How to Help Students Think Critically in the College Classroom: State, Elaborate, Exemplify, and Illustrate Activity

As I mentioned in a recent blog post, I’ve been working on some face-to-face classroom activities (that I’ve also tried out with my online classes) to help my students answer and analyze questions/concepts more thoroughly in future assignments.

After experimenting a little bit, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the results.

Any instructor, regardless of what course you teach, can use this State, Elaborate, Exemplify, and Illustrate (or ‘SEE-I’) activity to guide students in breaking down and further understanding most course concepts; I may also start recommending it to students as an effective approach to studying.

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Below is the activity I used in my classroom to help students better appreciate the importance of ‘audience analysis,’ which is a crucial concept to grasp and apply in public speaking. After the SEE-I activity, I even had them give 1-minute-long impromptu speeches to speak about topics that would appeal most to their audience, as a way to show their new understanding of being an audience-centered speaker.

The following SEE-I activity can be easily implemented into any course to help guide students in their critical thinking- I highly recommend giving it a shot in your own classroom!

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SPC 1608 Critical Thinking (SEE-I) Activity

Please read the following directions and examples carefully to do the assignment correctly. Good luck!

Directions:

• Read through the ‘audience analysis’ section of your textbook to gain a deeper understand of the concept (pgs. 34-44)

• Answer the following 5 questions in 1-3 sentences each:

What characteristics did you consider or “analyze” about your audience before you chose your Informative Speech topic and the content you would speak about?

How did you do this?

Why did you do this?

Was it helpfull?

Is there anything else you might consider analyzing for your next speech?

(Keep in in mind, answers will vary!)

• Fill in the following 4 components as they relate to ‘audience analysis’ using at least one thorough sentence (except for #2 which will required more)

1. State the concept or idea in a single sentence or two.

Clearly state/define the concept: ______________

2. Elaborate on the concept in your own words. Explain it at greater length in 3 or more sentences.

Clarify the concept in your own words:______________ (ie. “In other words,. . .”)

3. Exemplify the concept by giving concrete examples (and counter examples) of the concept.

Specify the concept by giving at least one specific example: _______________ (ie. “For example, . . .”)

4. Illustrate the concept with a picture, diagram, metaphor, or analogy.

Draw something, find an existing picture, or create a picture-in-words, such as with a metaphor or analogy: _____________ (ie. “It’s like …”)

 

Here are some examples of the student work from my online class:

1. State the concept or idea in a single sentence or two.

•       Clearly state/define the concept:

Student answer: Analyzing the audience’s attitudes and values before choosing a speech topic is helpful.

2. Elaborate on the concept in your own words. Explain it at greater length in 3 or

more sentences.

•       Clarify the concept in your own words:

Student answer: In other words, considering what’s important/ unimportant to your audience will leave them engaged. Also considering how your audience may feel about your speech will influence how they’ll respond to you. Considering these small details leaves you with an audience that will be engaged and an easy way to chose a topic because you can base it off of  your audience.

3. Exemplify the concept by giving concrete examples (and counter examples) of the concept.

•       Specify the concept by giving at least one specific example:

Student answer: For example, if you have an audience that values education, you might decide to give an informative speech about a new scholarship. This will lead to most of your audience members being engaged and having a positive attitude towards this topic. A bad example would be if you are going to give a speech about Instagram, and most of your audience doesn’t know what Instagram is then they’ll feel disconnected from the topic.

(*Note: The ‘Illustrate’ part was my favorite, and I think it was my students’ favorite as well, so I’ve included a few extra student answers below)

4. Illustrate the concept with a picture, diagram, metaphor, or analogy.

•       Draw something, find an existing picture, or create a picture-in-words, such as with a metaphor or analogy:

Student answer: Analyzing your audience before choosing a speech topic is like opening the door before getting into your car.

Student answer: Analyzing your audience before presenting your speech is like tying your shoes before going on a run; it can save you from a fall, or a sprained ankle.

Student answer: Analyzing your audience before choosing the topic of your speech is like cooking. If you don’t know the ingredients, you are bound to make an awful dish. However, if you do know the right ingredients to use, people will end up loving it.

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I hope this activity helps your students to become more critical thinkers, and helps you add even more depth to your lessons.

Happy teaching!