Higher order thinking skills

http://www.questgarden.com/

WebQuests were invented by Dr Bernie Dodge from San Diego State University.  These are lessons based on web content, and from an ELT perspective I see them as a guided online reading task, which requires students to analyse web content, summarise and explain their findings to their peers and then work together on a collaborative task, such as a group presentation.  Learners are often assigned a role and then are signposted to specific websites in order to gather and sort relevant information, which they then transfer to the rest of the group.  Discussion is followed by a group project, which ends with a product. Possibilities are vast, but on the QuestGarden website we can see examples of travel plans (A trip to London), room design, an exhibition, story writing, putting together a time capsule.  The model is based on the assumption that

- authentic tasks are engaging
- collaborative tasks enhance learning
- evaluation of online data leads to higher order thinking skills

these are:

analysis:  sifting through online content and selecting relevant information

synthesis:  bringing information together, combining information into a logical pattern

evaluation: judging, comparing, reasoning, deciding

In this YouTube clip, Dr Bernie Dodge describes what processes need to be followed to produce an effective WebQuest:

"Been there, done it!"

I have used similar materials in my ELT lessons, without using a webquest site.  Just like the digital format, I have presented an idea to the class via a video or images:

 A worksheet has then guided them to a specific website for reading and information gathering (pairwork).

Worksheet

go to:  http://www.comicrelief.com/rednoseday

Have a look around the site and answer these questions:

1. In what year did the first Red Nose Day take place?

2.  Does this event take place every year?

3.  What happens on Red Nose Day?

4.  How can people raise money on Red Nose Day ?(list 4 different ideas) [what is the best link to click on to get this information?  Hint:  we are looking for ideas!]

i)

ii)

iii)

iv)

5.  What, in your opinion, is a good way to raise money?

6.  Link: =  Fundraising Tools.  Find a kit that will help you to raise money.

7.  Task: Present your fundraising ideas to the rest of the class.  

Summary:

I think this activity is very similar to the webquest model, in that:

- it uses authentic materials

- it uses information from the web

- it requires analysis, synthesis and evaluation of information

- it leads to a group discussion and a presentation task 

In conclusion, I believe that all the affordances of a webquest and the pedagogy and learning outcomes that underpin this tool can be realised without the $20 subscription to QuestGarden. It takes a considerable amount of time to design an effective webquest, whereas my collaborative Red Nose Day task (and other similar activities I've designed) was compiled in a matter of minutes. 

  

Collaboration

Sharing ideas and opinions

Tricider is a very useful tool for collaboration, both inside and outside the classroom.  A question can be posed and shared via this online voting tool and students can post their ideas and responses and see the argument develop.  It's a constructivist approach to learning, in that students are working together, problem-solving, reflecting and building on each other's ideas.  Collaboration in this way gives all learners a voice, even those who do not usually speak out in class.

This tricision was designed to elicit ideas for a discursive essay.  Very often ideas are discussed in class and added to the whiteboard, but not noted down by students. The activity was taken a step further, in that the ideas and opinions were then used in a writing task.   By creating an online document and sharing with all the learners, they had access to the brainstorming they did in class when they were doing this writing task for homework.  The layout of the questions aimed to help the students to plan and structure the essay.  The linear aspect of this tool also enabled learners to focus on language used for linking ideas (showing constrast, expansion, examples etc). 

Another tool for sharing ideas and brainstorming is Padlet.  This can be used in a more visual way to stimulate discussion. 

Created with Padlet

Blogging

Communication in action

This communication tool can be put to good effect in the ELT classroom.  Blogging fosters interaction and, a well-structured blogging task can build confidence in reluctant writers.  

Many students find writing the hardest skill of all, and some avoid doing writing tasks when they are set for homework.  Many writing tasks appear meaningless and outdated in today's digital world.  How many young people will need to write a formal letter of complaint?  Nearly all communication is done online nowadays and students need to be working in appropriate platforms in order to value their learning.  

Blogs (or web logs)  are very easy to set up.  Blogger is a Google application, accessed through Chrome, which simply requires a gmail account. Students can blog individually or as a group and chose who they share their blog with.  Sharing is an important factor, as fundamental to blogging is the role of audience.  This gives writing tasks a real purpose - not just to practise language and engage with ideas, but to use writing as a genuine means of communication - sharing ideas, discoveries and opinions with others and receiving comments in return. Receiving comments can encourage and motivate bloggers to write more, in that they feel their thoughts and opinions are valued and acknowledged.  

Blogging can promote:

motivation      language awareness     self-expression      self-evaluation    learner autonomy

However, tasks need to be thought through and carefully managed, with learning outcomes clearly defined.  The teacher needs to guide and support, ensuring that peer-feedback and interaction takes place.  Teacher feedback will enhance self-esteem and promote motivation and lead to students evaluating their work, bringing higher-order thinking skills into play. 

I would use the following YouTube video to explain to my students what a blog is and why and how they are used. 

 

Blogging has the power to change your life!

In the movie Julie and Julia, we see someone's life turned around through the medium of blogging.   I'm not claiming that blogging will change my students' lives, but signposting them to the film could be a fun and engaging way to show the power and potential of this tool - with the added benefit of being immersed in the target language for entertainment purposes.  A lovely, heart-warming film - I recommend it.

Interactive White Boards

Promoting interaction and collaboration

A very expensive classroom tool, which replaces the traditional whiteboard and offers many more features.  It can be used in the same way as a whiteboard, with different coloured pens and an eraser which works just like a board rubber.  However, if the IWB is used in this way, it is not being put to good effect.  The board is touch-sensitive and is designed to enable users to interact directly with the different elements that can be incorporated: text, graphics, sound, animation and video.

A promotional video from Smart (other IWBs are available!) shows how IWBs can be used in a classroom, and clearly explains the affordances of this tool:

collaboration    active participation     engagement

For me, the most important factor is that the IWB can meet the needs all preferred learning styles, especially visual and kinaesthetic.   The stimulating, visual aspect can be used not only to present information, but allows learners to manipulate and work with images in ways that require higher order thinking skills. The tool fosters student participation and engagement and this leads to enhanced learning, as students who are engaged are more motivated to learn and therefore will be more successful in their efforts.    In the language classroom, learners can collaborate on the IWB to solve problems, sort, label and match vocabulary (many of these can be produced through Triptico) and their work can be saved, printed or shared electronically.  

"People do dumb things with smartboards" (Heidi Hayes-Jacobs)

The efficacy of IWBs has been questioned, with claims that they can promote  teacher-centred learning.  This is clearly in situations where this complicated piece of kit is being used solely to present information and ideas and not to promote interaction.  Teacher training is vital to ensure that money invested in an expensive tool is not being wasted, and this in turn makes the equipment even more expensive.  A teacher needs to invest a considerable amount of time and dedication to produce appropriate materials and activities that will lead to active participation and interaction, however the effective language teacher has always had to do just that.  The cards and labels we cut out and laminate, the pictures we collect - all of these can now be stored electronically and put to use on the IWB.  However, within a large classroom, where there over 20 students, not all learners can engage with the IWB at the same time.  This means that some students will be sitting passively watching their peers interacting with the materials.  With low-tech materials, such as paper and post-it notes, all learners can be active and engaged at the same time, working collaboratively in pairs or groups.  In this respect I see the IWB as a tool which enables the teacher to apply effective teaching methods in a different, more up-to-date way.  The effective teacher does not need an IWB to produce an interactive lesson and promote student engagement, but it is a tool (albeit a very expensive one) which can enable this.