Approaches to Learning: Encouraging Risk-taking to Advance Critical Thinking

(F Feb 12, 1pm-2:30pm Eastern Standard Time)

Risk-taking with deliberation and a defined outcome is a characteristic of good decision-making, however, blind risk-taking based on impulsivity is not. But how do we encourage this attribute in our students such that they gain the benefits it brings in innovation and invention without the pitfalls of recklessness? The secret lies in making thinking visible. In this 1.5-hour workshop, participants will use techniques for defining goals, making predictions, and justifying actions as a repeatable method of encouraging reflective risk-taking. We will use examples to see how these methods might be employed then modify the activities to fit our own subject areas. The techniques taught in this workshop can be utilized in either a remote or in-person classroom.