Critical Thinking for Better Learning

Carole L. Hamilton is a retired English teacher and debate coach who has researched teaching and learning for twenty years. Her focus has been in analogy-making, inductive lessons, and threshold concepts.

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroduction Section I:How Students Learn Best Chapter 1: We Learn through Analogies Section II:Why Much of Our Teaching is Ineffective Chapter 2: How We Should (and Should Not) Teach Section III: Teaching to the Student’s Natural Learning Style Chapter 3: Where to Focus: Identify Threshold Concepts Chapter 4:What to Teach: Choose Topics and Texts that Exemplify Threshold ConceptsChapter 5:How to Teach: Design Lessons that Compel Students to Confront their Misconceptions Chapter 6:How to Assess: Design Ways to Gauge Students’ Critical Thinking ConclusionAppendix A: How People Learn Appendix B: Analogy as the Core of Cognition Appendix C: Student Retention with Schemas and Analogies Appendix D: Threshold Concepts Appendix E: Sample Threshold Concepts and SkillsAppendix F: Sample Student Challenges Appendix G: How to Assess Critical Thinking Recommended Reading/Viewing References