Intel Thinking Tools

ABOUT THE TOOLS:
Intel® Education thinking tools are based on research that demonstrates the value of visual representation in constructing and retaining new information.  There are three types of tools; Visual Ranking Tool, Seeing Reason Tool, & Showing Evidence Tool.

• The Visual Ranking Tool helps students use their higher-order thinking skills to create and compare ordered lists.  Students identify and refine criteria as they assign order to a list and they must explain their reasoning, using a visual diagram.

• The Seeing Reason Toolallows students to use higher-order thinking skills to analyze cause and effect.   Students create visual maps of the factors in a cause-and-effect investigation.  The maps created make thinking visible.

• The Showing Evidence Tool has students use higher-order thinking skills when they learn to critically construct, evaluate, and defend their arguments.  Students learn how to construct good arguments and prove their case with credible evidence using visual framework to: make claims, identify evidence, evaluate the quality of that evidence, explain how the evidence supports or weakens claims, and reach conclusions based on the evidence.

 

SET UP ACCOUNT:

This picture shows what  it looks like when you are signed into an educator account.

DESCRIBE PROJECT:

When it comes to most math classes, students always ask the question,” Why do I need to know this?”  I decided to make up a project that will help explain the importance of math.  The plan is to help students analyze the processes used in making important decisions and how significant decisions affect the future. After exploring and collecting data on the benefits of math classes, students reevaluate their own choices for math classes.

Students will use the Seeing Reason Tool to create a map that represents this investigation and answer questions that require data that shows the effects of taking math courses.  This plan would have to range over a week or so incorporating: correlations, graphing, functions, scatter plots, line of best fit, statistics and various higher-order thinking skills: prediction, data analysis, synthesis, evaluation.  One CSO this would cover would be: M.O.8.2.10 - identify a real life problem involving change over time; make a hypothesis as to the outcome; develop, justify, and implement a method to collect, organize, and analyze data; generalize the results to make a conclusion; compare the hypothesis and the results of the investigation; present the project using words, graphs, drawings, models, or tables.

 

Educator's View of Current Project

Educator's View of Teams on current project.

Educator's View of Student's Work.

Actual Mapping made ny Educator and Student's.

WHY TOOL WAS CHOSEN:

With the Seeing Reason Tool students can create visual maps of the factors and relationships in a cause-and-effect investigation. These maps make thinking visible and promote collaboration as students work together to refine their understanding.  The tool supports cycles of investigation where students gather what they know, organize that knowledge into a map, and then investigate whether their initial concepts are supported by evidence. 

The Seeing Reason Tool is useful at several points during an investigation—at the beginning when initial ideas about a problem are conceived, during research phases as knowledge and insight grow, and finally, as a presentation of students' fullest understanding of the problem. For this lesson, the student will use it to create a pre-data map of what they think and then go back and edit their map, during and at the end, to include what evidence they found through analyzing their collected data.

CK & PCK:

The Mishra & Koehler (2006) article states that, “Pedagogical content knowledge includes knowing what teaching approaches fit the content, and likewise, knowing how the elements of the content can be arranged for better teaching” (pp. 1027). PCK is concerned with the representation and formulation of concepts, pedagogical techniques, as well as knowledge of what makes concepts difficult or easy to learn, student’s prior knowledge, and theories of epistemology.

Content knowledge is knowledge about the actual subject matter that is to be learned or taught.  CK includes knowledge of concepts, theories, ideas, organizational framework, knowledge of evidence and proof, as well as established practices and approaches towards developing such knowledge (Koehler & Mishra, 2008, pp.13).

This activity intersects with content knowledge (CK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK).  The CK here is based on a WV CSO that states what concept and knowledge is to be taught by the teacher and learned by the students.  CK doesn’t work alone, PCK is also involved.  PCK is knowledge about how to make a subject understandable to learners, and in this activity the way that the activity is explained and arranged is for ease of use for students and was designed to help students build off their prior knowledge and use higher order thinking skills to obtain more content knowledge according to the CSO.   

 

HIGHER ORDER THINKING SKILLS:

This activity accommodates the development of student’s higher order thinking skills.  When it comes to higher order thinking skill, “an underlying idea is that some types of learning require more cognitive processing than others. Higher order thinking involves the learning of complex judgmental skills such as critical thinking and problem solving and is more difficult to learn or teach but also more valuable because such skills are more likely to be useable in everyday situations” Higher Order Thinking, 2010). The various higher-order thinking skills that can be seen within this activity are prediction, data analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.  Thinking skills can be improved by understanding the processes involved in thinking. We do not teach children to think, but we can help children to organize their thinking to facilitate more complex reasoning.

There are many ways to foster higher order thinking in the classroom such as including some of the following into the class room environment: multi-level materials, flexible grouping, accepting and celebrating diversity, print-rich environment, high expectations, teacher is seen as co-learner, and nurturing risk-taking.  Also, having students participate in the following kinds of activities: cooperative group activities in which students can communicate with others in a variety of ways, problem-solving activities that require more than routine calculations, open-ended activities with more than one "right" answer, activities which accommodate multiple intelligences, and activities in which both genders participate freely (Higher Order Thinking, 2010). 

This activity allows students work in a group setting and there are high expectations associated with this activity, also risk taking is nurtured and encouraged.  Students get to complete a problem solving activity and communicate with others in a variety of ways.  Also, since the activity is open-ended they are free to choose what they want to research within the boundaries and there is more than one “right” answer. More specifically, students will think about and talk about their learning, negotiate the meaning of their symbols and make their ideas public, translate from one form of knowledge to another, transfer their knowledge to other cause-and-effect situations, and gain experience in using tools for problem solving.

 

REFERENCES:

Higher Order Thinking - WikEd. (n.d.). WikEd. Retrieved April 23, 2012, from http://wik.ed.uiuc.edu/index.php/Higher_Order_Thinking

Koehler, M. J., & Mishra, P. (2008). Introducing Technological Pedagogical Knowledge. In AACTE (Eds.). The Handbook of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Educators. To be published by AACTE and Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A new framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record. 108(6), 1017-1054.

 ISTE NETS T - Standard1 (b) &(c), Standard 2 (a), & Standard 3 (d): This assigment covers various standards as it was multi dimensional. Performing the activity designed for this assigmnet would allow students to explore real world issues and solve problems using a digital tool. In explaining and setting the tool up with them the educator would be promoting student reflection using collaborative tools and incorporating digital toosl and resources that promote student learning and creativity. Also, the educator would be modeling effective use of the tool to locate, analyze, evaulate, and use resources.

1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity,

b. Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources c. Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes
2. Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity
3. Model Digital Age Work and Learning
d. Model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning