Integra(ng Mental Processes for Thinking
with College Content Courses
For high school learners who are borderline in reading and wri(ng Dan Kesterson
What is Kentucky’s defini4on of college readiness?
College readiness is the level of prepara4on a first-‐4me student needs in order to succeed in a credit-‐bearing course at a postsecondary ins4tu4on. “Success” is defined as comple4ng entry-‐level courses at a level of understanding and proficiency that prepares the student for subsequent courses. Co-‐Requisite Skills Support of Content Courses (1) accelerated learning opportuni4es; (2) secondary interven4on programs; (3) college and career readiness advising; and (4) postsecondary college persistence and degree comple4on.
The Council on Postsecondary Educa4on, in partnership with KDE, led the development of the Unified Strategy for College and Career R e a d i n e s s . F o u r g o a l s w e r e iden4fied to reduce the need for remedia4on of recent high school graduates by 50 percent by 2014 and to increase college comple4on rates of students entering without being prepared for credit-‐bearing coursework. The defined unified strategies include: (1) accelerated l e a r n i n g o p p o r t u n i 4 e s ; ( 2 ) secondary interven4on programs; (3) college and career readiness advising; and (4) postsecondary college persistence and degree comple4on.
What is Kentucky’s defini4on of “success” in college readiness?
“Success” is defined as comple4ng entry-‐level courses at a level of understanding and proficiency that prepares the student for subsequent courses.
What does comple4ng entry-‐level courses at a level of understanding and proficiency that prepares the student for subsequent courses mean.? “Success” is defined not as comple4ng an entry-‐level course, but comple4ng at a level of understanding and proficiency that prepares the student for subsequent courses. That means the learner needs to be able to think cri4cally with the content of the entry-‐level course in ways that make that content useful in new situa4ons – transfer learning.
Cri4cal for Transfer Learning What is required mentally of the learner to be able to think cri4cally with the content of the entry-‐level course in ways that make that content useful in new situa4ons – transfer learning? In order for the learner to develop competence in an area of inquiry the learner need to be able to • develop a deep founda4on of factual knowledge, • understand facts and details in the context of a conceptual framework, and • organize knowledge in ways that facilitates retrieval and applica4on. Cri4cal for Cri4cal and Crea4ve Thinking in the Content Areas “Contrary to popular belief, learning basic facts is not a prerequisite for crea4ve thinking and problem-‐solving – it’s the other way around. Once the learner grasps the big concepts around a subject, good thinking will lead the learner to the important facts.” (John Bransfrod)
Ini4a4ng a Founda4on of Cri4cal Thinking and Problem Solving around grasping the big concepts around a subject which will lead the learner to the important facts.” Inquiry (“Big Picture” or “Big Ques4on”)?
Wri4ng: Who?, What?, Where?, When?, Why?, How? to create a “big picture” for reading selec4on and responsive wri4ng. Reading: What is the conceptual framework of reading selec4on? Humani4es: How will the elements and history for a given art (cause) affect ones percep4on (effect) of that form of art in the future? History: What caused a given event (effect) and how will the event affect the future?
Inverted Pyramid Mental Processing Support Wri4ng to Learn as Thinking
Reading to Learn as Thinking Conceptual Framework
understanding the facts and ideas in the context of a conceptual framework
Organiza4on
Suppor(ng
organizing knowledge in ways that facilitate retrieval and applica(on
Knowledge
Humani4es as Thinking The Arts
two-‐dimensional , sculpture, architecture, literature, dance, movies,
Technical Elements
Helping the learner take control of learning by making thinking visible and increasing learner engagement through reflec(on.
media, visual s(muli
Increasing Percep4on comparison-‐contrast Cause-‐effect
History
art by region and (me
developing a deep founda(on of factual knowledge
Inverted Pyramid Mental Processing Support Wri4ng to Learn as Thinking
Reading to Learn as Thinking Conceptual Framework
understanding the facts and ideas in the context of a conceptual framework
Organiza4on
Suppor(ng
organizing knowledge in ways that facilitate retrieval and applica(on
Knowledge
History as Thinking History
(me, loca(on, events
Organizing Events comparison-‐contrast cause-‐effect
History details
developing a deep founda(on of factual knowledge
Collabora4ng on Thinking Support for History, Introduc4on to Humani4es, Communica4on, Reading, Wri4ng There are many common threads across these disciplines. One that helps put those threads in perspec4ve is the impact these bodies of knowledge, skills, and behaviors will have on the learner’s future. These bodies of knowledge and skills are not ends in themselves, but rather learning these bodies of knowledge and skills prepare the learner for something further from their future experiences. That something further is transfer. It is clearer today than it ever has been that we can hope to acquaint learners with at most a 4ny frac4on of what there is to know. College is preparing learners for going beyond the classroom with a focus on educa4on for life, not just a body of knowledge only. How does the informa4on being learned contribute to thinking; educa4on for thinking? It is the ability to think with the knowledge being learned that makes learning meaningful to an individual life. I put together some thoughts along this line about percep4on and how the learner being able to organize and interpret the sensory world around them in terms of past experience – percep4on. The following slides are organized around Introduc4on to Humani4es, but I could have just as easily organized them around communica4on, history or wri4ng. Subs4tute your discipline in the slides as you read them. They all strongly rely on comparing and contras4ng, as well as cause and effect.
Co-‐requisite Reading and Wri4ng Support of Entry-‐Level Courses Let’s take a stroll into the Introduc4on to Humani4es’ course to get a grasp of why being able to think in ways with the art (content) in humani4es that leads to being able to think with that content in future situa4ons is so important and how it relates to the defini4on of “success” in college readiness – “comple4ng entry-‐level courses at a level of understanding and proficiency that prepares the student for subsequent courses.” Co-‐requisite reading and wri4ng support of content courses is about learning how to think with the content of entry-‐level course.
Pupil dila(on or dilated pupils a r e c o n s i d e r e d t o b e aJrac(ve. That has been a l o n g s t a n d i n g p e r c e p ( o n across socie(es and cultures. There is considerable scien(fic evidence to substan(ate pupil dila(on aJrac(on.
Look at the pain(ng below and tell me everything you see.
Now look at the next slide and see what you could be bringing to the pain(ng aNer taking an introduc(on to humani(es class. Introduc(on to Humani(es isn’t just about learning facts about the arts, it is about construc(ng deeper meaning about what you see and who you are, thus, giving you the mental tools for making life so much more interes(ng. If you succeed, you will never see the world the same way again.
Look on the next slide at the two-‐dimensional mind map of the concepts you would be learning about in chapter one if you were taking Introduc(on to Humani(es. This knowledge gained about pain(ng, and drawings becomes prior knowledge when the learner knows how to apply certain mental processes for deep learning and are used by the learner. Those mental processes are what you will learn in the Introduc(on to Humani(es “Thinking Support” class that is connected to the Introduc(on to humani(es course. Why is this important? Because percep(on is literally created by the brain. The more you have to bring (prior knowledge) to what you are seeing or hearing, the more meaning it has. Percep(on is changed by the organiza(on and interpreta(on of a piece of two-‐dimensional art, for example, (pain(ng) in terms of this knowledge and experience you will be gaining. For the rest of your life you will see more around you than others and life will simply and more complexly be richer and more enjoyable. You are not just learning about arts in the humani(es; you are preparing yourself for a richer life. Do you have eyes to see and ears to hear? The answer is yes; however, without the knowledge found in the introduc(on to humani(es course and the mental processes for thinking about and learning that knowledge, what one sees and hears is very limited and life is far less rich in meaning. See the mind map on the next slide about two dimensional art:
add white
PART ONE: Chapter 1 Introduc4on to Humani4es Expanding the Conceptual Framework
tint
relationship: blacks to whites to grays
value physical volume and density
The Media of the Arts
add black
shade
shape of object
form
mass
hue
elements roughness or smoothness
Two-‐Dimensional Art
color
texture
value
intensity purity go hue linear form
Media drawing painting printmaking
Composi4on
line
color edge
implication for continued direction
Formal & Technical Quali4es
rhythm greatest visual appeal
Other Factors perspective chiaroscuro contrasts dynamics
focus Sense S4muli
juxtaposition
focal areas
equilibrium
closed composition
unity
harmony
variation
principles open composition
trompe l’oeil
repetition
balance symmetry
asymetrical
Look at the pain(ng below, “The Scream”. Tell me what you think is happening. N o ( c e t h a t y o u r interpreta(on of the pain(ng is coming from your own mind. You are making it up. Your brain organizes what it sees along with everything you already know and c r e a t e s a n interpreta(on of the pain(ng. What if I told you that the building in the b a c k g r o u n d i s a s l a u g h t e r h o u s e . Would that change w h a t y o u t h i n k i s h a p p e n i n g i n t h e pain(ng?
What if you read in the painter’s diary, “One evening I was walking along a path, the city was on one side and the river below. I felt (red and ill. I stopped and looked out over the river—the sun was se^ng, and the clouds turning blood red. I sensed a scream passing through nature; it seemed to me that I heard the scream. I painted this picture, painted the clouds as actual blood. The color shrieked.” Now what do you see?
Yes, it would influence your interpreta(on. This is what happens when you learn about the elements and history (context) of two-‐dimensional art in the introduc(on to humani(es course. An aim of introduc(on to humani(es is to enable the learner to add concepts and history (context) to their knowledge, which will become prior knowledge with which to organize and interpret the arts encountered resul(ng in a shiN in percep(on in their future.
The Media of the Arts
Two-‐Dimensional Art Media drawing painting printmaking
Formal & Technical Quali4es
Other Factors perspective chiaroscuro
contrasts dynamics
focus Sense S4muli
juxtaposition
trompe l’oeil
The shiN in percep(on is your brain organizing what it is seeing along with your prior knowledge to create an interpreta(on. Learning in the introduc(on to humani(es course is not just about ge^ng a grade; it is about building the prior knowledge that will shiN your percep(ons. in the long run, it is about making your life richer and more interes(ng.
Look again at the mind map below of the concepts you will be learning in the Introduc4on to humani4es course. The goal of the Support “Thinking” course that goes long with the humani4es course is to help ensure that you learn the mental processes that will enable you, as a learner, to more easily learn, retrieve, and apply the concepts below for art you encounter. physical volume and density
The Media of the Arts
add white
tint
add black
shade relationship: blacks to whites to grays
value
shape of object
form
mass
hue
elements roughness or smoothness
color
texture
Two-‐Dimensional Art
value
intensity purity go hue linear form
Media drawing painting printmaking
Composi4on
line
color edge
implication for continued direction
Formal & Technical Quali4es
rhythm greatest visual appeal
Other Factors perspective chiaroscuro contrasts dynamics
focus Sense S4muli
juxtaposition
focal areas
equilibrium
closed composition
unity
harmony
variation
principles open composition
trompe l’oeil
repetition
balance symmetry
asymetrical
Summarizing Art and a Shif in Percep4on?
One of the first things a learner wan4ng to “think to learn” about art in the humani4es is to understand the focus of the text and that focus is “on concepts (formal elements and media s4muli) and percep4on, as well as on history, which fall within the scope of human endeavor. We are talking about a shif in percep4on (effect) in the presence artwork that is the direct outcome of the organiza4on and interpreta4on of stored concepts (knowledge -‐ formal cri4cism) and history (contextual cri4cism). When in the presence of a piece of artwork, think of percep4on as the organiza4on and interpreta4on of sensory data (s4muli) in terms past experience (prior knowledge). You will be organizing and interpre4ng what you see, hear, or feel (the artwork) and that organiza4on and interpreta4on will draw on your prior knowledge (what you learned in the textbook -‐ the formal elements and sensory s4muli, for examples) Those endeavors deal with the “fundamental characteris4cs that make us human -‐ our ability to intuit and to symbolize. The humani4es cons4tute a larger whole into which the arts fit as one piece” (text).
What is Kentucky’s defini4on of college readiness?
College readiness is the level of prepara4on a first-‐4me student needs in order to succeed in a credit-‐bearing course at a postsecondary ins4tu4on. “Success” is defined as comple4ng entry-‐level courses at a level of understanding and proficiency that prepares the student for subsequent courses. Co-‐Requisite Skills Support of Content Courses (1) accelerated learning opportuni4es; (2) secondary interven4on programs; (3) college and career readiness advising; and (4) postsecondary college persistence and degree comple4on.
The Council on Postsecondary Educa4on, in partnership with KDE, led the development of the Unified Strategy for College and Career R e a d i n e s s . F o u r g o a l s w e r e iden4fied to reduce the need for remedia4on of recent high school graduates by 50 percent by 2014 and to increase college comple4on rates of students entering without being prepared for credit-‐bearing coursework. The defined unified strategies include: (1) accelerated l e a r n i n g o p p o r t u n i 4 e s ; ( 2 ) secondary interven4on programs; (3) college and career readiness advising; and (4) postsecondary college persistence and degree comple4on.
Reading and Wri4ng Support for Transfer Learning in Entry-‐Level Courses (mee4ng the defined goal of college readiness) Reading and wri4ng support of entry-‐level courses begins by helping the learner learn how to construct a conceptual framework (“big picture”) of the content about to be learned that enables the learner to understand the entry-‐level courses content in the context of a conceptual framework – cri4cal for cri4cal thinking and problem solving. The support con4nues with with helping the learner learn how to reflect on what they are learning in the entry-‐level course. Reflec4on is built around inquiry, re-‐ exposure with elabora4on (connec4ng to prior knowledge), and clarifica4on and organiza4on (wri4ng). Wri4ng integrated with reading can be one of the more powerful mental approaches for reflec4on (crucial for ac4va4ng areas of higher func4ons in the brain), and re-‐ exposure and elabora4on (crucial for developing a deep founda4on of factual knowledge), and for clarifying and organizing informa4on (crucial for retrieval (especially increasing speed of transmission and processing) and applica4on (the goal of college readiness)).
For more detail about the mental processes and ra4onale for the mental processes for learning to think with content:
transferlearning.pbworks.com