Critical Thinking Faculty Learning Community: Level I

Are you struggling in your efforts to motivate your students to learn for themselves?  Are you tired of asking your students to include specific details or components in an assignment, but they rarely or never do so?  Or are you tired of wondering why it’s so difficult for students to grasp a concept or learn a skill?  If one or more of these statements (or ones similar to them) apply to you, we invite you to consider infusing critical thinking into your classroom. Ferris faculty experts will provide guidance and assistance to help make doing this easy and comfortable.

This is the first in a series of three learning communities that lead to certification in critical thinking, and inclusion into the Critical Thinking Institute at Ferris State University.  The Level I Critical Thinking Faculty Learning Community is intended to give you a well-rounded background in all of the areas that are encompassed by the term critical thinking.  At the completion of Level I, you will:

    1. Be familiar with critical thinking terminology

    2. Be able to use basic critical thinking concepts in instructing the content of your classes

    3. Be able to use various activities in class to focus students on the value of thinking critically

    4. Possess a basic portfolio of tactics to teach critical thinking in your classes and activities.

Faculty who fully participate in all sessions and complete the portfolio will be awarded a $500 PDI. Meeting dates and times will determined relative to the schedules of interested faculty members.

To participate in this Faculty Learning Community, please contact Lauri Daniels by e-mail at danielsl@ferris.edu.  If you have questions about the community, please contact Donna Smith at Donna_Smith@ferris.edu or George Nagel at nagelg@ferris.edu.