Shannon Roach holds a Masters in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from the University of Minnesota. She is an experienced educator and teacher trainer. Her experience internationally includes her time as and English Language Fellow in Central Asia, as well as her work at universities in Morocco, France, and China. Most recently, she was the Coordinator of the Intensive English Program (IEP) and Lecturer in the Department of Languages at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. Beyond the classroom, Shannon actively engages in mentoring and training instructors and pre-service teachers, supports study abroad programs, and collaborates in the development of content, curriculum, and courses that support both instructors and English language learners across disciplines.

Thinking Creatively to Think Critically

The purpose of this workshop will be to demonstrate how encouraging students to think creatively can help lead students to thinking critically. As educators, we value critical thinking in our classrooms, as well as thinking “outside the box.” Not only does creative and critical thinking increase student engagement in the classroom but it also gives students the space to practice these higher-order thinking skills in a low-stakes setting. Just like learning language, thinking skills also need to be practiced. In this workshop, you will learn the difference between creative and critical thinking, why critical thinking is not as difficult as it seems, and a simple technique to get your students thinking creatively. You will then learn how you can apply that technique to other aspects of your class in order to encourage your students to think critically.