Cooperative Discussions for Critical Thinking

Abstract

Cooperative discussions are useful for several reasons, including engaging students in course content, building their communication and social skills, and adding variety to instruction. However, cooperative discussions are also an important means of developing students' critical thinking abilities because students must consider multiple perspectives, justify their points using evidence, and evaluate their own and their peers' thinking. This chapter offers a theoretical rationale for using cooperative discussion protocols in the pre-service university classroom, as well as tips for planning and assessing discussions. Additionally, multiple discussion protocols, including protocols for activating prior knowledge, text-based discussions, and deeper learning, are described using actual examples from the authors' experience as teacher educators.