"In this book, the author integrates the critical thinking movement with the writing-across-the-curriculum movement to create a practical nuts-and-bolts guide to designing interest-provoking writing and critical thinking activities. He shows how teachers from any discipline can incorporate these activities into their courses in a way that encourages inquiry, exploration, discussion, and debate. The third edition of Engaging Ideas uses recent research and theory to encourage instructors to think beyond exams, to focus less on instructor response to student writing by coaching students to use self-assessment and peer response, and to explore alternatives to traditional grading such as portfolio assessment and contract grading. Throughout, the book also includes expanded coverage of social media, multimodal genres, and uses of digital technology in the classroom. Treating writing assignments as only one of many ways to present critical thinking problems to students, Engaging Ideas also shows how writing can easily be integrated with such other critical thinking activities as inquiry discussions, simulation games, classroom debates, and interactive lectures. Engaging Ideas, Third Edition shows how these and other activities can transform students from passive to active learners, deepening their understanding of the subject matter while helping them learn the thinking processes of the discipline"-- Provided by publisher.

Using writing to promote thinking : a busy professor's guide to the whole book --How writing is related to critical thinking -- Helping writers think rhetorically -- Formal writing assignments situated in rhetorical contexts -- Informal, exploratory writing activities -- Designing tasks to promote active thinking and learning -- Helping students read mindfully across the disciplines -- Using small groups to coach thinking and teach disciplinary argument -- Bringing more critical thinking into lectures and discussions -- Designing and sequencing assignments to teach undergraduate research -- Helping students use self-assessment and peer review to promote revision and reflection -- Using rubrics to develop and apply grading criteria -- Coaching the writing process and handling the paper load -- Providing effective and efficient feedback -- Responding to grammar and other sentence-level concerns -- Alternatives to traditional grading : portfolio assessment and contract grading.