Using Ignorance Questions to Promote Thinking Skills

Carroll, David W.

doi:10.1207/s15328023top2802_05

Cited by 10 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Results showed that when students completed the four questions prior to the quiz, their performance on the quiz was significantly better than when students completed the four questions after the quiz. Results suggest that when students spend time thinking and elaborating on the material in multiple ways, their performance on comprehension tests improves, consistent with prior research (e.g., Anderson, 1978;Carroll, 2001;DeRosa, 1988;Hyde & Jenkins, 1969;Kolers, 1979;Roediger et al, 2002). Moreover, students perceived that the four-questions technique successfully met its objectives and they enjoyed responding to the questions.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

“…A third way to promote deeper thinking is questioning, whereby students generate a question they still have about the material, thus encouraging deeper processing of the material. Carroll (2001) found that students reported favorable attitudes toward having to generate questions about course content. In a review of the cognitive psychology literature, Anderson (1978) found strong support for the role of question generation in improving memory.…”

Section: Using the Four-questions Technique To Enhance Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Using the Four-Questions Technique to Enhance Learning

Dietz‐Uhler

Lanter

2009

Teaching of Psychology

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To assess the effect of a 4-question reflective learning technique on quiz performance, students engaged in an interactive activity, responded to 4 questions to encourage analyzing (i.e., what was learned), reflecting (i.e., why it is important), relating (i.e., how the material related to their personal lives), and generating (i.e., what questions they now have about the material), and took a quiz on the studied material. Quiz performance was better for students who responded to the 4 questions prior to the quiz than for those who did so after the quiz. Students also perceived the 4-question technique to be enjoyable and successful in meeting its objectives. We discuss how this simple technique effectively promotes students' understanding and memory.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Using the Four-questions Technique To Enhance Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using the Four-Questions Technique to Enhance Learning

Dietz‐Uhler

Lanter

2009

Teaching of Psychology

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“…Other research suggests that the combination of brief writing with discussion may be more effective pedagogically than discussion alone. For instance, class discussion can be facilitated by having students prepare questions (Carroll, 2001) and talking points prior to class (Connor-Greene, 2005).Our study expanded on previous research in several ways. First, we used the minute-paper technique with topics typically reserved for discussions and for which there are no "right" answers.…”

mentioning

confidence: 84%

Keeping it Short and Sweet: Brief, Ungraded Writing Assignments Facilitate Learning

Drabick

Weisberg

Paul

et al. 2007

Teaching of Psychology

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Can short, ungraded, free-writing assignments promote learning of course material? We randomly assigned introductory psychology recitation sections (N = 978 students) to writing or thinking conditions. For all sections, teaching assistants presented students with a discussion topic based in current coursework. Students either wrote or thought about the topic for 5 min. All sections then discussed the topic for approximately 10 min. Exams included questions related to the discussion topics. Students in the writing condition attended class more often and performed better on factual and conceptual multiple-choice exam questions than students in the thinking condition, even after controlling for measures of student quality. The results suggested that brief free writing improved factual and conceptual learning.Active learning, described as more learner-than content-centered, leads to better retention of course material than passive learning and includes such techniques as writing and class discussion (Yoder & Hochevar, 2005). Writing promotes critical and flexible thinking, develops expressive abilities, facilitates reflecting on course content, and encourages students to develop their own perspectives (Bensley & Haynes, 1995;Wade, 1995;Waller, 1994). Classroom discussion provides many similar benefits, including promoting and modeling critical thinking and developing expressive abilities (Connor-Greene, 2005;Dallimore, Hertenstein, & Platt, 2004;King, 1995). Despite these benefits, incorporating active learning techniques into the classroom is not necessarily easy. Writing assignments are often perceived as onerous for students to carry out and for educators to grade (Madigan & Brosamer, 1991). Common concerns about holding classroom discussion include the many students who are reluctant to participate and the quality of students' responses (Connor-Greene, 2005;Dallimore et al., 2004).Our study evaluated the combination of nononerous in-class writing and related class discussion. The writing component builds on the minute-paper technique described by Angelo and Cross (1993). Minute papers entail students' writing for several minutes in class in response to a specific question, such as what students found unclear or most valuable from a previous lecture (Angelo & Cross, 1993;Dunn, 1994). Minute papers confer many of the benefits of writing described earlier (Stead, 2005). In addition, because minute papers are not graded, students are more likely to focus on content and clarity of expression, rather than formal aspects of writing, such as spelling and grammar (MacKinnon-Slaney, 1991).Little research has examined modifications of the minute-paper technique. A notable exception (Butler, Phillmann, & Smart, 2001) combined minute papers and the think-pairshare technique to create CARDS, so named because students use index cards with this strategy. Specifically, students write responses to a question that addresses a specific psychological concept, exchange responses with partners, and discuss responses in small g...

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“…Elaboration of the material, which involves interpreting information, connecting it with other information, and mulling it over is an important aspect of deeper encoding of information. Other techniques that strengthen encoding and that promote deeper thinking are conscious retrieval of the information, practice that is distributed in time (Smith & Kosslyn, 2007), and generation of questions about the material (e.g., Carroll, 2001;Dietz-Uhler & Lanter, 2009). In addition, distinctiveness, and information that is selfreferenced facilitate memory for course content (e.g., Cherney, 2008;Hartlep & Forsyth, 2000;Roediger, Gallo, & Geraci, 2002;VanderStoep, Fagerlin, & Feenstra, 2000).…”

Section: Why Is Active Learning Important?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Active Learning

2016

The SAGE Encyclopedia of Online Education

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Using Ignorance Questions to Promote Thinking Skills

Cited by 10 publications

References 12 publications

Using the Four-Questions Technique to Enhance Learning

Using the Four-Questions Technique to Enhance Learning

Keeping it Short and Sweet: Brief, Ungraded Writing Assignments Facilitate Learning

Active Learning

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