One of the most important aspects of a comprehensive education involves teaching students to analyze arguments and form their own opinions based on available information. Visual and graphical mapping strategies are useful in helping students to consider problems from a variety of perspectives. Cases on Teaching Critical Thinking through Visual Representation Strategies brings together research from scholars and professionals in the field of education to provide new insights into the use of visual aids for student development in reasoning and critical thinking. This essential reference source will enable academics, researchers, and practitioners in fields such as education, business, and technology to more effectively foster students critical thinking skills."

Preparing students to become informed, critical consumers of research, this accessible text builds essential skills for understanding research reports, evaluating the implications for evidence-based practice, and communicating findings to different audiences. It demystifies qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods designs and provides step-by-step procedures for judging the strengths and limitations of any study. Excerpts from real research reports are used as opportunities to develop methodological knowledge and practice analytic skills. Based on sound pedagogic principles, the text is structured for diverse learning styles: visual learners (concept maps, icons), active learners (building-block exercises and templates for writing), and story learners (examples, reading guides, and reflections). Pedagogical Features *Rubrics, checklists of steps to take, and reading guides that walk students through analyzing different types of research articles. *Journal abstracts with questions that home in on key aspects of a study. *Exemplars of each type of study, with descriptions of methodological and design choices. *End-of-chapter skills-building exercises that lead up to writing a research review essay. *Chapter appendices featuring sample responses to the exercises.

Preparing students to become informed, critical consumers of research, this accessible text builds essential skills for understanding research reports, evaluating the implications for evidence-based practice, and communicating findings to different audiences. It demystifies qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods designs and provides step-by-step procedures for judging the strengths and limitations of any study. Excerpts from real research reports are used as opportunities to develop methodological knowledge and practice analytic skills. Based on sound pedagogic principles, the text is structured for diverse learning styles: visual learners (concept maps, icons), active learners (building-block exercises and templates for writing), and story learners (examples, reading guides, and reflections). Pedagogical Features *Rubrics, checklists of steps to take, and reading guides that walk students through analyzing different types of research articles. *Journal abstracts with questions that home in on key aspects of a study. *Exemplars of each type of study, with descriptions of methodological and design choices. *End-of-chapter skills-building exercises that lead up to writing a research review essay. *Chapter appendices featuring sample responses to the exercises.