Introducing Habits of Critical Inquiry Across Academic Disciplines
Abstract
First-year college students are introduced to habits and practices of academic inquiry that are novel to them but expected throughout their college experience. Though the forms of academic inquiry are rarely made explicit, introductory courses are tasked not only with teaching disciplinary knowledge, but also the basic character of intellectual life that is shared across disciplines. Our lesson study project was designed to help students identify and articulate the forms of inquiry through annotated readings and guided discussion. We will share our lesson plan; the results of our study employed in anthropology, philosophy and geology first-year writing seminars; and the challenges and possibilities we six instructors discovered through this multidisciplinary SoTL project. Participants will discuss the practices of academic inquiry in their classrooms, contribute to a shared list of its characteristics and obstacles, and develop strategies to modify our lesson plan for their own classrooms.
Location
Room 115
Recommended Citation
Nisselson, Rachel; Chick, Nancy; Claiborne, Lily; and Edmonds, Jeff, "Introducing Habits of Critical Inquiry Across Academic Disciplines" (2013). SoTL Commons Conference. 47.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/sotlcommons/SoTL/2013/47
Introducing Habits of Critical Inquiry Across Academic Disciplines
Room 115
First-year college students are introduced to habits and practices of academic inquiry that are novel to them but expected throughout their college experience. Though the forms of academic inquiry are rarely made explicit, introductory courses are tasked not only with teaching disciplinary knowledge, but also the basic character of intellectual life that is shared across disciplines. Our lesson study project was designed to help students identify and articulate the forms of inquiry through annotated readings and guided discussion. We will share our lesson plan; the results of our study employed in anthropology, philosophy and geology first-year writing seminars; and the challenges and possibilities we six instructors discovered through this multidisciplinary SoTL project. Participants will discuss the practices of academic inquiry in their classrooms, contribute to a shared list of its characteristics and obstacles, and develop strategies to modify our lesson plan for their own classrooms.
