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:
online_learnng_7480_up_sills_alyssa.pdf | |
File Size: | 375 kb |
File Type: |
Reflection:
The Online Learning Unit Plan artifact for standard 2.4 is a breakdown of the components of a 6 week long online unit. This unit plan breaks down what students will do each week as well as all planning portions of the unit like the objectives, standards, assessments, differentiation, and the technology that would be used. Because this unit is for an online unit student will be using technology throughout the whole process.
The Online Learning Unit plan demonstrates mastery of standard 2.4 about higher order thinking skills. The unit teaches students about parts of a reading like the point of view of characters and the character traits that they go through. Students use the digital tools to help them communicate with their classmates about the book and have rich discussions about their learning. This artifact demonstrates my ability to model and facilitate higher order thinking skills when using digital tools through the use of the discussion pages. Students learn about asking thick and thin questions through online videos. Thick questions use higher order thinking skills to analyze, and evaluate what they are learning and asking. When students communicate with their classmates through the online discussion board, they are using these thick questions as well as replying to the thick questions. This artifact also demonstrates my ability to model and facilitate processes using digital tools. Students are using problem solving skills and decision-making skills when working with their group on their Glogster project. At the end of the online unit as a group student will work together to create an online project to share with the class. They have to use digital tools to communicate with classmates as well as work together to decide on what they would like to show in their project. The unit plan also demonstrates my ability to model and facilitate the use of digital tools to support mental habits of mind. There are multiple times in this unit students are using mental habits of mind through digital tools. One way is when they are done with each section of their reading and discussions, they will post a video reflection about their book/learning topic that week. Students will reflect on their learning using a tool on the learning management system called video note. Another way that students will be using digital tools for mental habits of mind is when doing creative thinking during their Glogster. The Glogster is a visual way to represent and think about their learning. Students will create this online tool to show their end of the unit learning.
This artifact taught me how to create an entire online learning unit for students to complete. It showed me that you should always start with your objectives and what you want to get out of the unit so that all of your digital tools and resources ensure that the learning is taking place. I also learned that digital tools are not just for the teacher to use for teaching but for the students to use their higher order thinking skills to create and to discuss their learning. One thing that I would change about this artifact is that I would add in more ways for students to use their critical thinking skills. I would like to give students some critical thinking tasks that had to do with their book and the academic topic we were discussing so that they could practice deeper thinking.
This artifact impacted school improvement and faculty development because now I am better suited to help with digital learning days at my school. Many times, we have to create digital learning units for students when the weather is bad and there has been a push for teachers to do a better job of creating assignments that are not just worksheets and questions but ways that students can use their higher order thinking skills. By creating this unit and doing the learning that went along with it I can now create more in-depth units as well as help other teachers during our planning meetings. This can be assessed through the digital learning day surveys that go out after digital learning days as well as teacher feedback about their professional development meetings. This would show how impactful my help was for their learning.
The Online Learning Unit Plan artifact for standard 2.4 is a breakdown of the components of a 6 week long online unit. This unit plan breaks down what students will do each week as well as all planning portions of the unit like the objectives, standards, assessments, differentiation, and the technology that would be used. Because this unit is for an online unit student will be using technology throughout the whole process.
The Online Learning Unit plan demonstrates mastery of standard 2.4 about higher order thinking skills. The unit teaches students about parts of a reading like the point of view of characters and the character traits that they go through. Students use the digital tools to help them communicate with their classmates about the book and have rich discussions about their learning. This artifact demonstrates my ability to model and facilitate higher order thinking skills when using digital tools through the use of the discussion pages. Students learn about asking thick and thin questions through online videos. Thick questions use higher order thinking skills to analyze, and evaluate what they are learning and asking. When students communicate with their classmates through the online discussion board, they are using these thick questions as well as replying to the thick questions. This artifact also demonstrates my ability to model and facilitate processes using digital tools. Students are using problem solving skills and decision-making skills when working with their group on their Glogster project. At the end of the online unit as a group student will work together to create an online project to share with the class. They have to use digital tools to communicate with classmates as well as work together to decide on what they would like to show in their project. The unit plan also demonstrates my ability to model and facilitate the use of digital tools to support mental habits of mind. There are multiple times in this unit students are using mental habits of mind through digital tools. One way is when they are done with each section of their reading and discussions, they will post a video reflection about their book/learning topic that week. Students will reflect on their learning using a tool on the learning management system called video note. Another way that students will be using digital tools for mental habits of mind is when doing creative thinking during their Glogster. The Glogster is a visual way to represent and think about their learning. Students will create this online tool to show their end of the unit learning.
This artifact taught me how to create an entire online learning unit for students to complete. It showed me that you should always start with your objectives and what you want to get out of the unit so that all of your digital tools and resources ensure that the learning is taking place. I also learned that digital tools are not just for the teacher to use for teaching but for the students to use their higher order thinking skills to create and to discuss their learning. One thing that I would change about this artifact is that I would add in more ways for students to use their critical thinking skills. I would like to give students some critical thinking tasks that had to do with their book and the academic topic we were discussing so that they could practice deeper thinking.
This artifact impacted school improvement and faculty development because now I am better suited to help with digital learning days at my school. Many times, we have to create digital learning units for students when the weather is bad and there has been a push for teachers to do a better job of creating assignments that are not just worksheets and questions but ways that students can use their higher order thinking skills. By creating this unit and doing the learning that went along with it I can now create more in-depth units as well as help other teachers during our planning meetings. This can be assessed through the digital learning day surveys that go out after digital learning days as well as teacher feedback about their professional development meetings. This would show how impactful my help was for their learning.