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A PBL Model to Promote Reflective Thinking. Reflective Thinking. Whose Business Is It Anyway?. Tofi Rahal Zayed University. What counts as knowledge …? What skills are used to handle info?.
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A PBL Model to Promote Reflective Thinking Reflective Thinking Whose Business Is It Anyway? Tofi Rahal Zayed University
What counts as knowledge …? What skills are used to handle info? • “In this life, we want nothing but Facts, Sir: nothing but Facts.” declared Mr Gradgrind, who saw his pupils as “…little vessels, there and then arranged in order, ready to have imperial gallons of facts poured into them until they were full to the brim.”
Educational challenges ... • enhance learning skills & High-Order Outcomes • improve ability to integrate diverse areas of knowledge • develop information handling skills • But – What & How?
New strategies ... • problem based learning • student centred learning • small group collaborative learning • constructivist approach • but - do they make a difference? • old perfume in new bottles?
Holistic Sense of direction & aim Focus on educating the person Responsive to an increasing multicultural global world. Outcome-Based Learning is a model that helps equip students with high-order capabilities needed for long-life learning. What is Outcome-Based Learning?
A Parent’s Wish I might wish for my daughter to become a Doctor, an Engineer or a Scientist. But what is more important is for my daughter to acquire those high-order skills and capabilities that help her succeed regardless to what job she does.
Authentic Life Experiences Integrative Constructivist Problem-Based Learning is an instructional method that uses “real-life” problems as a context for students Learning. What is Problem-Based Learning?
A task A event/situation A Project A Case Study An Article A Video Clip A Sketch A Story A Problem Can Take many Forms:
From a Physical Science Point of View: Reflection is the process of constructing images as incoming light from an object interacts with and then bounces off the surface of some material. What is Reflection?
Reflection from the Surface of the water Smooth & Pure Water Surface Wavy & Murky Water Surface Why can images of the same object be different? • The clarity and depth of the image depends on the nature and composition of the surface of the material, which in turn depends on the surrounding environment.
From a Cognitive Science Point of View: Reflection is the process of constructing meanings as incoming information from a learning experience interacts with and then bounces off an individual state of cognition. What is Reflection?
Why do people reflect differently to the same learning experience? • The clarity and depth of constructed meanings (level of understanding) depends on the nature and organization of the individual state of cognition, which in turn is a direct function of the individual cultural setting; i.e. family, religion, politics, economy, class, language, prior schooling …etc.” • The Challenge!!!
The search for a new guiding principle Our new guiding and practical principle originates from research on Academically Disadvantaged Students (ADS) • “ADS are those individuals who lack access to the rich types of cultural interactions that prepare them to engage in reflective, systematic, and abstract thought.”. They are often coming from “Do this Do that” environment.
Educational Misconception… • ADS are NOT capable of systematic and reflective thinking, and it is not fair to expect that from them. NONSENSE! • Are we helpless to develop a sense of understanding in our students as to get them become reflective practitioners? NO!
How can we help? • The key to solving the problem is to create a school culture that exposes students to consistent and repeated activities and questions that enable them to overcome the “conversation deficit” that inhibits their development.
Ingredients for Success • A specialized “reflective thinking skills” program that promote important “Habits of Mind” and a better sense of understanding; i.e. LOA, Systems of Knowing. • Partnership between teachers within the program, and between them and other regular content teachers. • Scaffolding Instructional Strategies.
1) Describe Circumstances surrounding the evidence: Read Thru the Lines. -What is the nature of the LE? -Who was involved? -Where did it occur? -When did it occur? -How did it occur? 2) Examine and Analyze the Internal Characteristics of the LE: Read Beneath the Lines. -Why did you select this particular LE? -What aspects of this LE made it stand out? -What are the reasons that made you go for this LE? -How did the LE make feel? Describe 5) Set an Action-Plan or a Strategy for future change and improvement: -How would the LE be changed? -How would you use it in different areas? -How would you help other people benefit from it. -What other means would you use? Analyze Plan Relate Evaluate 4) Put the LE in perspective to learning: Lessons you Learned. -Was the LE Productive or nonproductive? -What are its strength and weaknesses? -How did it help you learn and develop? -Were the style/technique/tools/resources effective? 3) Make the Connection between the LE and LO: -How is your LE related to different LO? -Which part of the LE connect to which LO? -How does the LE (or part of it) address different LO? Reflective Cycle Learning Experience (LE)
Exodus of illegal expatriates feared Pakistani diplomats in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are preparing for an expected exodus of 15,000 to 20,000 illegal expatriates in the wake of the four-month-long amnesty , which was recently announced by the Emirate and ending on April 30. According to the UAE government, no penalty would be imposed on any of the illegal immigrant within the amnesty period. The United Arab Emirates government would also bear the cost of deportation of individuals falling under certain categories.According to the Gulf News, Mr Al Tayer said his ministry was in touch with embassies of the countries, from where illegal immigrants mainly come from, and have introduced a high- tech facility to identify illegal immigrants in the Emirates. In another concession, the UAE government would also not enforce a one-year ban on work in the Emirates on illegal immigrants if they returned home during amnesty period. It is estimated that between 300,000 and 350,000 illegal workers will leave under the amnesty and concerned embassies and diplomatic missions in the UAE have already started making arrangements for out-passes and emergency certificates for people without valid travel documents. Extra flights have also been planned to carry the extra passenger load.
Adnoc: No to Cigarette The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company for Distribution (Adnoc) will stop the sale of cigarettes and tobacco at its petrol stations to support an anti-smoking drive. The decision, which takes effect today, coincides with an anti-smoking campaign launched by the Arab Family Organization in Sharjah under the patronage of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah. “Adnoc-Fod is a services company in the first place and is keen about the interests of consumers in terms of the quality and prices of its services,” the company's General Manager, Jamal Al Dhareef, said in a statement. “We have found that the sale of cigarettes and tobacco is greatly harming the public health and we do not want to get involved in it. Because of this, we decided to stop the sale of all types of cigarettes and tobacco at all Adnoc petrol stations.”
THE DEER ACCIDENT On a sunny and beautiful early morning, Sara was driving along with her husband Sammy on a highway very famous for deer crossing. When Sara heard her husband snoring she decided to change the radio station to music she likes. Suddenly, soon as she looked up a deer was crossing the road not far from the car. Trying to avoid crashing into the deer, Sara hit the car’s brake and horn very strongly sending fear to the heart of both the deer and her husband who almost flew into the windshield. Luckily Sara was able to stop the car few inches before the bewildered deer. Feeling very scared and angry, Sammy blamed his wife for what happened and shouted for her to pull over so he could drive. As the car picked up the same speed as before, Sammy decided to change back to his favorite radio station. Strangely enough, as he looked up a 2nd deer was crossing the road at the same distance from the car as the 1st one. As soon as he realized it, Sammy tried in vain to slow down to avoid a crash. The car hit and flew the poor deer 5 meters up in the air.
The Girl with Long Arms One afternoon Fatima came home in tears. “I am not going to school anymore”, she declared. “Why?”, her mother asked. “Because one of my friends just told me that there is a relationship between the height of a student, the span of her arms, and achievement in school. The closer the armspan is to the height, the better the student will achieve. And you know Mom, my arms are way too long and I am not doing that well in school.”
Reflective Thinking Redefined: • “Reflective thinking is a learning process that involves a series of cognitive skills in the search for new understandings.” • The core of the reflective thinking process consists of a PROBLEM & QUESTIONS.
A: Gradually! • Q: How does this way of schooling prepare students to be independent reflective learners?
