Critical Thinking: Introduction and Activity (with extra slides suitable for nursing students)
These PowerPoint slides feature a brief but useful exercise aimed at engaging undergraduate students at level 6 in critical thinking. The activity involves unpacking the process and finding parallels with academic work and professional practice, specifically for nursing students. The surrounding slides provide guidance from the author on how to unpack the process. The slide notes include detailed scripts, which have been tried and tested during the Covid lockdown in 2022 and are suitable for delivering the activity as a large webinar. However, users may prefer a more flexible approach for face-to-face sessions. This activity is also effective in 1:1 tutorials and smaller workshops or Zoom meetings.
Please note that some of the content is specific to nursing programmes and aims to establish links between academic and professional skills. If the activity is not relevant to your programmes, you will need to remove placement-specific content.
Argumentation
This is a PPT with accompanying worksheet that gives students practice in forming a position on a topic (in this case eugenics) based on prompts and some preliminary reading.
Students can work through the slides and complete the worksheet autonomously or it can be used as an in-class activity. It has worked well as a pre-arrivals task, and gone on to form the basis of a discussion about the research process on arrival at university.
A gentle warning: The following slides contain information about the topic of eugenics, and ask you to consider examples of groups of people who have been treated as ‘unfit’, therefore the content should be delivered with caution and sensitivity.
Referencing exercises
A set of four referencing exercises, complete with answers. Exercises cover:1) Is a Reference Needed? 2) Where Should the Citations Go? 3) “I Didn’t Reference the Source Because…” 4) Referencing Errors.
Creative Learning Activity Cards
Creative Learning Activity Cards are an interactive teaching and learning resource for students of creative subjects at Foundation, BA or MA level to help scaffold student academic skills. This evidence-based resource consists of 50 activity cards divided into five sections of ten cards on: • Planning• Research• Thinking• Writing• Wild Card (includes tips for overcoming writer’s block, anxiety and procrastination, and building motivation) The cards can be used as materials in both online and face-to-face facilitated seminars or workshops, as the basis for teaching in lectures or as an independent study resource for students.To print you can use PowerPoint option of choosing number of slides per page, e.g. 4 slides per A4 and cut them out. You could also choose single page and print the desired ones to full A4 so they can be used as A4 handouts. Another option could be using photo paper, e.g. 10x15cm and print them individually (select 'fill whole page' option via printer setting).
Activity time:
Types of media: Worksheet, Slides, PowerPoint File, Interactive Learning Object
Freewriting
This resource encourages students to write on a given topic for a set amount of time. It is is designed to test information recall ability as well as help students improve their confidence in their writing ability.
Activity time: 20 Minutes
Types of media: Handout/s, Webpage, Helpsheet, Word Document
The CDE Presentation Model
A website hosting a number a number of staff and student resources to support the development of oral communication
Referencing exercises
A set of four referencing exercises, complete with answers. Exercises cover:
1) Is a Reference Needed?
2) Where Should the Citations Go?
3) “I Didn’t Reference the Source Because…”
4) Referencing Errors.
Learning Agreement
This resource features introductory notes and sample template for a learning agreement and supports students to identify activities within their work which could demonstrate their achievement of the learning outcomes. The resource is designed to be used with part-time adult educators, graduate teaching assistants and those who support learning in HE to form a framework for the development of a portfolio for assessment.
Developing an Action Plan for Independent Learning
Worksheet to support students to outline an structured action plan for their studies. This resource provides a template to encourage students to be effective independent learners, able to identify: what they want to learn; the best ways for them to learn what they want to learn; and how to demonstrate learning.
Work-based Learning Contracts
This resource provides customisable templates for learning contracts together with a commentary on their use in a community work and youth work context.
Critical Reflection Forms
30 minutes
Observing Conversations
This resource offers a session plan, which aims to help students develop conversation styles and techniques, based on effective use of questioning styles and to appreciate the impact of body language. This activity is designed to be used in a workshop relating to listening and interpersonal skills, particularly relating to active listening, establishing and maintaining conversations and the impact of body language.
Questioning Styles
15 minutes
Listening Skills Audit
This short activity helps students assess their own listening skills. The audit can be completed either online or on paper
Activity time: 10 Minutes
Types of media: Handout/s, Interactive Learning Object, Quiz
Focusing on the functions and qualities of writing using Wrasse
A classroom activity, designed to help students recognise the broad functions of academic writing
What’s the difference between description and critical analysis?
What's the difference between description and critical analysis?
Visual Learning website
A website hosting a number a number of staff and student resources to support the development of visual learning
Oral Communication website
A website hosting a number a number of staff and student resources to support the development of oral communication
Academic writing for reports
A group editorial activity aimed at highlighting examples of bad practice in academic writing. Presents the opportunty to make selective changes in order to develop academic writing skills.
Organise your report
A classroom activity in which the participant must rearrange a jumbled list of report sections. Includes two list examples.
Identify the sections of a report
A classroom activity which helps to develop understanding of the reasons why reports are organised as they are. Further to this, it highlights the differing writing styles appropriate for each section.
Identify the audience and purpose
A classroom activity showing the importance of tailoring writing for a specific audience. Downloads can be adapted to be subject specific.
Academic writing with free writing
Workshop activities on academic writing, including a powerpoint download outlining activities.
Activity time: Activities range from 1-10 minutes.
Types of media: PowerPoint File
Getting started with writing
This resource includes ideas for initiating discussions about writing with students, and facilitates the opportunity to begin writing assignments during the activity.
Draw to Learn
A workshop designed to show how drawing and visually representing objects or themes can help to support learning and increase creativity. Includes links to the theory behind creative/visual practices.
Activity time: 2-3 hours workshop, plus extra curricular feedback time.
Types of media:
Reviewing your notes
A series of suggestion on how to engage students in effective notemaking at appropriate times.
Brainstorming notetaking
A short description of an end of teaching period activity which encourages students to take notes.
Making Group-work Work
An online video resource following a group of students through their group work project. It features ten episodes, each of which includes reflection and discussion points, and links to further information and activities. It can be used as part of a tutor-led session, or for students' independent learning.
Activity time: 2 Hours
Types of media: Interactive Learning Object, Flash Resource
Group organisation
A classroom exercise in group organisation. Students are asked to create a template agenda for use in their project meetings.
Team rules exercise
An activity to get students thinking about what group rules they might want to set for the project groups.
Assignment Paraphrase
Based on the Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) approach, this resource prompts students to consider the assignment question and discuss the ways in which they would answer it prior to beginning writing. A full understanding of the assignment title or question is crucial to obtain the best possible mark.
Activity time: 20 minutes
Types of media: Handout/s, Webpage, Helpsheet, Word Document
The Three Liner
This resource provides an activity which aims to ensure students stay focused on the essay question. Students answer the essay question with a one-word answer, and then expand on this forming a basis for each paragraph, and so on.
Activity time: 20 Minutes
Types of media: Handout/s, Webpage, Helpsheet, Word Document
Dealing with distractions
This is a resource includes tips and an idea for a peer-group activity which aims to help students find solutions for any work distractions.
Getting yourself informed
This is a resource includes tips and an idea for an activity which encourages independent learning through effective time management and organisational skills.
Activity time: 20 minutes
Types of media: Handout/s, Webpage, Helpsheet, Word Document
Breaking bad habits: what do you need to change?
This is a resource includes tips and an idea for a peer-group activity aimed at sharing strategies to combat poor time management.