[Year 12 IT Apps] Task 3 I'm still confused

Sun Aug 5 22:48:03 EST 2007

Hi Russell,
I don't agree that we should be following "the vogue of learning 
styles". I have been teaching long enough to know they come and go and I 
think I'm witnessing my fourth era of teaching and learning styles. What 
we really are recognising is that students cannot all be regarded as the 
same as learners; they think and like to demonstrate their learning in 
different ways. Competent teachers have always known this. It's like all 
this current emphasis on PoLT - I, and all the others in my DipEd class, 
learned the elements of PoLT as "effective teaching practice". PoLT was 
not discovered recently, it was in another guise in the 70s or I could 
go back to Socrates who challenged deep levels of thinking, promoted 
independence, etc, etc.

As I stated in my earlier message, it is the thinking that's important 
to capture. It is the capture of that thinking that is difficult and the 
most recommended method from my reading on this is to get it in a form 
you can see. There have been a number of tools developed to help this 
process eg the POOCH, mind maps, fishbones, etc. However, as you rightly 
point out, not all students are comfortable with pictures (although the 
experts say the brain thinks in pictures). This is different from 
diagrams which all our students should be able to create, comprehend, 
interpret, and analyse (eg network diagrams, structure charts, graphs). 
But getting back to thinking. The advantage of recording thinking 
strategies on computer include:
a. use of color to highlight elements, significant decisions, questions, 
similarities, differences, etc
b. ease of use of erasing and redrawing, moving items
c. ease of saving for later retrieval
d. availability of online tools for assisting thinking strategies
e. collaborative thinking (not for this SAC though).

Now, as to the idea that visualising thinking (VT) means only using 
pictures. Where did that come from?
The study design states
"Students can use any appropriate software when retracing and analysing 
the decisions made
and actions taken when problem-solving "(p.31)
The relevant key knowledge point is:
"techniques for visually representing the decisions to be made and 
actions taken when problemsolving" (p.32)
and the relevant key skill is:
"record visually the decisions made and actions taken when 
problem-solving;"(p32)

And in the Handbook it is described as

"A visual representation that retraces the decisions made and actions 
taken when problem-solving, and evaluates the effectiveness of these 
strategies."(p.28)
and advice to teachers about designing the task is:
"Teachers should develop an assessment task that allows the student to:
apply appropriate software capabilities to create linguistic and 
non-linguistic representations, such as graphic organisers, flow charts, 
information and communications technology generated simulations to help 
structure and reflect on their thinking processes when solving 
information problems."

People have assumed that recording visually means making images but  it 
is clear that linguistic (ie words) representations are acceptable. 
Visualising thinking means "seeing what you are thinking". That is why a 
database and spreadsheet enable visualising thinking - you can see the 
effects of your thinking as in a DB query or spreadsheet What if... 
statements. VT is also making a robot and observing how its behaviour 
changes when you alter the control program. A good way to capture this 
would be to video it.

I would expect that in a couple of years time our students will be using 
more non-linguistic representations as they are usually more efficient 
at conveying information but VT is new for our students this year so I'm 
expecting mine to use a mix of linguistic and non-linguistic 
representations.

I guess what I'm saying is that people should not stress over this. Have 
fun with it. My students and I are.

Charmaine Taylor
Sunbury Downs College

Russell Edwards wrote:

> So Charmaine, you are saying plain text (in point or prose form) is a  
> perfectly acceptable form of "visualising thinking"? For VCE IT  
> specifically? Using software tools (notepad)? Paula?
>
> Russell
>
> P.S. As I stated below, I agree it belongs in every curriculum,  
> however it should be unobtrusive, and less presecriptive about the  
> tools that are used in reflection. It's the reflection and "higher- 
> order, critical thinking" that's important, not how a particular  
> student chooses to reach that point. Surely if we wish to be  
> "pioneers" we should be following the vogue of learning styles and  
> multiple intelligences to support students for whom these tools don't  
> gel. Sure, offer them a range of tools during class time but don't  
> mandate which ones are to be used in assessment.
>
>
> On 02/08/2007, at 11:57 PM, Charmaine Taylor wrote:
>
>> Hi Russell,
>> "Does it belong in the IT curriculum?" It belongs in every  
>> curriculum. As usual IT is leading the way in curriculum  development 
>> in this state and we IT teachers are the pioneers  "bravely going 
>> where no-one has gone before" .  You even say you  make notes to 
>> 'sift and sort' your thoughts. This is visualising  thinking - 
>> putting it on paper or on screen so you can see what you  are 
>> thinking. It is often difficult to put ideas into words and  explain 
>> relationships succinctly and this is where the graphic  organisers 
>> can come in handy. But they are not the only forms of  VT. David 
>> Jonassen, one of the gurus, calls them Mindtools  (borrowed it from 
>> Papert?) and he identifies several categories  including: databases, 
>> spreadsheets, concept maps, computer  conferencing, hypermedia, 
>> microworlds, etc ie any tool that can
>>  "engage learners in constructive, higher-order, critical thinking  
>> about the subjects they are studying".
>>
>> Charmaine Taylor
>> Sunbury Downs College
>>
>> Russell Edwards wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> On 02/08/2007, at 9:49 PM, Charmaine Taylor wrote:
>>>
>>>>  The idea students should understand is that by keeping a visual   
>>>> record of your thinking strategies you can better reflect on how   
>>>> you came up with an idea, why you accepted or rejected it and  can  
>>>> make a judgement about the value of that strategy. Why?  Because  
>>>> humans forget and if its recorded on paper or  electronically we 
>>>> can  retrieve it.
>>>
>>>
>>> I can agree with this, and you and Paula are certainly correct  
>>> that  reflection is an extremely important trait. I can see that  
>>> using some  of these ICT VT tools could certainly help stimulate  
>>> reflection in  unreflective students. However, I just don't see  
>>> that many people  would use them on an ongoing basis. Once  
>>> reflection is initiated, do  the tools remain (*essentially*)  
>>> useful (for *everyone*)? It is hard  to say since the only mind I  
>>> truly know is my own. I think I am  highly reflective, yet I  mainly 
>>> do this exclusively mentally. If I do  set something down,  it will 
>>> be in the form of textual notes, mainly  to compensate for  a poor 
>>> memory but also sometimes to sift and sort  my thoughts.  Should 
>>> students like me flunk because they don't think  in fishbones?
>>>
>>> Yes, reflection is a skill to be highly valued, but (a) does it   
>>> belong specifically in an IT curriculum? (b) yes, VT tools may be   
>>> useful for stimulating reflection, but should they be expected to  
>>> be  used (by *all* students) once reflective habits are  initiated?, 
>>> and  (c, related) should a particular framework for  reflection  
>>> (specifically visual, specifically using software  tools) be 
>>> mandated  for _assessment_ purposes?
>>>
>>> I would answer (a) no, it belongs in VELS ICT interdisciplinary   
>>> strands and could also be woven in a minor, nonprescriptive way  
>>> into  every VCE subject, (b) unless I am completely unique  
>>> (doubtful!!),  no! (c) no! assess the skill, not the conformity of  
>>> learning/thinking  style.  Ultimately, to be useful, reflection  
>>> should be distilled down  in to a logical set of statements that  
>>> could be expressed in English  prose. IMO this should be the  
>>> assessable form. Whether VT tools are  used to arrive at that  point 
>>> or not should be up to the student.
>>>
>>> JMO
>>> Russell
>>> Whittlesea SC
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>>>
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>
> _______________________________________________
> http://www.edulists.com.au - FAQ, resources, subscribe, unsubscribe
> IT Applications Mailing List kindly supported by
> http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.auvce/studies/infotech/itapplications3-4.html 
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> Teachers Association Inc
>
>
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