Strategy 3 HIGHER ORDER THINKING IN
Transcription
Strategy 3 HIGHER ORDER THINKING IN
Strategy 3 HIGHER ORDER THINKING I N MATHEMATICS Background An important but challenging part of mathematics teaching is providing students with opportunities to engage in Higher Order Thinking. These include students asking thoughtful questions, participating in student-student and student-teacher substantiative conversations, applying existing knowledge, understanding and skills t o closed and open problems or investigations and learning activities that deepen understanding of concepts. .- Process George Polya (How to Solve It, 1945) outlined important steps in problem Solving: I Understand the Problem - (SEE) SEE - PLAN - DO -CHECK I Devise a plan -(PLAN) Carefully read the problem - 4 or more times by the time you finish. Decide what you are trying to do. Know wher you should stop. Identify the important information. Gather together all available information. Consider some possible actions such as: try a simple case; make a model, draw a sketch or helpful diagram; make a table or an organized list; look for a pattern; guess, check and improve; find a rule; act out the problem; look for sub-tasks. Check the answer - (CHECK) Carry out the plan -(DO) Trv vour ~ l a n . Check you have used all the relevant information. ~eviseand change the plan as needed. Decide whether or not the answer makes sense. Create a new plan ifthe first one does not work Check your solutions fit the original problem. Persist. Check special cases where the result is known, e.g. use test numbers such as 0 or 1. Do a simple experiment to see if the answer makes sense. 1. ( While designed for problem solving, Polya's guide helps all higher order thinking in mathematics. Applying knowledge and understanding of concepts by solving problems, posing and answering questions is a common form of mathematical higher order thinking. Closed problems include the typical Math textbook problems or similar exercises that lead to a single correct answer. Examples of these can b e found at the Mathematical Association of Victoria website: http://www.mav.vic.edu.au/PSTC/general/banklist.htm Open problems are rich sources of higher order thinking, often challenging both teachers and students. Such questions or investigations have multiple solutions and the outcome usually depends on assumptions made while working on the problem. Structured activities are like a science experiment where a series of steps lead students to think about collected information to produce an "ah-ha" moment of understanding. Too much structure robs the student of the opportunity for higher order thinking, while too little may not lead t o the required result. Catalog Math is an example of a structured activity in which students deepen their understanding of the concept of percentage by discovering changes t o the discount (numerator) and original price (denominator): both have important effects on the percentage discount. 1 Unstructured activities ask the student t o contribute to the design of the activity and immediately demand higher order thinking. A question such as "What is the largest area that can be surrounded by a 24m fence?" demands students design the investigation making assumptions about shape, us of existing fences or walls and any other factor that may b e relevant. The question invites multiple investigations based on a variety of assumptions, fostering investigative design while deepening understanding of concepts of perimeter, area and shape. Observation Higher order thinking best happens in the uncertain contexts of more open investigations and often requires students to rethink progress as the investigation unfolds. Too often, Math classes involve exercises where the procedure is obvious from the examples and the answer is in the back of the book. The best opportunities for higher order thinking require the teacher to think 'outside the box' and persist as students learn t o work in open and challenging environments. Some of the best examples of higher order thinking pose powerful questions using simple contexts. There are uncertainties, revisions, dead ends and frustrations t o be dealt with, but the thinkina rewards are worth the effort. 0 ITC Publications LLC HIGHER ORDER THINKING IN MATHEMATICS Examples @ Senior High /$ .,.#is? +$< ,:. State of the States In Spring 2000, families across the nation participated in Census 2000. The teaching suggestions and worksheets on this website will give you and your students an opportunity to learn about the chanaes that took olace in our country durinq the 1990s. Fermi Questions A Fermi question is posed with limited information given, and requires that students ask many more questions; for example, "How many water balloons would it take t o fill all the classrooms in the school?" Such questions demand the use of available knowledge, its application to the question, an analysis of relevant factors, evaluation of assumptions made and their consequences leading t o an answer and its justification. Pure Bloom! A Google search will give many more examples with a wonderful collection of Fermi problems at: www.physics.umd.edu/perg/fermi/fermi.htm Junior High Percent and Money Catalog Math uses printed store catalogs that are delivered each week or available online at http://catalogs.google.com/. Ask students how they would spend $50. Then $100. Look at the differences in the two lists t o see what becomes possible if you save for 2 weeks. Search the catalog for the greatest and least discounts. Challenge the class t o estimate how much money the store might forego through all the stock they sell at reduced prices. Allow students t o organize this large quest. Organizing, making assumptions and working together to reach a negotiated conclusion all involve higher order thinking. Extension: introduce the idea of percentage as a way t o compare discounts percentage. Use a calculator so students can concentrate on the concept. Students will come to understand the concept as they refine the search. State Facts for Students 1 1 1 State Facts for Students is a wonderful resource allowing for state by state comparisons of data ranging from the number of people who car pool to the number of dentists in each state. It is a rich source of data allowing students to pose questions of varying complexity. Simple questions such as How d o people get to work? can be used to develop data analysis skills that can then be applied t o more complex questions such as Are there more p e t and p e t supply stores in states that have less persons per square mile? Comparison with class surveys make the data more meaningful. Use of the site can be as simple or as complex as students can manage. It is ideal for group investigations and different groups can investigate different questions providing a range of higher order thinking skill opportunities. http://www.census.gov/schools/facts/ - Elementary Number Board Have students look for and explain patterns in a 100 number board. With a little help, they will discover counting in twos, threes etc. Use one or two examples t o get them started, then ask them t o find a new pattern each day. Don't forget to work backwards as well as forwards. Diagonals are interesting, too. Challenge children to find a new pattern every day. Patterns that appear in small parts of the number board but do not extend across it are especially valuable t o discuss. Sudoku Sudoku comes in many forms. A Google search produces many links with several just for kids. Some sites such as www.sudoku.com allow you to download a standalone version of the game you can use to quickly print out multiple sudokus including very simple 4x4 puzzles suitable for anyone who can count to 4. Not all children enjoy them but they are great for building number and logic skills in those that .. .... . . . . . do. .~ .. O ITC Publications LLC Strategy 4 BLOOM'S TAXONOMY Overview I Background One of the most important aspects of setting tasks and asking questions is to know what level of thinking you are requiring from your students. It is also important for the students to know the thinking level of the task or question, so that they fully understand what is being asked of the task/question. In 1956, Benjamin Bloom created his thinking taxonomy for categorizing the level of abstraction of questions that commonly occur in the classroom. 11 Revised Bloom's Taxonomy During the 19905, Lorin Anderson, a former student of Benjamin Bloom, led a team of cognitive psychologists in revisiting the original 1956 taxonomy. As a result of the investigation, significant changes were made to the existing structure. The names of the six major categories were changed from nouns to verbs to reflect thinking as an active process. BLOOM'S ORIGINAL TAXONOMY ANDERSON'S REVISED TAXONOMY Evaluation Design Synthesis Evaluate Analysis Analyze x Application Comprehension Understand Knowledge Remember @ Knowledge was renamed as it was considered that knowledge is an outcome of thinking, not a form of thinking. Comprehension and Synthesis were retitled Understand and Design respectively to better reflect the nature of the thinking of each category. ! ill I I Design and Evaluate were interchanged, reflecting the notion that creative thinking (design) is more complex than critical thinking (evaluate).The precursor to creative production often requires critical thinking; the accepting or rejecting of ideas. Once an idea has been accepted or rejected, a new design may then be created. Observation Throughout the Companion, we have used Anderson's revised Bloom's Taxonomy. It is worth having this thinking framework on display in the classroom as a useful reference point for students. Refer to www.itcpublications.com/resources to download the ITC Thinking Framework. Also refer to p.22 of this organizer. @ ITC Publications LLC BLOOM'S TAXONOMY REVISED Senior High, Junior High and Elementary Examples Remember The student is able t o RECALL information At this level of thinking the students act like an encyclopedia through Recalling Recognizing Identifying Naming Defining Listing - Understand The student is able t o EXPLAIN information At this level of thinking the students act like a dictionary through Describing Interpreting Summarizing Translating Paraphrasing Clarifying Apply The student is able t o USE information At this level of thinking the students act like a How-To-Manual through Demonstrating Calculating Solving Constructing Showinq Illustrating Analyze The student is able t o DIFFERENTIATE information At this level of thinking the students act like a sorting board through Comparing Contrasting Arguing Debating Distinguishing Separating Evaluate The student is able t o JUSTIFY a decision or a course of action: At this level of thinking, the students act like a judge. Checking Judging Detecting Monitoring I Design The student is able t o CREATE new products, ideas or ways of seeing things: At this level of thinking, the students act like Thomas Edison's lightning bolts of ideas. Generating Hypothesizing Producing Constructing ;@ $ d o Strategy 5 BLOOM'S TAXONOMY REMEMBER Memory Systems Background Memory and retrieval is a process that occurs in different areas of our brain. There is no single location or one single process in our brains for the storage and retrieval of information. This explains why some people may be good at recalling dates and statistics but not faces and events, Furthermore, memories are not retrieved like a file from an archive or recorded like a video of an event. Rather, it is the retrieval of information that has been reconstructed by the learner. Process The process of memory storage can b e likened t o that of a computer. 1 Sensory register: We are subject t o millions of bits of information per second, which our brains must filter. Our brains are continually vetting the information, deciding what is really important and what is unimportant. Using the computer analogy, this is the stage where data is fed into the computer. 2 Short t e r m memory: This is the information that is recorded onto the brain's 'desktop'. The short-term memory only lasts 5-20 seconds and only a small amount of information is stored in this way. 3 Active Processina: u This is where the brain wrocesses the information in a place t o b e 'saved'. In computer terms, 'files' are being created and named and are being stored in 'folders'. The brain will only store the information if it is processed actively, such as through discussion, mapping, thinking, debating or drawing. 4 Lona t e r m memorv: The data has been saved t o the 'hard-drive'. ~~ ~ - The main memory systems are: Semantic Memory System (used for storing names, facts, figures and other textbook information) It is initially part of the short-term memory and is usually only good for 20 seconds unless rehearsed or reactivated. NOTE: It is the weakest memory system. Episodic System (prompted by location and circumstances) It is the learning that is associated with corresponding sights, sounds, smells, taste, emotions and touch. M o t o r Memory (activated by physical activity such as sports, role-plays, games and gestures) It is a very powerful memory system, with such things as science experiments, performances in a role-play and making a model project all being activities that are very likely t o b e recalled. Reflexive Memory Pathway (Instant associations) This deals with what we recall automatically. It is full of instant associations. If you listed all the things that are wet, you would b e using your reflexive retrieval system. Observation Using the wrong retrieval process for a particular task will lead t o forgetting! For this reason, students should know which memory system they are using as there are many strategies which are effective for each of the different memorv , svstems. , 0 ITC Publications LLC BLOOM'S TAXONOMY REMEMBER Senior High, Junior High and Elementary Examples 1 / Semantic Memory Strategies (Recalling names, facts and figures) 1. Mnemonics: For remembering the planets in order from the sun, 'My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Nectarines' (Science) 2. Rhymes: For remembering spelling rules, 'i before e, except after c, and except with words sounding like 'aye' as in neighbor and weigh'. (English) I 3. Acronyms: For remembering the Great Lakes of North America, the acronym HOMES is used representing Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie. Superior. (SOSE) :i;sor;i 4. Music: Since words readily attach themselves to notes, this is a most effective strategy. For example, the alphabet song, where 26 seemingly disassociated items are sung to 'TwinkleTwinkle Little Star', enables the alphabet to be readily recalled. r ; ; ; ; : Strategies (Location and Circumstances) Memory is enhanced by: The learning during a field trip. The association of music. A presentation by a guest speaker. The adding of color t o the learning. A context/location change. Motor Memory Strategies (Movement) The uses of physical activity to enhance memory recall include: Human continua, where the class forms a line between two extremes, such as between 'Strongly Agree' through to 'Strongly Disagree'. Role plays, theatre, debates and re-enactments. Gestures and hand movements to remember information. Student presentations to the class. All co-operative strategies such as Judge Jury (Strategy 35 p.162) and 1:4:P:C:R (Strategy 28, p.134) Reflexive Memory Strategies (Associations) Strategies include: Drill and practice routines Flash cards Quick reaction activities Setting information to Rap music Other Memory Fads 1. Most information will be remembered if it was temporarily interrupted. Posing a challenge at the start of the week and letting students wait for the solution is 'most effective. 2. Material is better recalled if it has been reorganized by the learner again and again. 3. Information where the Wholes ('big picture') are taught before the Parts ('small picture') is better recalled. 4. All emotional experiences are readily recalled. Auditory memories, such as a song, are particularly strong at triggering emotional recall. 0 ITC Publ~cationrLLC BLOOM'S TAXONOMY UNDERSTAND Can the student EXPLAIN ideas or concepts? Understanding is when students know what is being communicated and can make use of the materials or the idea being communicated, without necessarily relating to other material or seeing its full implications. Understanding involves: Seeing patterns Organizing parts Recognizing hidden meaning Identifying components Understanding concepts The following are examples of 'understanding' cues: Interpret Contrast Summarize Describe Distinguish Estimate Differentiate Discuss Conclude Explain Sample sentence starters include: What was the main idea behind ... Some strategies that assist students with the thinking level 'understanding' are: Double-Bubble Maps (Strategy 12, p.68), during the construction of the single bubble maps, students list their knowledge of the topic. Concept Maps (Strategy 14, p.76) for connecting related pieces of content and explaining the connection to each through short statements. Cause-Effect Maps (Strategy 13, p.72) for understanding the cause and effect relationships of an issue. Silent Card Shuffle (Strategy 17, p.88) for sequencing and classifying KWHL (Strategy 22, p.1lo), a metacognition tool for students t o reflect on what they know, and what they would like to know. 0 ITC Publications LLC BLOOM'S TAXONOMY UNDERSTAND Examples Senior High Percentage in Practice (Math) Ask students to explore all the ways percentage is used in practice giving contexts where it is used and examples of how it is used. I Discount Percentage off - see www.lasoo.com.au for available online catalogs or have students bring them from home. Use as examples of discounts. Measure of success Exam results are often expressed as percentages showing achievement against what is possible. Comparisons Attendance rates at school are expressed as a percentage so they can be compared. Run a competition between classes or year levels to see who has the best attendance for a week. Junior High Pets with a Difference! Gather data about pet ownership in your class/school. Use this data to produce an information package on how to care for these pets, if they are environmentally friendly and what groups of the oet ideally suits. ,oeople , Value-Add: Use the data to explain how you would stock a new pet shop in your town. However, this is no ordinary pet shop - use innovative ideas such as 'Plants for Pets' and 'Environmentally Friendly Pets'. Turn the classroom into a pet shop, where there is information about the different pets. Include unusual animals, such as insects, animals from a bygone era. Students can record the sounds of animals and play these at the grand opening of the class pet shop. Include stage plays, demonstrations and PowerPoints to explain the information to the 'customers'. Send out invitations to other classes and parents to visit. I Elementary Counting Strategies Help children understand number by using a variety of counting strategies so they have to think about what they are doing and the patterns and relationships within numbers. Limit use of the 'counting song' where children count from 1 to 10 or more without thinking. Start at a different number each day, count backwards as well as forwards. Use number cards on the floor to make a counting line where children can step out numbers forward, back, in twos, threes etc. Note: It is useful to do the same with the alphabet. Children can count the number of alphabet steps it takes to spell out their name. Who has the longest letter name? Who has the longest number name? Stepping out their name helps young children learn to spell it. Understanding Base 10 Students use straws (or small sticks) to represent each day. This way, the concept of 'grouping by tens' can be represented concretely as they add a new straw to the collection every day. The straws are kept as single units until there are ten, when they are bundled together and held with a rubber band. By the time they reach the 100th Day the students have bundled nine groups of 10 and are ready to form a tenth group. Now it is time to 're-bundle' all ten groups into a new, larger bundle of 100. (If 10 makes a bundle, then a group of 100 might be called a 'super-bundle'.) By celebrating the 100thDay of school, teachers help their students see that 100 is a special number in the Base 10 number system. @ ITC Publications LLC /i Strategy 7 BLOOM'S TAXONOMY APPLY Can the student USE the information in another situation? Background Applying involves using information in new or related situations. Applying involves: Using information Using methods, concepts, theories in new situations. Solving problems using skills or knowledge L Process The following are examples of 'apply' words: Constructing Inferring Applying Demonstrating Showing Calculating Extrapolating Solving Compiling Illustrating Using Completing Observation Some strategies that assist students with the thinking level 'apply' are: Silent Card Shuffle (Strategy 17, p.88) for students to classify things into their correct groups. Tree diagrams (sometimes called tree maps or brace maps) for students to represent their knowledge in a hierarchical structure. POE (Strategy 27, p.130) for students to apply their knowledge by predicting, observing then explaining. O ITC Publications LLC BLOOM'S TAXONOMY Aerodynamics (Science) Students build a new form of aircraft or rocket after researching the encompassing the elements of aerodynamics - gravity, lift, inertia and drag. Applying previous learned knowledge, use household scrap material to construct: - an oscillator and resonator to create sound - a block and tackle hoisting device - a habitat for native birdslanimals Choose a favorite film, song or book and explain how this has affected your views on: - different cultures or the opposite gender - a particular subject, reading, music or sport. Students apply their knowledge of movement and transport to build model powered boats from junk material. Use the internet for boatbuilding assistance, such as www.familyfun.go.com and follow the link to arts+crafts. Race the boats! Counting on Frank (Math) For example, children can classify food cans by reading labels from the clues on them, finding colors, deciding what is in the can and explaining why they think it is so, grouping them in some way and challenging other students to work out how they were grouped, comparing weight, size, shape, color and content. Present short oral presentation about a classmate detailing their likes and dislikes, family and friends and one positive personal attribute. BLOOM'S TAXONOMY Analyzing is when students break down the material and detect the relationships of the parts and the way they are organized. Analyzing involves: Seeing patterns Organizing parts Recognizing hidden meanings The following are examples of 'analyze' cues: Separate Break down Deduce Discriminate Differentiate Relate Illustrate Distinguish Interpret Compare Speculate Subdivide Schedule Sequence Investigate Explore Some strategies that assist students with the thinking level 'analyze' are: Double Bubble Maps (Strategy, 12 p.68) for students to place information in the categories of 'compare and contrast'. Y-Chart (Strategy 26, p.126) for understanding a topic in greater depth by grouping information into the categories of looks/feels/sounds like. PCQ (Strategy 32, p.150) for sorting information into the categories of Pros, Cons and Questions. Icon Prompt (Strategy 34, p.158) for sorting information into the categories of who stands to gain, who stands to lose, what are the financial issues and what are the unanswered questions. Judge Jury (Strategy 35, p.162) for grouping information into both sides of a debatable topic. The difference between Understand and Analyze: Understand - this is what occurs to the students largely as a result of what the teacher has explained. FI ITC Publicationr LLC BLOOM'S TAXONOMY Math Investigations Leapfrog (Math) This game uses green frogs on the right and blue frogs on the left with one space between them. Blue frogs can only move right and green frogs can only move left. Afrog can move one space to an empty pad and can jump one other frog to an empty pad. You have to swap them over. Find the number of moves to swap different numbers of frogs. Design an investigation to find a rule for the number of moves. Students can play this game with counters or use the online version a t www.subtangent.com/maths/ig-leapfrog.php The game is well explained online. Identify supplies needed for an overland expedition in the late 1700s. Indicate your destination, transport needs and major obstacles to success. An island has been discovered off the coast of the United States. Create a checklist of features needed to make the island habitable. Do You Speak American? Take a Regional DARE Quiz! Using the Dictionary of American Regional English website: http://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/americanvarieties/DARE/wordpower/dare.html, the students work in pairs to answer one of the quizzes - Regional Foods, How's Your Health or Go Outside and Play. On a map of the United States, mark words that are used in different parts of the country. Use Track that Word on the DARE website to learn more about the origin of words. ch child grows a plant and records its growth on a chart using convenient measures. der children can use inches. Younger ones use paper strips cut to the height of the plant d glued on the chart. When there is enough data, ask children to describe their plant's owth, comparing it with faster and slower growers. Can the student JUSTIFY a decision or a course of action? ! i Evaluating is when students make judgements about the value of ideas, works, solutions, policies, methods and materials. It involves the use of criteria and standards for appraising : I Evaluating involves: Comparing and discriminating between ideas Assessing the value of theories and policies Making choices based on reasonable argument -- The following are examples of 'evaluate' cues: Recommend Convince Judge Argue (for) Prioritize Determine Defend Some strategies that assist students with the thinking level 'evaluate' are: Decision-Making Matrix (Strategy 18, p.92) for students t o decide between two or more proposals, items, plans or characters. Elimination Draw (Strategy 15, p.80) for students t o decide on the most important factor, element or value from a list under consideration. Judge Jury (Strategy 35, p.162) for students t o decide which side on a debatable issue has the stronger case. PCQ (Strategy 32, p.150) or Icon Prompt (Strategy 34, p.158) for students t o justify their viewpoint on an issue or topic. Human Continuum (Strategy 38, p.174) where students justify their ranking of items/concepts between two extremes, such as from 'Least t o Most', 'Low t o High' or 'Like t o Dislike'. Extent Barometer (Strategy 36, p.166) where students use a barometer t o rate their viewpoint o n a proposal, issue or topic. 0 ITC Publications LLC BLOOM'S TAXONOMY EVALUATE Examples I Senior High Real Estate Sales I Use information about real estate sales from htt~://www.realtor.com/.O n the homepaqe, based on agent's advice, evaluate the effectiveness of this advice and write an independent observer's report for local buyers. ,- Junior High From Words t o Screen (English) Students create a set of cards t o illustrate the maior events and scenes in a novel thev are I based on the novel. Each group of students then views and critiques another group's storyboard and recommends changes t o improve the movie or television adaptation. Elementary General Choose your favorite picture book. Justify your choice. Rank the favorite class lunchtime activities. Create a chart showinq the result. 0ITC PubltcatlonsLLC A ;f$; Strategy 10 d BLOOM'S TAXONOMY DESIGN ~l Can the student GENERATE new products, ideas or ways of viewing things? I Background Designing is the putting together of ideas, elements and parts to form a new theory, matter or creation. This is the most challenging of all the levels as it requires students to create their own new and original ideas and thoughts. Designing involves: Making - sketches Formulating patterns Devising plans Using old ideas to create new ones Predicting and drawing conclusions Process The followingI are examples of 'design' cues: Substitute Modify Rearrange Integrate Prepare Compose Formulate Invent Devise Hypothesize Build Create Plan Reconstruct Reorganize Propose I Design ~ewkite Organize Predict Observation Some strategies that assist students with the thinking level 'design' are: 1:4:P:C:R (Strategy 28, p.134), a collaborative strategy for the beginning of the design process. Y-Chart (Strategy 26, p.126), for students to generate ideas through grouping information into looks/feels/sounds like. MAS (Strategy 21, p.106), for students to redesign an existing product, story or idea by Modifying, Adding, and changing the Size. Image Associated Ideas (Strategy 11, p.64), for students to develop ideas through visual images. Word Association (Strategy 16, p.84), for students to develop new ideas or solutions via associations with a word or object. O ITC Publications LLC BLOOM'S TAXONOMY DESIGN Examples Senior High TV watching! Design an investigation to find out how much lV is watched by students in the school. Encourage students to consider design factors such as ways to get accurate information rather than guesses. Brainstorm what information students would like to get out of the survey before deciding what to collect and designing ways to collect the information. Compare your findings with the national average by checking the US Census Bureau website: http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/miscellaneous/007871 .html Junior High C Explorations! I Create board game based on American exploration. See http://www.americanjourneys.orgl I I / General Design a playground for use by the younger students of your school. See http://www.playgroundsparts.com/ or http://www.miamiplaygrounds.com for design ideas. Re-design your classroom using existing furniture and equipment. Design a utility belt for your teacher. Elementary Matches and Shapes Design as many different shapes as you can using a given number of matches. Begin with 1 then 2,3,4 continuing as far as children show interest. Record the shapes on a chart either by drawing or gluing on the matches. Add names for shapes the children know and allow them to search for names or descriptions of other shapes. Encourage and celebrate children who are systematic in their search for possibilities. Help children design systematic processes. I General Design a dinosaur for the ideal pet. Create your ideal bedroom. Test your design skills by playing WhizzBall at http:Nkids.discovery.com/games/whizzball/whizzbaII.htmI 0 ITC Publications LLC I