Think about the following questions:

Do we teach our students how to think ? What activities contribute to growth in students thinking ? What are the characteristics of a thinking classroom ? How can students thinking be assessed ?

The first part of this session will tackle the first two questions. The second part will tackle the third question which is on assessment.

What are examples of thinking skills ?

What do you expect students to do when you ask them to .. observe something ? classify objects or events ? infer about an object or event ? communicate about an information ?

Do we teach our students how to think?

constant interaction with the environment experimentation and analysis Students make most sense of science when doing hands-on activities then reflecting about it through talking and writing.

What are the characteristics of a thinking classroom ?

Risk taking is encouraged yet failure can be accepted ?

The thinking classroom views learning as a group experience with commonly accepted goals. While respect for the opinion of others is encouraged, the individual students sense of competence in their thinking is also developed.

What are the characteristics of a thinking classroom?

The goal of learning is thinking. Emphasis is on activities that develop thinking rather than covering materials and passing tests. Students are actively involved in the process of learning and thinking. They are not simply recipients of information. The environment fosters inquiry and asking questions, not just answering them.

An individual going through a science activity coupled with thinking processes is definitely experiencing several science processes. Science processes are thinking processes. When these thinking processes have been internalized, they become thinking skills.

Levels of Thinking Processes

Basic thinking processes

Integrated thinking processes Higher level thinking processes

Basic Science Processes

inferring

observing

predicting

Basic Science

Process Skills

measuring
classifying

communicating

Observing

Using one or more of the five senses to gather information about an object or an event. It may include the use of apparatus or equipment.

Classifying

Grouping or ordering objects or events into categories based on properties or criteria

Measuring

Involves using quantitative observations using standardized measuring tools or non standardized objects.

Communicating

Giving or exchanging information. It also involves using words and or graphic symbols to describe an action, an object, or an event orally or in writing.

Inferring
Making an educated guess to explain about an object or event based on observations.

Whatever one thinks after making an observation is called an inference.

Predicting
Stating the outcome of a future event based on a pattern of evidence. Predictions are based on prior knowledge through experiences or data collected. To predict means to foretell what will happen about something beyond actual observations or measurements.

Integrated Thinking Processes

Controlling variables

experimenting

Interpreting data

Integrated thinking processes

modelling
Defining Operationally

formulating hypothesis

Defining Operationally

Defining an object or event based on your experience with it.

An operational definition should be thought of as doing definition

Controlling Variables
Showing how attributes vary by manipulating variables.

It is keeping all other variables constant or the same during the experiment except the one whose effect we want to determine.

Formulating Hypothesis
Constructing a statement that is tentative or can be tested, about what is thought to be the expected outcome of an experiment (based on reasoning).

Experimenting
Putting most of the process skills together in one activity. It is designing a test to check out a question or a hypothesis.

Experiment should be a fair test so that what is found is reliable and true.
A fair test often consists of two setups which are the same in every way except for the variable whose effect we are testing.

Representing Data
Records of measurements in the form of drawings, tables, and graphs.

Organizing measurements to make information easier to interpret.

Interpreting Data
Reading and understanding tables, graphs, diagrams, or maps.

Explaining information presented in a table, a graph, a diagram, or a map and/or using it to answer questions.

Making Models Involves developing a conceptual or physical representation to explain an idea, object, or event.

Anything that is not real but is a representation of an actual thing can be called a model.

Making Conclusions
Forming answers to questions based on evidences found.

Comparing experimental results with those predicted from hypothesis. If the experimental results agree with the predicted results then the conclusion is that the hypothesis is supported.

Higher Level Thinking Processes

Critical thinking Creative thinking

Higher level thinking processes

Problem solving

Decision making

Problem Solving Could be in the form of short stories that present problems in the context of real world situation or experiences. Key variables, concepts, essential information are identified before a solution can be attempted.

Critical Thinking
Identifying key issues, asking strategic questions, developing answers to those questions, and deciding what action to take. Teachers facilitate critical thinking not by giving students direct answers to questions and solutions to problems, but by asking questions.

Creative Thinking
It involves creation or generating ideas, processes, experiences, or objects, critical thinking is concerned with their evaluation.

To solve real life problems we move back and forth several times between creative and critical reflection as we develop solution or weigh the consequences of any one solution.

Critical Thinking vs Creative Thinking

analytic convergent vertical probability judgment focused objective answer left brain verbal linear reasoning yes but generative divergent lateral possibility suspended judgment diffuse subjective an answer right brain visual associative richness, novelty yes and

Decision Making Recognize the problem. Analyze the problem. Consider your goals. Look for alternatives. Select the best alternative. Put your decision into action. Accept the responsibility.
Evaluate your results.

What activities can develop students thinking?

Lessons where students explore new phenomena in which they act based on previous knowledge or previous procedures (thinking skills), or both.

Activities which lead to results that can be challenged or contradicted.

Lessons where students can come up with tentative answers or more effective procedures.

What activities can develop students thinking?

Lessons where the more effective procedure could be used to generate new arguments, predictions, or data to allow either the change of old beliefs or the construction of a new belief (or concept). Lessons where students can test the extent to which new concepts or procedure can be applied in additional contexts.

Lets do some activities !!

Defining operationally

Hypothesizing
Controlling variables

Predicting
Making models

Decision making in an investigation

HAVE A NICE TIME