Enough empirical evidence is present to strengthen the point that variety of teaching/learning strategies or methodologies help in fostering critical thinking (CT) among students; either these are active learning strategies or engaging students in a manner by simply asking questions that promote inquisitiveness, truth seeking and logical reasoning.

From my personal experience, while I was taking my critical thinking course, teacher who taught us critical thinking, deliberately uses strategies (active strategies as well as other strategies) to achieve the course objective of fostering critical thinking among students. She encouraged us to be creative as much possible, while doing learning tasks in class rooms or online, as we could be in summarizing the research article on critical thinking through writing poem, or presenting a model or giving power point presentation in a manner that get audience attention, promote CT and higher order thinking skills. jigsaw strategy was also used in class room.

An image or picture is shown on the slide in class room, and then discussion was around what you saw in this picture?, what theme this particular picture is carrying? Can you explain it logically? did this picture made you think?

Furthermore, we have to interview a faculty (it is active strategy), and then in 250 words we have to describe, analyse and evaluate it. All our work was assessed by Paul critical thinking framework that includes elements of reasoning, intellectual standards and intellectual traits (https://www.criticalthinking.org/files/Concepts_Tools.pdf); in this way, we have to deliberately put extra efforts to be ,accurate, precise, specific, relevant and list is pretty much lengthy.

In another written assignment (though, this is not active strategy), we have to select article where researcher has deliberately used some teaching strategy to enhance critical thinking among students, then we have to select article where critical thinking assessment tool was used , we have to critique this tool for extent of presence of critical thinking skills and dispositions in this tool; and if some CT skills and dispositions were not present then we have to incorporate them with support of literature. These written assignments were pretty much brain stimulating, and at the end we realized that yes! we have achieved some level of critical thinking skill.

Assignments with open ended components, where not a single answer or solution is possible, makes students think through multiple perspectives; that leads them to balanced analysis, evaluation and multiple solutions for some issue/problem ( Alfrey, K., & Cooney, E. (2009). Developing a rubric to assess critical thinking in assignments with an open-ended component. In American Society for Engineering Education. American Society for Engineering Education).

Structured academic controversy is another strategy to improve CT among students.

In essence, all types of strategies can be used to improve CT among students but how we implement these strategies; that makes a difference.

Reference: Nelson, L. P., & Crow, M. L. (2014). Do active-learning strategies improve students’ critical thinking?. Higher Education Studies, 4(2), 77.

Walker, S. E. (2003). Active learning strategies to promote critical thinking. Journal of athletic training, 38(3), 263.

Prince, M. (2004). Does active learning work? A review of the research. Journal of engineering education, 93(3), 223-231.

Burbach, M. E., Matkin, G. S., & Fritz, S. M. (2004). Teaching critical thinking in an introductory leadership course utilizing active learning strategies: A confirmatory study. College Student Journal, 38(3).

Bean, J. C. (2011). Engaging ideas: The professor's guide to integrating writing, critical thinking, and active learning in the classroom. John Wiley & Sons.

http://www.teachhub.com/teaching-strategies-promote-critical-thinking

https://www.criticalthinking.org/files/Concepts_Tools.pdf

http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/applied-disciplines-a-critical-thinking-model-for-engineerin/578

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