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, meta-cognition, self-regulation, and reflection). (PSC 2.4/ISTE 2d)
Artifact:
morgan_green-_mdp_projectreport.docx | |
File Size: | 24 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Reflection:
The Multimedia Design Project/ WebQuest was completed to provide students with an authentic learning opportunity while we studied Greek and Roman society. I designed this independently focusing on the idea that the students would be working for the History Channel and need to determine who is the most influential figure in these two societies. This WebQuest is geared towards on-level and below level students in my 10th grade World History course. WebQuests are designed for students to use higher order thinking skills to access and process information for a final product, which is why the WebQuest I designed is scaffolded to assist my learners to create a strong foundation and leading up to higher order thinking skills ("Developing Higher-Order Thinking Skills through WebQuests"). Students will watch videos and read articles using historical thinking skills to collect information on six key figures. Once students have collected the necessary information that they have logged in a graphic organizer, they will then work in their pairs to determine which historical figure is most influential. They will then have to justify and support their claim with facts from research in a two-paged typed report. Students will then be paired with a group that chose a different figure and they have to convince the other pair that their person is the most influential. At the end of the WebQuest activity, students will vote in a class poll using Poll Everywhere to determine who the class thinks is the most deserving of that title. Students will be evaluated using rubrics through the process of the WebQuest.
Standard 2.4, Higher-Order Thinking Skills provided me the opportunity to model and facilitate the effective use of digital tools and resources to support and enhance higher order thinking skills, processes, and mental habits of mind in the classroom. Through the development of the Greek and Roman WebQuest, I was able to model and facilitate effective use of various digital tools and resources in the different learning tasks students were asked to complete. The students used primary and secondary documents as well as videos to collect information on a graphic organizer. I scaffolded the lesson to start at lower levels of Bloom’s taxonomy and grow their foundation of the information to then reach higher order thinking skills. The overarching questions are for students to evaluate (higher order thinking skills) by determined which historical figure was the most influential through the process of decision-making and supporting their claims with facts and information from their research. By having students to use critical thinking skills to discern the most influential historical figure. The evaluation causes students to continue to develop mental habits of mind through the use of critical thinking skills. Students also have to defend their choice in a pair activity where students try to convince the other group that their person deserves the honor more. This also creates mental habits of mind through the process. As a class, we will reflect on the group choice and explain why they choose one person over the other.
Completing the Multimedia Design Project/WebQuest provided the students an authentic learning opportunity where they were able to enhance their historical thinking skills. I learned how to create an in-depth research activity that engaged the students in scaffolded learning while still getting higher order thinking skills by the end of the assignment. In the development, I made sure to choose a variety of materials for the students to reference to gain their supporting evidence. I also learned how to maximize a learning opportunity by giving the students a role to portray through the WebQuest, such as a historian working for the History Channel. I believe that this made the students look at the assignment with a different lens and write the report in a more professional way. To further improve the Multimedia Design Project/WebQuest, I would like to have created the pairs based on performance in the course. I would also do the same when I paired them up with another pair. I believe that this would provide for deeper conversation and assist them in reaching those higher order thinking skills.
This artifact impacts student learning. The WebQuest asked students to be the leaders of this investigation of who should be the be crowned the more influential historical figure. By creating this authentic learning opportunity, students were required to know enough about each of the figures to determine and justify why they deserved that title. Students can be assessed through the multi-step process and rubrics that were used. The report with evidence and evaluation of their choice and the discussion with the other pairs shows that students understood the material. Students continue to develop their critical thinking skills with this activity.
Reference
Polly, D., & Ausband, L. (2009). Developing Higher-Order Thinking Skills through WebQuests[PDF]. Journal of Computing in Teacher Education.
The Multimedia Design Project/ WebQuest was completed to provide students with an authentic learning opportunity while we studied Greek and Roman society. I designed this independently focusing on the idea that the students would be working for the History Channel and need to determine who is the most influential figure in these two societies. This WebQuest is geared towards on-level and below level students in my 10th grade World History course. WebQuests are designed for students to use higher order thinking skills to access and process information for a final product, which is why the WebQuest I designed is scaffolded to assist my learners to create a strong foundation and leading up to higher order thinking skills ("Developing Higher-Order Thinking Skills through WebQuests"). Students will watch videos and read articles using historical thinking skills to collect information on six key figures. Once students have collected the necessary information that they have logged in a graphic organizer, they will then work in their pairs to determine which historical figure is most influential. They will then have to justify and support their claim with facts from research in a two-paged typed report. Students will then be paired with a group that chose a different figure and they have to convince the other pair that their person is the most influential. At the end of the WebQuest activity, students will vote in a class poll using Poll Everywhere to determine who the class thinks is the most deserving of that title. Students will be evaluated using rubrics through the process of the WebQuest.
Standard 2.4, Higher-Order Thinking Skills provided me the opportunity to model and facilitate the effective use of digital tools and resources to support and enhance higher order thinking skills, processes, and mental habits of mind in the classroom. Through the development of the Greek and Roman WebQuest, I was able to model and facilitate effective use of various digital tools and resources in the different learning tasks students were asked to complete. The students used primary and secondary documents as well as videos to collect information on a graphic organizer. I scaffolded the lesson to start at lower levels of Bloom’s taxonomy and grow their foundation of the information to then reach higher order thinking skills. The overarching questions are for students to evaluate (higher order thinking skills) by determined which historical figure was the most influential through the process of decision-making and supporting their claims with facts and information from their research. By having students to use critical thinking skills to discern the most influential historical figure. The evaluation causes students to continue to develop mental habits of mind through the use of critical thinking skills. Students also have to defend their choice in a pair activity where students try to convince the other group that their person deserves the honor more. This also creates mental habits of mind through the process. As a class, we will reflect on the group choice and explain why they choose one person over the other.
Completing the Multimedia Design Project/WebQuest provided the students an authentic learning opportunity where they were able to enhance their historical thinking skills. I learned how to create an in-depth research activity that engaged the students in scaffolded learning while still getting higher order thinking skills by the end of the assignment. In the development, I made sure to choose a variety of materials for the students to reference to gain their supporting evidence. I also learned how to maximize a learning opportunity by giving the students a role to portray through the WebQuest, such as a historian working for the History Channel. I believe that this made the students look at the assignment with a different lens and write the report in a more professional way. To further improve the Multimedia Design Project/WebQuest, I would like to have created the pairs based on performance in the course. I would also do the same when I paired them up with another pair. I believe that this would provide for deeper conversation and assist them in reaching those higher order thinking skills.
This artifact impacts student learning. The WebQuest asked students to be the leaders of this investigation of who should be the be crowned the more influential historical figure. By creating this authentic learning opportunity, students were required to know enough about each of the figures to determine and justify why they deserved that title. Students can be assessed through the multi-step process and rubrics that were used. The report with evidence and evaluation of their choice and the discussion with the other pairs shows that students understood the material. Students continue to develop their critical thinking skills with this activity.
Reference
Polly, D., & Ausband, L. (2009). Developing Higher-Order Thinking Skills through WebQuests[PDF]. Journal of Computing in Teacher Education.