From Writing at the Threshold Larry Weinstein (NCTE, 2001)
· Before passing out the syllabus, have them write their hunches, showing the inquiring mind.
· Explain the difference between a reflective journal and a diary. Keep it in three ring notebook in an out of class.
· In-Class Think Tanks: Supervised Practice in College-Level Inquiry
o Students experience moving into the thick of it and discovering difficulties. The aim is not to come up with a neat explanation but to gain a respect for its complexity, to develop a taste for fact and information and a tolerance for answers that apply in some contexts but not in others or that point up the need for new questions. (Mina Shaughnessy 1977
· Think tank on short poems, eg. ‘The Red Wheelbarrow’ and other short difficult passages (e.g. Freud, Darwin, excerpts from novels, Collins’ proposal), or data from Pew and Gallup polls
o Have students ‘think on paper’ or transcribe their thinking’
o After five minutes, have a ‘cross infusion’ aloud
o Give students good, intensive practice in inquiry and thinking
· Field Trip to the library with a question or two and then browse, then read then blog
· Interviewing skills
