Introduction

As an educator, which includes anyone who works with children, have you wondered how you can teach a child to go beyond the obvious in their thinking/reasoning ability? After reading Goldilocks to a class, the students were asked what part of the story couldn't have really happened. How can we teach children to think at the higher levels of Bloom's taxonomy? Our quest will help us discover how Bloom and chldren's intellectual development intersect. In addition to using books and magazines to find out about Bloom's taxonomy, why not also use the power of the Internet? The links below will get you started.

The Quest

How can higher level thinking skills be encouraged in young children?

The Process and Resources

Learn techniques to help students think at higher levels.
Encourage teachers to use these techniques and websites to accomplish this.

Phase 1 - Background: Something for Everyone

Understand Benjamin Bloom's taxanomy.

Phase 2 - Looking Deeper from Different Perspectives

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Individuals or pairs from your larger WebQuest team will explore one of the roles below.

2. Read through the files linked to your group. If you print out the files, underline the passages that you feel are the most important. If you look at the files on the computer, copy sections you feel are important by dragging the mouse across the passage and copying / pasting it into a word processor or other writing software.

3. Note: Remember to write down or copy/paste the URL of the file you take the passage from so you can quickly go back to it if you need to to prove your point.

4. Be prepared to focus what you've learned into one main opinion that answers the Big Quest(ion) or Task based on what you have learned from the links for your role.

Teacher

Use the Internet information linked below to answer these questions specifically related to Teacher:

1. How does a teacher raise the content level of questions of young children thus causing children to think deeper?

School Psychologist

Use the Internet information linked below to answer these questions specifically related to School Psychologist:

1. How can a psychologist help a child express him/herself on a higher level?

Parent

Use the Internet information linked below to answer these questions specifically related to Parent:

1. Is it possible for parents who aren't familiar with Bloom's taxonomy to help their young child think through ideas> How?

Administrator

Use the Internet information linked below to answer these questions specifically related to Administrator:

1. By using Bloom's taxonomy,how can a school administrator encourage classroom teachers to help students dig deeper into a subject area - rather than just having students regergitate information.

Phase 3 - Debating, Discussing, and Reaching Consensus

You have all learned about a different part of Bloom's taxonomy. Now group members come back to the larger WebQuest team with expertise gained by searching from one perspective. You must all now answer the Task / Quest(ion) as a group. Each of you will bring a certain viewpoint to the answer: some of you will agree and others disagree. Use information, pictures, movies, facts, opinions, etc. from the Webpages you explored to convince your teammates that your viewpoint is important and should be part of your team's answer to the Task / Quest(ion). Your WebQuest team should write out an answer that everyone on the team can live with.

Phase 4 - Real World Feedback

You and your teammates have learned a lot by dividing up into different roles. Now's the time to put your learning into a letter you'll send out for real world feedback. Together you will write a letter that contains opinions, information, and perspectives that you've gained. Here's the process:

1. Begin your letter with a statement of who you are and why you are writing your message to this particular person or organization.

2. Give background information that shows you understand the topic.

STATE THE TASK / QUEST(ION) AND YOUR GROUP'S ANSWER.

3. Each person in your group should write a paragraph that gives two good reasons supporting the group's opinion. Make sure to be specific in both the information (like where you got it from on the Web) and the reasoning (why the information proves your group's point).

4. Have each person on the team proofread the message. Use correct letter format and make sure you have correctly addressed the email message. Use the link below to make contact. Send your message and make sure your teacher gets a copy.

Your Contact is: Judy Kiser

Conclusion

Your understanding of this topic is as broad or complex as Bloom's taxonomy: when you only know part of the picture, you only understand part of the picture. Now you all know a lot more. Nice work. You should be proud of yourselves! How can you use what you've learned to see beyond the black and white of a topic and into the grayer areas? What other parts of Bloom's taxonomy could still be explored? Remember, learning never stops.