Targeted Critical Thinking: Effective Use of Critical Thinking Activities

Library instruction can be primed for failure if participants believe librarians have a canned answer for every research effort. Instruction must take place with an understanding of the unique needs of first-year classes and assignments relative to higher level classes and their assignments. Efforts to incorporate critical thinking exercises in suboptimal research efforts contribute to instruction-fatigue for students and librarians. This workshop will embrace the K-12 strategy of identifying the scope and sequence ideal for teaching library research techniques.It will consider appropriate courses and assignments in which to apply critical thinking activities and present ideas for optimizing assignments. Participants will have an opportunity to compare courses and assignments in their own institutions then determine which critical thinking activities are most suitable for their students’ needs