Ironies of Effective Teaching: Deep Structure Learning and Constructions of the Classroom

Abstract

This paper first reviews deep structure learning objectives-those capacities and skills that cognitive developmentalist research identifies as prerequisite to critical thinking. After exploring the implications for sociology curriculum, the author briefly summarizes some of the kinds of strategies that foster deep structure learning. The bulk of the paper then examines a number of ironies that exist for instructors who employ strategies that enhance critical thinking. The ironies of effective teaching arise because instructors and students socially construct the classroom and the teaching/learning exchange quite differently.