eJournal 4: Analyzing Instructional Goals

"Here we use the Socratic method: I call on you; I ask you a question; you answer it.  Why don't I just give you a lecture? Because through my questions you learn to teach yourselves. By this method of questioning-answering, questioning-answering, we seek to develop in you the ability to analyze that vast complex of facts that constitutes the relationships of members within a given society.”    

                                                                                                                    Professor Kingsfield (in the Paper Chase)

            I want my students to use critical thinking in their approach to information. In turn, they will be able to decide in a reasonable manner what to do and believe about that information. As Hale noted (Whitehead 1967, 1-14; Paul and Elder 2012), I want my students to be informed about a conceptual framework that’s useful for thinking about the nature of understanding content and its application in the eLearning classroom. In this framework of acquiring knowledge there are three types:

                1. Inert Knowledge

·         Information students can recall but cannot form connections to prove their point. This information simply clutters the mind, is not helpful in identifying or problem-solving.

·         David Perkins concludes that if students are able to recall information, it does not necessarily follow that they can interpret that information meaningfully and apply it appropriately to real life issues and problems.

2. Activated Knowledge

·         Information that is cognitively understood and acted upon routinely when relevant to do so. This knowledge is based in logical, valid and justifiable beliefs in which bring about confidence in the process of reasoning. Paul and Elder argue, helping students construct activated knowledge “is one of the most important keys to making lifelong learning an essential ingredient in one’s life” (2012, 70-71).

3. Activated Ignorance

·         Having the tendency to believe we are right even when our views are tainted and biased. In other words, it is holding false beliefs that influence our actions and construction of future beliefs.

INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS

Undergraduate Online Course

                1. Relevance

                                a. Develop the skills needed for lifelong learning and broaden experiences

                                b. Promote “active learning”

                                c. Increase effective researching skills

                2. Creativity and Innovation

                                a. Use prior knowledge to generate new ideas

                                b. demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop processes using   technology

                3. Communication and Collaboration

                                a. use digital media to communicate and work collaborately

                4. Research and Information Fluency

                                a. Use digital tools to gather, use, and evaluate information

                                b. Plan strategies to guide inquiry

                                c. Organize, evaluate, locate, analyze, synthesize and ethically use information from a variety of sources

                                d. Select and evaluate sources based on appropriateness to specific tasks

                5. Critical Thinking, Problem-solving, and Decision Making

                                a. Use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve-problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources

                6. Digital Citizenship

                                a. Understand societal, human, and cultural issues related to technology and practice ethical and legal behavior

                7. Technology Operations and Concepts

                                a. Use a sound understanding of technology systems, operations and concepts  

References

Hale, Enoch. “Conceptualizing a Personal Intellectual History/Narrative: The Importance of Strong-Sense Metacognition to

Thinking Critically.” Critical Thinking and Higher Order Thinking: A Current Perspective. Ed. Michael Shaughnessy. NewYork: Nova, 2012. 139-64.

http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/nets-s-standards.pdf?sfvrsn=2

Paul, Richard, and Linda Elder. Critical Thinking: Tools for Taking Charge of Your Learning and Your Life. 3rd ed. San Francisco:        Pearson, 2012.

Perkins, David. “Knowledge as Design: Teaching Thinking through Content.” Teaching Thinking Skills: Theory and Practice. Ed. Joan    B. Baron and Robert J. Sternberg. San Francisco: W. H. Freeman and Co., 1987. 62-85.---. Making Learning Whole: How Seven  Principles of Teaching can Transform Education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2009.

Whitehead, Alfred. The Aims of Education and Other Essays. 1929. New York: Free Press, 1967.