Engaging Students' Intellects: The Immersion Approach to Critical Thinking in Psychology Instruction

Abstract

Critical thinking has been defined as a disposition of reflective skepticism. This article describes an approach to the teaching of psychology that is aimed at fostering this disposition. The goal is to teach in such a way that students define their task as thinking about the ideas of psychology, not simply memorizing psychological information. The methods include (a) using ideas as the units of the course, (b) modeling thought in lectures and other classroom activities, (c) teaching study techniques that involve elaborative rather than rote rehearsal, (d) holding discussion meetings at which students really contribute, and (e) testing and grading in a way that rewards thought and discourages rote memory.