I tend to use in my classes a variety of methodologies in order to reach the widest possible amount of pupils. New technologies are here to stay, we can use them big or small. One day you can do a formative assessment with a kahoot, the next session start your lesson getting to know previous knowledge with a brainstorm, organize a flipped classroom with your pupils and change the view on homework forever!
I try to work with a variety of thinking skills as developed initially by Benjamin Bloom in his taxonomy. In his research, Bloom saw education as a way to improve human potential. He studied the educational goals and developed a classification for learning activities and objectives.
His taxonomy contains 3 learning domains:
The cognitive domain (knowledge, thinking)
The affective domain (attitude, feelings)
The psychomotor domain (skills physical)
The cognitivie domain was established with a hierachy of six thinking skills from the lowest to the highest and those thinking skills are: remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating and creating.
The three lowest skills are known as LOTS and the three highest skills are known as HOTS.
LOTS are often learnt through passive learning and individual practising.
HOTS require active learning and collaborative effort, ideal setting working in pairs, or small gorups. . HOTS are harder to develop but these skills enable students to become better at problem solving and stay there for life, because they are able to transfer skills from one area to another area . From a familiar known situation ( ZPD) to new or different situations or under stress because of new and unknown, different sets of circumstances, making them multidisciplinary thinkers and ready for the current work situation.
• LOTS (lower order thinking skills): remembering, understanding, and applying
• HOTS (higher order thinking skills): analyzing, evaluating, and creating
We have to bear in mind that being able to recall and remember something but not being able to apply that knowledge is not true knowing and it is not that useful, and eventually it will be forgotten.
I always try to facilitate learning where a variety of learning skills are put into action.
Talking now about graphics and infographics, I have to sayt that they are very visual and my pupils seem to like them very much. Piktochart or Visme are good tools to use, and free!
Digital footprint and safety in the net are concepts that pupils need to be taught and of course, they need to acquire confidence in surfing the net. Learning to be critical users avoiding fake news and learning to differentiate good content from bad content. Their image that they project in the net is also important to be taken into account. My pupils are learning to be active creators, clever creators as opposed to passive users. They need to be very aware of what they publish, photos, opinions, etc as everything they publish stays there and potential employers can access those photos and those comments.
