Engaging Ideas

• Shows how teachers can encourage inquiry, exploration, discussion, and debate in their courses.
• Presents a wide variety of strategies for stimulating active learning and for coaching writing and critical thinking.
• Offers teachers concrete advice on how to design courses, structure assignment, use class time, critique student performance, and model critical thinking activities.
• Demonstrates how writing can easily be integrated with such other critical thinking activities and inquiry discussions, simulation games, classroom debates, and interactive lectures.

A practical nuts and bolts guide for teachers from any discipline who want to design interest-provoking writing and critical thinking activities. Engaging Ideas:

• Shows how teachers can encourage inquiry, exploration, discussion, and debate in their courses.
• Presents a wide variety of strategies for stimulating active learning and for coaching writing and critical thinking.
• Offers teachers concrete advice on how to design courses, structure assignment, use class time, critique student performance, and model critical thinking activities.
• Demonstrates how writing can easily be integrated with such other critical thinking activities and inquiry discussions, simulation games, classroom debates, and interactive lectures.

JOHN C. BEAN is professor of English at Seattle University, where he directs the writing program and chairs the Task Force on Teaching and Learning. He is coauthor (with John D. Ramage) of Writing Arguments (3rd ed., 1995) and Form and Surprise in Composition (1986).