2.4 Higher Order Thinking Skills
Candidates model and facilitate the effective use of digital tools and resources to support and enhance higher order thinking skills (e.g., analyze, evaluate, and create); processes (e.g., problem-solving, decision-making); and mental habits of mind (e.g., critical thinking, creative thinking, metacognition, self-regulation, and reflection). (PSC 2.4/ISTE 2d)
Artifact: Simple Machines and Rube Goldberg Machines Online Unit/Webquest available here.
Reflection:
For standard 2.4, I chose an artifact that I created outside of the confines of the Specialist program environment. However, the artifact that I chose was inspired by my work in the Multimedia and Web Design in the Classroom course, ITEC 7445. The artifact is an online learning unit in which students learn about simple machines and Rube Goldberg machines. It is similar to a webquest, but it does not include all of the required elements of a webquest. Additionally, it was created after the Multimedia course had concluded, but I have used it several times in my classroom, and I have refined it to remove aspects that do not work and add elements that increased my students’ levels of critical and creative thinking and use their higher order thinking skills to analyze, evaluate, create and communicate.
Standard 2.4 requires candidates to model and facilitate the use of digital tools to support higher order thinking skills, and the webquest that I chose to use as the artifact is an example of such facilitation. I designed this artifact to teach my students the engineering design process and to utilize their existing higher order thinking skills. I designed the online learning component of this lesson so that students are required to follow the engineering process as well as using higher order thinking skills to complete the tasks. Students are lead through the process of analyzing existing Rube Goldberg machines in order to find innovate steps for their own mahcines. They are asked to evaluate several possible ending tasks and choose one. They are also ultimately tasked with creating a working Rube Goldberg machine of their own. In addition, students review the six types of simple machines, and they are asked to create a crude simple machine using paper and cardboard.
Standard 2.4 also asks candidates to ensure that students use critical and creative thinking and metacognition. In this artifact, students use creative thinking in designing a Rube Goldberg machine with eight steps with the added requirement that they use everyday objects in their machines in innovative ways. Students use critical thinking to solve problems that arise in the construction of their machines and in troubleshooting the problems related to their machines. Throughout the project, students are required to analyze their progress and track their troubleshooting as a method of meta-cognition. Finally, students are also asked to create a video of their completed Rube Goldberg machine with an explanation of the steps. This allows them to reflect on their successes and make plans to learn from and overcome failures.
As I have implemented the project included in this artifact with different groups of students, I have added different elements to further capitalize on students’ ability to use their higher order thinking skills and processes and employ academic habits of mind.
The main lesson that I have learned from the creation of this artifact is that a learning experience is never really finished. Every time I think that I have this one perfected, I think of another addition that will make students think more or will allow for students to use more creativity. While that flexibility has helped me to improve this learning experience for my students, I have often developed changes while students were working and not been able to make the changes. In the future I will take care to leave such learning experiences open for changes as students work. The online aspect of this artifact allows me to do that since making changes does not require additional copies to be made. Rather changes can be made with a few mouse clicks.
This artifact will affect both classroom experience and overall student achievement. The classroom experience of my students will be affected by allowing them the opportunity to use their higher order thinking skills and processes through an entertaining and creative means. They will also learn and use the engineering design process while also use good habits of mind. Through those processes overall student achievement will be impacted because students will be more likely to use those same skills, processed and habits of mind in other areas outside of my technology class.
For standard 2.4, I chose an artifact that I created outside of the confines of the Specialist program environment. However, the artifact that I chose was inspired by my work in the Multimedia and Web Design in the Classroom course, ITEC 7445. The artifact is an online learning unit in which students learn about simple machines and Rube Goldberg machines. It is similar to a webquest, but it does not include all of the required elements of a webquest. Additionally, it was created after the Multimedia course had concluded, but I have used it several times in my classroom, and I have refined it to remove aspects that do not work and add elements that increased my students’ levels of critical and creative thinking and use their higher order thinking skills to analyze, evaluate, create and communicate.
Standard 2.4 requires candidates to model and facilitate the use of digital tools to support higher order thinking skills, and the webquest that I chose to use as the artifact is an example of such facilitation. I designed this artifact to teach my students the engineering design process and to utilize their existing higher order thinking skills. I designed the online learning component of this lesson so that students are required to follow the engineering process as well as using higher order thinking skills to complete the tasks. Students are lead through the process of analyzing existing Rube Goldberg machines in order to find innovate steps for their own mahcines. They are asked to evaluate several possible ending tasks and choose one. They are also ultimately tasked with creating a working Rube Goldberg machine of their own. In addition, students review the six types of simple machines, and they are asked to create a crude simple machine using paper and cardboard.
Standard 2.4 also asks candidates to ensure that students use critical and creative thinking and metacognition. In this artifact, students use creative thinking in designing a Rube Goldberg machine with eight steps with the added requirement that they use everyday objects in their machines in innovative ways. Students use critical thinking to solve problems that arise in the construction of their machines and in troubleshooting the problems related to their machines. Throughout the project, students are required to analyze their progress and track their troubleshooting as a method of meta-cognition. Finally, students are also asked to create a video of their completed Rube Goldberg machine with an explanation of the steps. This allows them to reflect on their successes and make plans to learn from and overcome failures.
As I have implemented the project included in this artifact with different groups of students, I have added different elements to further capitalize on students’ ability to use their higher order thinking skills and processes and employ academic habits of mind.
The main lesson that I have learned from the creation of this artifact is that a learning experience is never really finished. Every time I think that I have this one perfected, I think of another addition that will make students think more or will allow for students to use more creativity. While that flexibility has helped me to improve this learning experience for my students, I have often developed changes while students were working and not been able to make the changes. In the future I will take care to leave such learning experiences open for changes as students work. The online aspect of this artifact allows me to do that since making changes does not require additional copies to be made. Rather changes can be made with a few mouse clicks.
This artifact will affect both classroom experience and overall student achievement. The classroom experience of my students will be affected by allowing them the opportunity to use their higher order thinking skills and processes through an entertaining and creative means. They will also learn and use the engineering design process while also use good habits of mind. Through those processes overall student achievement will be impacted because students will be more likely to use those same skills, processed and habits of mind in other areas outside of my technology class.