Thinking with Technology

Activity 1.3

Applying Models of Thinking

As society changes, the skills that learners need to be successful in life also change. Basic literacy skills of reading, writing, and mathematics are no longer sufficient. Our learners need to master those basic skills as well as read critically, write persuasively, think and reason logically, and solve complex problems. A successful 21st century learner must also be adept at managing information—finding, evaluating, and applying new content understanding with great flexibility.

Read one such list of essential 21st century skills (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2007). Consider which skills are actively taught or supported in your own classroom.

Thinking beyond the level of knowledge acquisition is considered complex thinking—that which requires effort and produces outcomes that may differ from one learner to another. These outcomes are not predictable because the process of higher-order thinking is not mechanical. Central to higher-order thinking is the ability to work through new challenges with understanding and empathy and rise to meet those challenges.

In the review of current research on higher-order thinking, the conclusion is clear. Instruction that builds upon and encourages the use of higher-order thinking skills yields greater levels of learning. Gains on learning and intelligence measures have been tied to instruction that use a variety of specific techniques (Cotton, 1991), including:

Creative and Critical Thinking Skills such as decision making, problem solving, fluency, observation, exploration, classification, and generating hypotheses (Crump, Schlichter, and Palk 1988; Herrnstein, et al. 1986; Horton and Ryba 1986; Kagan 1988; Matthews 1989; MCREL 1985; Ristow 1988; Robinson 1987; Tenenbaum 1986).
Metacognition including awareness, self-monitoring, and self-regulating (Bransford, et al. 1986; Freseman 1990; Haller, Child, and Walberg 1988; Pearson 1982; Pogrow 1988; Robinson 1987; Wong 1985).

Many models exist to help educators and researchers identify and categorize thinking skills. Benjamin Bloom's Taxonomy of Thinking Skills is perhaps the most familiar to educators. Others have revisited thinking skills since Bloom in an attempt to broaden the taxonomy to show complex processes like decision making or problem solving—areas that are not specifically addressed within Bloom's framework.

In order to build a framework for organizing thinking skills that will best suit your learners' learning needs and to focus on classroom practices that promote deeper thinking, we will review three models of thinking: Bloom's Revised Taxonomy (Anderson and Krathwohl, 2001), Marzano's Dimensions of Learning, and Costa and Kallick's 16 Habits of Mind. You will use these models to help build your own “Habits of Learning Taxonomy” for your classroom.

Note: Wiggins and McTighe’s Six Facets of Understanding is provided in Appendix B as additional resources.

Next: Proceed to Step 1 of Activity 1.3

Thinking with Technology Module 1 - Targeting Thinking in the Classroom

	Activity 1.3 Applying Models of Thinking As society changes, the skills that learners need to be successful in life also change. Basic literacy skills of reading, writing, and mathematics are no longer sufficient. Our learners need to master those basic skills as well as read critically, write persuasively, think and reason logically, and solve complex problems. A successful 21st century learner must also be adept at managing information—finding, evaluating, and applying new content understanding with great flexibility. Read one such list of essential 21st century skills (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2007). Consider which skills are actively taught or supported in your own classroom. Thinking beyond the level of knowledge acquisition is considered complex thinking—that which requires effort and produces outcomes that may differ from one learner to another. These outcomes are not predictable because the process of higher-order thinking is not mechanical. Central to higher-order thinking is the ability to work through new challenges with understanding and empathy and rise to meet those challenges. In the review of current research on higher-order thinking, the conclusion is clear. Instruction that builds upon and encourages the use of higher-order thinking skills yields greater levels of learning. Gains on learning and intelligence measures have been tied to instruction that use a variety of specific techniques (Cotton, 1991), including: Creative and Critical Thinking Skills such as decision making, problem solving, fluency, observation, exploration, classification, and generating hypotheses (Crump, Schlichter, and Palk 1988; Herrnstein, et al. 1986; Horton and Ryba 1986; Kagan 1988; Matthews 1989; MCREL 1985; Ristow 1988; Robinson 1987; Tenenbaum 1986). Metacognition including awareness, self-monitoring, and self-regulating (Bransford, et al. 1986; Freseman 1990; Haller, Child, and Walberg 1988; Pearson 1982; Pogrow 1988; Robinson 1987; Wong 1985). Many models exist to help educators and researchers identify and categorize thinking skills. Benjamin Bloom's Taxonomy of Thinking Skills is perhaps the most familiar to educators. Others have revisited thinking skills since Bloom in an attempt to broaden the taxonomy to show complex processes like decision making or problem solving—areas that are not specifically addressed within Bloom's framework. In order to build a framework for organizing thinking skills that will best suit your learners' learning needs and to focus on classroom practices that promote deeper thinking, we will review three models of thinking: Bloom's Revised Taxonomy (Anderson and Krathwohl, 2001), Marzano's Dimensions of Learning, and Costa and Kallick's 16 Habits of Mind. You will use these models to help build your own “Habits of Learning Taxonomy” for your classroom. Note: Wiggins and McTighe’s Six Facets of Understanding is provided in Appendix B as additional resources. Next: Proceed to Step 1 of Activity 1.3