Resources
Podcast series. Offers insights for amplifying critical thinking in daily life.  This podcast is for anyone who wants to understand the ins-and-outs of how our brains work when it comes to thinking, but it’s also great for educators who want to understand how their student’s brains work!  Smarterer! Is a humorous, short, and immediately useful.  
In the field of education, researchers firmly believe that non-cognitive skills and factors are equally or even more important than cognitive aspects in the educative process and for employment potentials. When identifying the personal qualities that are required to function well in the 21st century, the role of non-cognitive factors is often highlighted in the discourse. In recent years, increasing attempts have been made to investigate the role of non-cognitive factors in academic success. The notion of ‘non-cognitive’ has many phraseological collocations. Among frequently used collocations are constructs, traits, skills, abilities, variables, outcomes, attributes, and predictors. In addition, a myriad of other specific skills have been identified as non-cognitive. To name a few: grit, tenacity, curiosity, attitudes, self-concept, self-efficacy, anxiety, coping strategies, motivation, perseverance, confidence are among those frequently referred to in the literature. In some instances, non-cognitive factors are considered multifaceted. Some refer them to soft skills and personal characteristics that fall under the purview of affective domain. This book attempts to define non-cognitive traits, ways to measure them, impact of non-cognitive factors and how they can affect the positive outcomes in academic achievement, influence in employability, and success in social life. The information contained in this book provides knowledge growth and current thinking about non-cognitive factors and educational strategies that can be effectively used to nurture the well-being of individuals. (From the Publisher)
Motivating students – a primary goal of education - is complex, to say the least. This issue focuses on a model for motivation, volition, and performance that acknowledges the importance of volition as action subsequent to motivation: action that leads to improved performance. This “MVP” model provides a framework for considering various teaching and learning topics and can be extended into other areas such as professional development. While models such as MVP are particularly helpful in establishing the relationships among constructs and in explaining theoretical bases, integration and application of such models are equally important. This issue discusses applications of the model and provide concrete ideas for integrating it into ongoing teaching practice. This is the 152nd volume of this Jossey-Bass higher education series. It offers a comprehensive range of ideas and techniques for improving college teaching based on the experience of seasoned instructors and the latest findings of educational and psychological researchers. (From the Publisher)
This article describes a seminar I taught on Christianity and colonialism. I wanted to introduce students to some content while also allowing them to practice some of the expert skills that we use in religious studies, and more specifically in my own sub‐discipline, the anthropology of religion. In particular, I wanted to make more visible some of our practices of critical reading, and how these can feed into practices of complex thinking. However, given the differences between undergraduate and expert practices, what does “critical reading” and “complex thinking” look like in the undergraduate religion classroom? The article presents student readings and lines of thought through the semester, and describes how these undergraduates began to approach complex thinking on the topic of Christianity and colonialism.