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

[Russell Edwards]

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