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

[Russell Edwards]

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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