DIMENSIONS OF LEARNING

OVERVIEW 3: DIMENSIONS 2, 3,

4Centralian Senior College

REVIEW PRIOR LEARNING (DIM 2)

DIMENSION 2: ACQUIRE AND INTEGRATE KNOWLEDGE

Examples Add and subtract

Write a paragraph

An amoeba

The conventions of punctuation

When oppression meets resistance, conflict results

Set up an experiment

Read music

The rules of basketball

Shoot free throws

A numerator

Democracy

Declarative Knowledge

Content or information, facts and concepts: things students know or understand

Procedural Knowledge

Processes or skills: things students can do

What is the major difference in how we learn a concept and a

skill?

STUDENTS LEARN DIFFERENT KNOWLEDGE DIFFERENTLY

Declarative Knowledge: content and information

Procedural Knowledge: skills and processes

Construct Model

Shape

Internalize

Construct Meaning

StoreOrganise

HOW DOES DOL HELP HERE?

articulates the difference between the types of knowledge, how they relate to each other

defines different types of declarative knowledge (descriptions, sequences, processes, episodes, principles, concepts) and distinguishes between macro and microprocesses (skills)

For each of the three processes involved in acquiring and integrating knowledge (declarative and procedural), DoL offers a collection of strategies teachers can select from and a suggested series of steps

DIMENSION 4: USE KNOWLEDGE MEANINGFULLYUsing knowledge requires more complex

reasoning processes than required by Dimension 2 of learning (recall, reproduce knowledge)

DoL’s identified 6 complex reasoning processes that can be applied to help them use knowledge meaningfully

For each, gives five steps in how to teach the process so that students can learn how to do it themselves . . .

D4: 6 REASONING PROCESSES

Decision Making: generating and applying criteria to select from among seemingly equal alternative

Problem Solving: overcoming constraints or limiting conditions that are in the way of pursuing goals

Invention: developing unique products or processes that fulfil perceived needs

Experimental Inquiry: generating and testing explanations of observed phenomena

Investigation: identifying and resolving issues about which there are confusions or contradictions

Systems Analysis: analysing the parts of a system and the manner in which they interact

DIMENSION 3: EXTEND AND REFINE KNOWLEDGEThis occurs as learners examine and analyse

knowledge and information in a way that: helps them make new connections discover or rediscover meanings gain new insights clarify misconceptions

Results in learners being able to do more than recite definitions and give other examples.

Involves them thinking about the information by using reasoning process that are more complex than those used to recognise or reproduce knowledge.

These processes CHANGE the knowledge they have.

DIMENSION 3:EXTEND AND REFINE KNOWLEDGE.

Eight Complex

Reasoning Processes

Classifying

Comparing

Inductive Reasonin

g

Deductive Reasoning

Abstracting

Analysing Errors

Analysing Perspective

s

Constructing support

THE 8 COMPLEX REASONING PROCESSES DESCRIBED

Comparing: Indentifying and articulating similarities and differences among items

Classifying: grouping things into definable categories on the basis of their attributes

Abstracting: Identifying and articulating the underlying theme or general pattern of information

Inductive Reasoning: inferring unknown generalisations or principles from information or observations

Deductive Reasoning: Using generalistions and principles to infer unstated conclusions about specific information or situations

Constructing Support: building systems of support for assertions

Analysing Errors: identifying and articulating errors in thinking

Analysing Perspectives: identifying multiple perspectives on an issues and examining the reasons or logic behind each.

EACH OF THE EIGHT PROCESSES IS TAUGHT IN THE SAME WAY: 1. Help students understand the process: (the function/goal

of it)

2. Give students a model for the process, and create opportunities for them to practice using the process. (the steps involved and examples)

3. As students study and use the process, help them focus on critical steps and difficult aspects of the process (examples and suggestions of how to deal with elements)

4. Provide students with graphic organisers or representations of the model to help them understand and use the process

5. Use teacher-structured and student-structured tasks (modeling to independent work)

THE ENGLISH PROJECTUsing DoL as the framework for a Professional Learning Project is working

well . . .

1. Identify the Issue: How can we improve students’ critical literacy skills in English, specifically their ability to analyse a writer’s use of linguistic and visual techniques to achieve their purpose and appeal to their audience.

2. Plan the DoL Project: major issue for students as being the gap between their declarative

knowledge of the techniques writers use and their procedural ability to analyse how a particular writer uses these techniques for specific effects.

In DoL terms: Able to gain and integrate the knowledge of techniques (they can explain

their purposes and give examples) – Dimension 2Cannot use this knowledge meaningfully in new situations – Dimension 4. In order to do this, we need to focus on Dimension 3, helping them to

extend and refine their knowledge.

EACH TEACHER IDENTIFIES 1-3 OF THE EIGHT PROCESSES explicitly teach that process as a way of getting

to grips with one aspect of extending and refining their critical literacy knowledge

talk to each other about why we’ve chosen that process and how we might use the strategies/steps to teach it

use the specific steps given to construct learning activities that teach using this process to think more deeply about a critical literacy task

trial them and share the results

BELINDA’S PLANAL’S PLAN Belinda: Comparing and Inductive

Reasoning re: Color Purple

Al: Inductive Reasoning, Classifying, Abstracting re: Lear and Critical Reading

THREE MINUTE PAUSE (DIM 2)Take 3 minutes to stop and think about

where next the school could go with this / any implications for the more explicit whole school teaching of complex reasoning processes / any questions that need addressing:

I could . . . We could . . . We would need to . . . Students might . . . The school would . . . We might . . .