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Teaching and Learning Centre

Pedagogical competence in higher education

Critical thinking

Line segment

Goal: structuring thoughts and opinions, critical thinking
Length:
Group size: any
Materials: –

Preparations:
Create discussion points that can have a “strongly agree”/ ”strongly disagree” reaction.
Make space in the classroom so students can walk to two sides.

Online adaption:

Create a whiteboard with one of the various whiteboard tools. Put “strongly agree” and “strongly disagree” on either side of the whiteboard and let students place themselves somewhere in between.

External link:

See TUNI Digital Toolkit for whiteboard tips.

How to:

  1. Students form a line in the classroom.
  2. Pose a discussion point to the students. They then walk through the classroom and take a stand on the topic. This can be on the “strongly agree”, “strongly disagree” or somewhere in the middle.
  3. Start a discussion with the students on their views and opinions on the topic.
  4. Repeat until all topics are discussed.

 

Peer review

Goal: critical thinking, feedback
Length: 30 minutes
Group size: pairs
Materials: –

How to:

  1. After an assignment, report or project, ask the students to form a pair with another student.
  2. Ask the students to give feedback on each other’s work. This can happen synchronously (during class time) or asynchronously (through discussion forums on LMS or email).
  3. After the feedback is given, it is recommended to let the students discuss the feedback with each other.

Fishbowl

Goal: critical thinking, knowledge building
Length: 30–40 minutes
Group size: any
Materials: –

Preparations:
Creating open-ended questions on the central topic of the class that lead to a discussion.

External links:

Fishbowl strategy, California State University Chico
60-Second Strategy: Fishbowl Discussion, Edutopia (video 1:00 min)

How to:

  1. Introduce the topic to the class and explain as needed.
  2. Ask 4-5 students to take place around a table in the middle of the class. All the other students stand or sit around in the outer circle and are now observers. In the case of a big group, it is recommended to make multiple “fishbowls”.
  3. The observer students are to remain quiet, observe and take notes. Not only on what is being discussed but also on how the information is conveyed.
  4. The facilitator (who can be the teacher or a student) also takes place at the table. They don’t participate in the discussion but ask questions to deepen the discussion.
  5. There is one open seat at the table. Any student from the outer circle can take place at the table and join the discussion. The other students within the fishbowl will be rotated so all the students have a chance to participate.
    Time: 15-30 minutes
  6. Optional: After the discussion, divide the class into smaller groups. Students can discuss the discussions and their observations. They can, for example, suggest ways to convey arguments more convincingly.
  7. At the end, start a group discussion on the topic and talk about how it went.