Find practical meaning in every lesson. Students in college history classes often repeat the old adage of having to learn history so that the past is not repeated. They understand that there is a practical side to studying history. Emphasize the greater civic lessons that can be learned from studying history and other subjects like sociology. The National Council for the Social Studies indicates that social studies curriculum tends to be more effective when it is value-based. When students begin to realize that what they are studying has implications for learning life's lessons, they not only appreciate those studies more, but also begin to approach their studies with an eye toward understanding the bigger picture.
Integrate contemporary news articles and editorials to facilitate critical reading and critical thinking skills. Assign students a minimum number of news articles that they must submit each week along with a short summary and critical analysis. Instruct your students to write an analysis that indicates the relevance of the article for studying social studies disciplines. For example, articles in "The Wall Street Journal" providing economic forecasts can be used in economics courses, but they can also be used in the study of economic history. This will also help students see the contemporary relevance of social studies.
Emphasize writing as an integral skill to foster critical thinking and reading. Writing is a skill that can be used to engender creative thinking by forcing students to critically analyze work by other scholars. Historians and other social studies scholars impose their own interpretation upon the bare historical facts to create their own historical narrative. Teach students to critically analyze the work of scholars by looking for flaws in argumentation and scrutiny of source material used, and asking additional questions that may have been unanswered by each scholarly piece that has been read.
Argue with your students. Don't literally start an argument with your class. Instead, teach your students the value of argumentation by looking at the other great thinkers of the past. For instance, the Socratic Method in philosophy can be applied across of wide range of disciplines. Law school students are well-versed in Socratic reasoning, and other students can be as well with a little practice. Students can learn the essential elements of critical thinking by engaging in critical dialogue with other classmates.