author(s):  
Howard V. Coleman ◽  
Jeremy Dickerson ◽  
Dennis Dotterer
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Digital Age ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Depth Of Knowledge ◽  
Critical Thinking Instruction

This chapter presents theories, issues and practices for creating effective, technologically rich learning environments in schools. In the digital age, teachers and school leaders must work together to ensure the development of higher level critical thinking skills for students. Using Bloom's Revised Taxonomy of Knowledge and Webb's Depth of Knowledge as theoretical guides, this chapter discusses how teachers may move towards more flexible, student-centered instructional models rather than traditional teacher-centered methodologies. Guiding questions are presented to assist teachers in determining what to consider when designing technology-enhanced instruction to promote higher level critical thinking skills. Topics include a review of technological factors influencing technology integration, modifications of teacher practices to best match the changing culture in K-12 classrooms, examinations of pedagogical practices in techno-centric classrooms, current and future professional development needs for teachers, and the importance of assessment and evaluation in monitoring the effectiveness of instructional practices in 21st Century learning environments.

scholarly journals Development of Criticality in Thought: A Conceptual Framework for Online Student Discussion Forums in Higher Education

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Critical Reflection ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Online Discussion Forums

Assessing student understanding and extending student learning beyond the face-to-face or synchronous online lesson is commonly done with the use of online discussion forums. However, the challenge reported by tutors of higher education has always been the lack of active participation and critical engagement by students unless the task is graded formally. Researchers have been investigating various approaches to facilitate effective learning experiences such that students are motivated to engage others when they are tasked to partake in such asynchronous discussions. This paper explores how I sought to engage my Engineering undergraduate students, reading a critical thinking and writing module taught in a blended learning environment, in online discussion forums with the adoption of the Paul-Elder critical thinking framework. The aim was to develop higher levels of criticality in thought in students’ forum responses, while demonstrating the application of the critical thinking tools, such that they were able to collaboratively construct knowledge and deepen their conceptual understanding of Engineering leadership. Results of the analysis found that students were engaged in spontaneous dialogic discussions in the form of repeated extended posts published in the online discussion forums. Furthermore, analysis of student critical reflection essays also confirmed that the online discussion forums, with a deliberate use of the tools of the framework, had contributed to their development of critical thinking skills to deepen their understanding. This paper concludes with a recommendation for tutors of higher education to make the assessment of students’ critical reflection or critical thinking skills visible for students with a proposed conceptual framework for online discussion forums.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document