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: Engaged Learning Project / Coder Kids
Reflection:
Standard 2.4: Higher Order Thinking Skills
The Engaged Learning Project artifact was created for the 21st Century Teaching and Learning course. The assignment’s purpose was to design and develop an extended, technology-supported, student learning experience that relied on innovative technology use to meet the required engaged learning indicators. The theme of my Engaged Learning Project centered on coding and computational thinking. The design of the content and learning goals required the involvement of learners in producer or explorer roles in student-directed authentic, meaningful, and ongoing technology-rich learning experiences. The obvious choice for how to accomplish the requirements of the project was to build a WebQuest. I created the Coder Kids WebQuest to provide my students with an engaging learning experience that both pushed them towards higher levels of thinking and comprehension and higher levels of technology integration.
The artifact demonstrates my mastery of the Higher-Order Thinking Skills standard and demonstrates my knowledge, skills, and dispositions and my abilities to model and facilitate the use of digital tools and resources to support higher order thinking skills, processes and mental habits of mind. Embedded in my WebQuest were two popular choices for introducing young learners to coding and computational thinking: the Angry Birds Code.org tutorials and LightBot. Both require learners, if unfamiliar with coding, to use higher levels of thinking in order to restructure their thought processes into many simpler components. This analysis of smaller thoughts and steps is the foundation of coding and is an exciting an engaging challenge for young learners. Through effective modeling of both of the coding activities, I was able to facilitate the higher levels of thinking in my students required to accomplish the activities in the WebQuest.
By completing the Engaged Learning Project, I was able to develop a deeper understanding of how to model and facilitate digital tools to achieve higher levels of thinking. Fortunately, a topic that I am passionate about, coding, lends itself to engaging students in higher thought processes. The research and considerations that went into designing and developing this experience taught me a lot about how to effectively implement learning experiences effectively that support higher order thinking skills, processes and mental habits of mind.
One thing that I would do differently in the future with the Coder Kids WebQuest is to incorporate more hands-on robotics with the first graders. At the GaETC 2015 session, I saw a wonderful kids coding session. There I was introduced to Dot and Dash robotics for children by Wonder Workshop. I think the challenge of making coding a more tactile and tangible experience for young learners is crucial, and I might’ve missed the mark in that regards with my Coder Kids WebQuest. Overall, the Engaged Learning Project was successful. I was able to implement much of the content with the first grade class over the course of a few weeks during the 2014-2015 school year. Through teacher observation, I was able to assess the impact of the Engaged Learning Project. Many first graders exceeded my expectations by rising to the challenge of engaging in the higher thought processes of computational thinking.
Standard 2.4: Higher Order Thinking Skills
The Engaged Learning Project artifact was created for the 21st Century Teaching and Learning course. The assignment’s purpose was to design and develop an extended, technology-supported, student learning experience that relied on innovative technology use to meet the required engaged learning indicators. The theme of my Engaged Learning Project centered on coding and computational thinking. The design of the content and learning goals required the involvement of learners in producer or explorer roles in student-directed authentic, meaningful, and ongoing technology-rich learning experiences. The obvious choice for how to accomplish the requirements of the project was to build a WebQuest. I created the Coder Kids WebQuest to provide my students with an engaging learning experience that both pushed them towards higher levels of thinking and comprehension and higher levels of technology integration.
The artifact demonstrates my mastery of the Higher-Order Thinking Skills standard and demonstrates my knowledge, skills, and dispositions and my abilities to model and facilitate the use of digital tools and resources to support higher order thinking skills, processes and mental habits of mind. Embedded in my WebQuest were two popular choices for introducing young learners to coding and computational thinking: the Angry Birds Code.org tutorials and LightBot. Both require learners, if unfamiliar with coding, to use higher levels of thinking in order to restructure their thought processes into many simpler components. This analysis of smaller thoughts and steps is the foundation of coding and is an exciting an engaging challenge for young learners. Through effective modeling of both of the coding activities, I was able to facilitate the higher levels of thinking in my students required to accomplish the activities in the WebQuest.
By completing the Engaged Learning Project, I was able to develop a deeper understanding of how to model and facilitate digital tools to achieve higher levels of thinking. Fortunately, a topic that I am passionate about, coding, lends itself to engaging students in higher thought processes. The research and considerations that went into designing and developing this experience taught me a lot about how to effectively implement learning experiences effectively that support higher order thinking skills, processes and mental habits of mind.
One thing that I would do differently in the future with the Coder Kids WebQuest is to incorporate more hands-on robotics with the first graders. At the GaETC 2015 session, I saw a wonderful kids coding session. There I was introduced to Dot and Dash robotics for children by Wonder Workshop. I think the challenge of making coding a more tactile and tangible experience for young learners is crucial, and I might’ve missed the mark in that regards with my Coder Kids WebQuest. Overall, the Engaged Learning Project was successful. I was able to implement much of the content with the first grade class over the course of a few weeks during the 2014-2015 school year. Through teacher observation, I was able to assess the impact of the Engaged Learning Project. Many first graders exceeded my expectations by rising to the challenge of engaging in the higher thought processes of computational thinking.