Thinking workshop educates students, faculty, staff

ALPINE Motivational speaker Vicki Vernon Lott encouraged Sul Ross State University students, faculty and staff to enhance critical thinking skills during a Jan. 30 workshop.

The workshop in the University Center was a part of the Sul Ross Quality Enhancement Program.

Lott, vice president of Academic Affairs at Lane College in Jackson, Tenn., directed the workshop entitled "Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum," which was aimed at improving teaching and learning methods among students and professors.

"Our two main goals are to improve our thinking and to guide our students to critical thinking and goals such as graduation," Lott said.

Barney Nelson, Sul Ross associate professor of English and QEP director, invited Lott to Sul Ross after taking part in previous presentations.

"I invited Lott because I had heard and/or seen her present three very successful sessions at SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) conferences (a workshop, a roundtable discussion, and a formal talk)," Nelson said.      

"The workshop she presented here was very different from what I had seen and heard before," Nelson said. "I'm wondering if part of what she tried to do was help some of us realize what our own classrooms might sometimes feel like to our students or to give a confidence boost to those whose classrooms might be more engaging and active like her ending activity."

The idea of teaching in and out of the classroom was expressed during the workshop. Professors were encouraged to use elements outside of the classroom to find something students can relate to. After clarifying the difference between remembering and memorization, Lott explained why this method will help the students retain what they have learned in the future.

"Critical thinking is an art and a science," Lott said. "If we don't guide it, then it can become poor."

Lott stressed that practice is a major part of maintaining critical thinking. In an effort to explain the importance of practice, Lott made reference to singing legends Patti LaBelle and Aretha Franklin, who after more than 20 years in the music business still practice with a vocal coach regularly. 

During the workshop, Lott elaborated on certain points that could help students and professors with critical thinking. She stressed six terms throughout the day that were important for critical thinking: egocentrism, attitude, humility, empathy, clarity and perspective.

"We can use these skills in developing student leaders," Lott said.

The workshop also clarified excerpts from the Sul Ross QEP, which Lott read aloud and explained.

 "Tailor it to your own circumstances," she said. "As instructors, we need to know what critical thinking is." Lott spoke on everything from essential intellectual traits to ego-centric to attitude and related topics. She referred to them as "tools in the tool boxes," and provided a number of ways to organize them.

 "Critical thinking is trying to organize what we already know," she said. "Organize tools we have into tool boxes. You have all the tools, but not all tools conducted a group exercise that she uses with her students involving attitude.

"According to the evaluations, the most helpful and best part was almost unanimously the interactive activity at the end. Several planned to try the activity to help students understand difficult concepts, but many of the participants had gone on to other commitments by that time," Nelson said. "Also, those who completed evaluations all had different answers to the question about which part of the workshop they might use. The evaluations had several good suggestions about what to try next. Most people want us to just talk to each other now."

Since the workshop, Nelson is excited to see how students will respond during the upcoming QEP Students Conference. The workshop has inspired Sul Ross to send faculty members to workshops at other universities in the near future.

"We will also be sending Justin Badgerow to a critical thinking workshop at Berkeley soon," Nelson said. "Maybe he will bring back the answers!"

Nelson, along with others in attendance, felt the workshop served a purpose: to explain critical thinking and how it can help both faculty and students. "The workshop's purpose was to introduce participants to critical thinking: what it is and how to encourage it in the classroom and in our own thinking habits," she said.