Using Form + Theme + Context (FTC) to Enhance Student Engagement in Critical Thinking Across Disciplines

Abstract

Faculty will learn to use Form+Theme+Context (FTC)â⢠as an interdisciplinary

approach that rebalances and integrates learning content for deeper student

engagement in critical thinking for diverse forms of literacy. As a visual organizer

that balances formal, thematic, and contextual considerations of any discipline,

the FTC Palette can be used to decode and encode any learning content, ranging

from a work of art, piece of writing, product design, or even a cultural institution

such as a museum. Faculty will be engaged in an interactive FTC demonstration to

interpret a famous work of art, collectively making discoveries informed by direct

visual experience. Immediately following the FTC demonstration, faculty (grouped

by different fields/colleges) will collaboratively utilize a generic FTC Palette as a

creative tool for specifically helping their students make stronger interdisciplinary

connections while advancing critical thinking skills within their home branch of

learning.