Empowering Thinking with Annotation

 Summary of Cui, T., & Wang, J. (2024)

Background & Existing Knowledge
Engaging students in deep learning online can be difficult, particularly when reading dense academic texts. Social annotation offers an interactive way to build comprehension and reflection.

New Insights from This Study
✔ Social annotation tools like Perusall increased cognitive engagement and deep learning.
✔ Annotations fostered collaborative thinking, critical questioning, and self-explanation.
✔ Language learners performed equally well, showing broad accessibility.

Practical Applications: How Educators Can Use This Research

Deep Reading Strategies
📌 Assign annotation tasks with specific cognitive goals (e.g., analysis, synthesis).
📌 Model high-quality comments and responses.
📌 Use prompts that spark dialogue and reasoning.

Collaborative Learning
📌 Pair students with different strengths to enhance discussion.
📌 Encourage constructive replies to peer annotations.
📌 Build social presence through emoji reactions and follow-up questions.

Feedback & Reflection
📌 Provide formative feedback on annotation depth.
📌 Use annotations as a springboard for live or written reflection.
📌 Track progress in critical thinking over time.

Conclusion
Social annotation tools can support inclusive, reflective, and interactive reading practices that strengthen deep learning—especially in online or hybrid classrooms.

Key Words
social annotation, critical thinking, online learning, collaborative reading, language learners

Reference
Cui, T., & Wang, J. (2024). Empowering Active Learning: A Social Annotation Tool for Improving Student Engagement. British Journal of Educational Technology, 55(2), 712–730. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13403

Suggested Citation

Ross, E. M., & Malar, D. B. J. (2025). Empowering Thinking with Annotation. Excellent Educator, 2(12), 7.