Desigining a course: Critical thinking and Media (1799-5)

The world is constantly engaged – or rather, immersed – in media. It could be the perfect platform for students to apply some thinking and ‘see’ the reality behind media. This formed the basis for our team assignment. As my team partner, Gus and I discussed how to teach critical thinking skills, it dawned on us that kids these days ‘believe’ a lot of what they see and hear on media (besides Santa of course!). We could either hold media responsible for ‘dumbing down’ their thinking or actually put it to use to encourage their reasoning and critical thinking.

We read a chapter from the book Designing Instruction for Technology-Enhanced Learning. The chapter discussed the structure and organization of a higher-ed course set up in a blended learning format. A point that really struck me in the reading was creating an opportunity for students to experience a variety of different tasks and activities. Often, when using online forums, it is very easy to get into the rut of posting text and reading papers. We totally lose out on the multiple intelligences theory and diversity of learners. However, while using online platforms, it is just as simple – if not easier, actually – to utilize audio and video resources and to harness the power of Internet to connect with field experts.

For the course design, the types of activities we organized were influenced in part by the activities in the present course. Free exploration and exchange of ideas guide the direction of our assignments here. While doing some independent academic research, I read that “the methods of constructivism emphasize development of learners’ ability in solving their real life problems. As a result, problem solving and free discovery come together” (Huang, 2002). On the same lines, we wanted to ensure that the course we design allowed for sufficient flexibility for students to exercise their own opinions and perspectives around the topic being taught.

So, the course design we have in mind will give students an opportunity to explore, discuss and evaluate some media forms (like music, Reality Shows, ads etc) on the basis of a Critical Thinking Framework that will be taught and reinforced. It already looks and sounds like a course I might want to teach!