Professor Highlight | Kenneth Novak, Ph.D.

Adjunct Professor | Philosophy | St. Ambrose University

Template: Student-led discussion board with critical thinking markers

Video: How Ken helps students “think about thinking” with critical thinking markers

Detailed Walkthrough

Ken breaks students into groups of 4 or 6 and instructs them to use Lucidspark to create 50-minute discussions that they will lead for the rest of the class.  During these student-led discussions it is important for students to reflect on their own thinking and discussions to make sure they are expanding their thinking by considering things such as evaluating their resources, questioning deep-seated assumptions, considering opposing points of view, and discussing the historical or global perspectives.

The main point of why we’re doing what we’re doing is to give students the opportunity to discover, develop, and hone skills that students should be able to use for the rest of their lives.  It helps students focus on how we think, not just what we think.