Beyond Standard Lectures: Supporting the Development of Critical Thinking in Cognitive Psychology Courses

Abstract

As cognitive psychologists, we have a keen interest in understanding how people learn. We also love teaching, as well as thinking and studying about how best to educate people. We believe that student learning is best facilitated through the careful and principled design of learning environments that foster the development of discipline-specific knowledge and skill, that increase student interest and motivation to study the discipline, and that support the development of lifelong learning skills and critical thinking. We base design decisions on principles of learning and cognition and by co-ordinating teaching strategies (i.e., pedagogy), domain content (e.g., memory and cognition), and assessment techniques. The cognitive literature indicates that students learn best when they are motivated, interested in the content, and challenged (e.g., Donovan, Bransford, & Pellegrino, 1999). To make content meaningful, faculty should also challenge students to relate class material to their lives and experiences. They should learn to think critically and evaluate claims made by professors, scientists, textbooks, and the media. To succeed, students must take responsibility for their education and learn to approach academic tasks strategically. Effective students are aware of the strategies they use and the extent to which they have understood material that they have just learned, listened to, or read. Research on memory and cognition has shown that effective learning occurs when people: ● build new understanding by adding onto and revising pre-existing knowledge ● distribute study over longer durations of time (instead of cramming the night before an exam, for instance) ● revisit the same material multiple times and from multiple perspectives ● analyze new knowledge for meaning and relevance ● link abstract concepts to concrete examples and experiences ● reflect on their thinking and learning and attempt to try new learning strategies.