The
Thinking/Learning (T/L)
System is a program for
teaching higher-level thinking that combines the principles of
brain-based learning with higher-level thinking strategies. The
T/L System, as
an instructional model, couples selected levels of Bloom's taxonomy
with selected higher-order
thinking processes. The
System provides teachers with a variety of higher-level
thinking activities that emphasize brain-compatible learning.
As such, the System gives teachers (a) flexibility in adapting
assignments to individual needs of students by (b) expecting students
to independently and/or cooperatively apply left-, right-, and
whole-brain processes, while (c) using specific thinking skills.
When implemented properly, the program becomes one lesson with
twelve separate activities from which teachers and students can
select.
Figure
1 |
The
T/L System
is designed to fit any content, material, or educational
level. Figure 1 shows the model of the T/L System. As
shown in Figure 1, the model has four strands, knowledge/information
gathering, analysis/critical thinking, application/creative thinking,
and evaluation/decision
making.
The
letters "C," "O," and "P" in the
smaller circles stand for "content," "outcomes,"
"procedures," a reminder that in addition to the content
to be taught and the procedures used, it is necessary to pay attention
to how the learning will be assessed.
Figure
2 presents a description of how each strand is intended to function
in a lesson.
Figure 2 |
Figure
2 displays the program in a linear, hierarchical fashion. It is
important to remember, however, that the brain does not function
in a linear or hierarchical fashion.
The brain functions randomly, more
in a manner consistent with figure 1.
It is also important to remember that the brain begins with trying
to understand its world (its environment) and then branches out
from there in a random, nonlinear, illogical manner. (For more
information on this see the section on Brain-Based
Learning.) As mentioned above, when implemented properly the
system allows teachers and/or students to choose which type of
learning experience (within each learning strand) is most relevant
to their needs and interests for a particular situation.
In
the knowledge/information
gathering strand, students gain a body of relevant knowledge
for selecting and classifying information which will serve as
the foundation for future activities in that lesson. Students
gain a basic understanding of specifics, terminology, categories,
and methodology of a subject. The analysis/critical
thinking strand focuses on the importance of relationships
and causes. Students learn to investigate the discrete elements
of an issue or topic through an examination of the organizational
principles involved. Students also learn how to reconstitute those
principles into new or unique sets of operations. The
evaluation/decision making strand
emphasizes the choosing of alternatives and making value judgments
based on internal evidence and/or external criteria. In the
application/creative thinking strand
students use original ideas to develop innovative products that
are then implemented to determine the products' adequacy.
Additional
information about the T/L System can be found in Sparapani, E.
F. (2000). The effect of teaching for higher-level thinking: An
analysis of teacher reactions. Education, 121 (1), pp.
80-89, or by e-mail at efs@svsu.edu.
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