I do think that technology can develop higher order thinking and problem solving skills. According to an article written by Cotton (1991), critical thinking has been defined both as, “reflective and reasonable thinking that is focused n deciding what to believe or do” and it is also defined as “the process of determining the authencity, accuracy and worth of information or knowledge claims”. Due to the nature of technology and the fact that critical thinking involves a great deal of logical thinking, reasoning, and comparison it is well served to act as a resource in developing higher order/critical thinking skills in students.
These critical thinking type skills are acquired when students are encouraged to read/review information on the internet, then are asked to find a theme behind what they reviewed. According to the Cotton(1991) article, several research studies have found that computer assisted instruction has a positive impact on intellectual growth and achievement gains and also that many commercially available thinking skills instructional programs have been shown to bring about improvements in students’ performance on intelligence and achievement tests.
Due to the fact that information is very readily available on computers from a variety of resources, technology allows students to piece together information and analyze it so that they can not only pull together key themes but they can also weed out inaccurate information. It is through technological based projects such as reviewing historical accounts, reviewing websites and reviewing differing sides of debates that students are able to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate (Bloom’s taxonomy) all the information they are reviewing. According to Saskatchewan Learning, critical thinking involves the seeking out of the most accurate and fair positions regardless of or in spite of one’s own interests, and it takes into account the viewpoints and arguments of others. As mentioned previously, tasks such as web searches, reviews of differing historical accounts, etc, involve reviewing the viewpoints and arguments of others in order to determine the most accurate and fair position. In addition, this same article written by Saskatchewan Learning emphasizes the fact that knowledge retained by students is knowledge which they find relevant to their daily lives and that if they see the learning task as personally meaningful they are able to learn better. Technology is the basis of our world today, and technology is often personally meaningful to students so if we use something near and dear to their hearts it is highly likely that they will be more open and more ready able to use their critical thinking skills.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Dee,
Your comments about making technological learning personally meaningful will be added to my reflection notebook for teaching. I like how you used the phrase "near and dear to their hearts" because it reminds me of how personal learning is for children. I also think your point about finding a theme behind what the students reviewed on the web is an important part of critical thinking. Your quote by Cotton reinforces the positive impact on intellectual growth and achievement gains through the use of technology. Thanks for writing such a well organized piece on how technology can help develop higher order thinking and problem solving skills.
Post a Comment