Trainer Guide for Course 2:

Develop critical thinking skills with the 21CLD Knowledge

Construction dimension

Objectives

1. Determine why knowledge construction is important

2. Define knowledge construction
3. Explore the 21CLD Knowledge Construction rubric and decision tree
4. Examine Microsoft tools that support knowledge construction
5. Design learning activities that focus on knowledge construction

Resources for this module

 Learn course: Develop critical thinking skills with the 21CLD Knowledge Construction dimension
 21CLD OneNote Notebook

Preparation for this module

Target audience

 K-12 educators

Timing

 120 minutes (2 hours)

Two weeks prior

 Secure the location for the training

 Prior to the training, invite participants to the training via email

One week prior

 Optional: Send a reminder email about the training

 Ensure your location has projection, sound, and Internet connectivity

Day of training

 Arrive early to set up for the presentation and test Internet, projection, and sound

 Arrange the room for small group discussions. Organize educators by grade, division, or content area, or mix them
as you see fit
Invitation email

SUBJECT: Develop critical thinking skills with the 21CLD Knowledge Construction dimension

DATE: [INSERT DATE, TIME HERE, PLACE, DURATION]

Hi, educators!

I’m so excited for our next 21st century learning design session focused on the Knowledge Construction dimension. This
time, we’ll be:

 Exploring the dimension

 Examining the rubric by coding some anchor lessons, and
 Evaluating our own learning activities according to the rubric

Preparation

 If possible, please arrive approximately 15 minutes before the scheduled start time
 Bring your lesson plan book and/or the learning activity plans you selected at our last session

Have questions about this professional development opportunity? Don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

See you soon!

[xxxx]
Reminder email

SUBJECT: Develop critical thinking skills with the 21CLD Knowledge Construction dimension

DATE: [INSERT DATE, TIME HERE, PLACE, DURATION]

Hi, educators!

This is just a friendly reminder that our 21st century learning design session on Knowledge Construction is coming up!

I look forward to exploring with you how we can use 21st century learning design to incorporate the Knowledge
Construction dimension into a learning activity!

Preparation

 If possible, please arrive approximately 15 minutes before the scheduled start time
 Bring your lesson plan book and/or the learning activity plans you selected at our last session

Have questions about this training session? Don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

See you soon!

[xxxx]

Timing Suggested talking points Presenter action

15 min prior   Do:

Greet participants as they arrive.

Access the Develop critical thinking skills with the

21CLD Knowledge Construction dimension course so

you can get to the videos quickly.

Access the 21CLD OneNote notebook and display the first

page. 

1 min Say:

Welcome! I’m so excited to be here with you today!

Thank you for taking time out of your day to join us

and participate in this session.

(Acknowledge the organization sponsoring the event.)

1 min Say:  

Today, we’ll be exploring the Knowledge Construction

rubric. This rubric helps learners practice higher order

 thinking skills.

5 mins Say: Do:

Let's start with a quick check-in. How do you currently Give participants time to respond to the prompt.
promote critical thinking in your classroom?

(Give participants time to respond.) 

Say:

Thank you all for sharing! 

1 min Say:

Many of our education systems were initially designed

during the industrial revolution, which means the

 
focus was on preparing learners for the factory line.

Educators shared information and learners recalled it

either orally or in written form. This educational model

generally views knowledge as fixed and transmissible,

placing a high value on learners sitting passively to
 absorb information.

But, is knowledge static?

1 min Say:

In 2021, every minute:

 Instagram users share 695,000 stories

 Snapchat users create 3.4 million snaps

 YouTube users upload 500 hours of content

 Twitter users tweet 350,000 times

 Email users send nearly 200 million messages

1 min Say:

We live in a world where knowledge is dynamic and

constantly evolving.

In today's globally connected world, the industrial

model of education is obsolete. Memorizing and
regurgitating information is no longer enough for our
 young people to navigate the modern workforce.

They must be able to filter and process the ever-

increasing flow of information and effectively apply it

where it is needed.

Schools must therefore design learning opportunities

that move beyond repetition and train learners to

think critically and construct knowledge.

With the advent of Internet search engines, learners

no longer need to memorize a lot of facts. Instead,

they need to know how to use facts and information

to:

 Construct their own understandings,

 Make connections, and

 Generate ideas

1 min Say:

Learners construct knowledge by engaging in deep

learning through:
  Interpretation,
 Analysis,
 Synthesis, and
 Evaluation

Once learners have a firm grasp of concepts and

ideas, the next step is to deepen their understanding

by applying that knowledge in a new context.

At the deepest level, educators must design

interdisciplinary learning activities that encourage

learners to make connections across multiple

disciplines.

1 min Say:

By engaging learners in such activities, the role of the

educator changes from being a mere transmitter of

content to being a co-constructor of knowledge.

By paying attention to our learners' knowledge, skills,

attitudes, and beliefs, we are shifting to a learner-

centered environment that encourages them to:
  Ask questions,

 Engage in social discourse,

 And find their own answers.

3 mins Say: Do:

Now, I will play the overview video for the Knowledge Play the Introduction to knowledge construction video.
Construction dimension.

(Play the Introduction to knowledge construction

video.)

1 min Say:

The 21CLD knowledge construction rubric explores

whether learners construct and apply knowledge and

if that knowledge is interdisciplinary.

Knowledge construction occurs when learners do

more than reproduce what they learned.

They go beyond technology production to generating

ideas and understandings that are new to them.

Therefore, some people refer to the skill of knowledge

 construction as critical thinking.

5 mins Say: Do:

Let’s all go to the OneNote notebook and review the Give participants time to access the 21CLD notebook and
Knowledge Construction rubric together. locate the Knowledge Construction rubric page.

To get to the notebook, open your web browser and

type aka.ms/21CLDnotebook into the address bar.

This will take you directly to the 21CLD notebook.

(Give participants a few minutes to access the 21CLD

notebook and locate the knowledge construction rubric

page.)

2 mins Say:

The Knowledge Construction rubric captures the big

ideas of the dimension and is a useful framework

when designing learning activities. The levels of the

knowledge construction rubric (one to five) are:

1: The learning activity does not require learners to

construct knowledge. Learners can complete the

activity by reproducing information or by using

familiar procedures.

2: The learning activity does require learners to

construct knowledge by interpreting, analyzing,

synthesizing, or evaluating information or ideas.

But the activity's main requirement is not knowledge

construction.

3: The learning activity's main requirement is

knowledge construction – but the learning activity

does not require learners to apply their knowledge in

a new context.

4: The learning activity's main requirement is

knowledge construction, and the learning activity does

require learners to apply their knowledge in a new

context.

But, the learning activity does not have learning goals

in more than one subject.

5: The learning activity's main requirement is

knowledge building, and the learning activity does

require learners to apply their knowledge in a new

 context.

The knowledge building is interdisciplinary, and the

activity does have learning goals in more than one

subject.

1 min Say: Do:

Now, let’s switch over to the Knowledge Construction Give participants a minute to locate the knowledge

Decision Tree page in the OneNote notebook. construction decision tree page.

(Give participants a minute to locate the knowledge

construction decision tree page.)

2 mins Say:

The Knowledge Construction decision tree poses four

questions that correspond to the rubric. We must

consider these questions when designing learning

activities to deepen knowledge construction:

 The first question in the knowledge

construction decision tree asks if the learning

activity requires knowledge construction. If the

answer to this question is no, the learning

 activity codes as a one.

 If the learning activity requires knowledge

construction, then the answer to the first

question is yes. When the answer is yes, we

move to the next question. This question asks

if the main requirement of the learning activity

is knowledge construction. If the answer is no,

the learning activity codes as a two.

 If the learning activity's main requirement is

knowledge construction, then the answer to

the second question is yes. We then move to

the next question, which asks if learners are

required to apply their knowledge in a new

context. If the answer is no, the learning

activity codes as a three.

 If the learning activity does require learners to

apply their knowledge in a new context, the

answer to the third question is yes, and we

move to the next question. The fourth

question asks if the learning activity is

interdisciplinary. If the activity does not have

 learning goals in more than one subject, then
it codes a four.

 Finally, if the learning activity is

interdisciplinary and it does have learning

goals in more than one subject, we can answer

yes to the last question and code the learning

activity as a five.

4 mins Say: Do:

Let’s pause to check in. Does anyone have questions Answer any questions that arise.
about the rubric or decision tree?

(Give participants time to ask questions.)

Say:

Wonderful! Now, let’s examine each level of the rubric.

1 min Say:

The first question is Does the learning activity

require knowledge construction?

Activities that require knowledge construction ask

learners to interpret, analyze, synthesize, or evaluate
information or ideas.

 Interpretation means drawing inferences

beyond the literal meaning. For example,

learners might read a description of a historical

period and infer why people who lived in that

time behaved the way they did.

 Analysis means identifying the parts of a

whole and their relationships to one other. For

example, learners might investigate local

environmental factors to determine which are

most likely to affect migrating birds.

 Synthesis means identifying the relationships

between two or more ideas. For example,

learners might be required to compare and

contrast perspectives from multiple sources.

 Evaluation means judging the quality,

credibility, or importance of data, ideas, or

events. For example, learners might read

different accounts of an historical event and
 determine which ones they find the most
credible.

1 min Say:

It’s important to note that not all learning activities

that incorporate research involve knowledge

construction.

Learners who look up information and then write a

paper that describes what they found are merely

reproducing knowledge—not constructing

knowledge.

They are not interpreting, analyzing, synthesizing, or

evaluating anything. If, however, they write a paper

comparing and contrasting information from multiple

sources, they are constructing knowledge.

1 min Say:

Additionally, if an activity asks learners to practice a

procedure they already know, or if it gives learners a

set of steps to follow, it does not require knowledge
 construction.

To determine whether learners might already know a

certain procedure, consider what is typically expected

of learners of their age.

1 min Say:

The following scenarios do not qualify as knowledge

construction:

 Learners writing a paper describing the crime a

character committed

 Learners using Bing to search the Internet for

information about local activities to help the

environment and giving a presentation to

describe what they found

 Learners familiar with the barometer using one

to measure atmospheric pressure

 Learners who have already learned the

definition of "parallel" using the definition to

 decide whether several sets of lines are parallel

1 min Say:

The following scenarios qualify as knowledge

construction:

 Learners using details in a story to infer the

reasons why a character committed a crime

 Learners using Bing to search the Internet for

information about local activities to help the

environment and analyzing it to find additional

ways to help

 Learners comparing different explanations for

changes in atmospheric pressure to determine

which explanations are credible

 Learners who have not learned about parallel

lines examining several different pairs of lines

to develop a definition of "parallel"

1 min Say:
 If we answer “yes” to the first question, the next
question to consider asks: Is knowledge construction

the main requirement?

The main requirement is the part of the activity that

learners spend the most time and effort on and the

part that educators will focus on when grading. If the

learning activity does not specify how much time

learners spend on each part, use your judgment to

estimate how long learners are likely to spend on

different tasks.

1 min Say:

In the following scenarios, the main requirement is

not knowledge construction:

 Learners spending 35 minutes listing details

from a story and then spending 10 minutes

using those details to infer why a character

committed a crime

 Learners earning 70% of their grade for finding

information and 30% for analyzing what they

 find

1 min Say:

In the following scenarios, the main requirement is

knowledge construction:

 Learners spending 10 minutes listing details

from a story and then spending 35 minutes

using those details to propose why a character

committed a crime

 Learners earning 30% of their grade for finding

information and 70% for analyzing what they

find

1 min Say:

If we answer “yes” to the second question, we then

ask ourselves: Are learners required to apply their

knowledge in a new context?

Learners apply their knowledge when they use the

knowledge they have constructed in another

 knowledge construction task in a new context.

For example, learners in a physics class might

construct knowledge about heat principles from a

study of the earth's inner core, then apply that new

learning to investigate the environment of Jupiter.

The second knowledge construction task deepens

understanding because learners abstract what they

learned to apply it to another situation.

It’s not enough for the two contexts to differ in

surface features. Learners can’t respond to the new

situation simply by applying the same formula. They

must use interpretation, analysis, synthesis, or

evaluation to decide how to use what they’ve learned

in the new context.

1 min Say:

The following scenarios do not require learners to

apply their knowledge in a new context:

 Learners analyzing demographic statistics from

their hometown and then analyzing

 demographic statistics from a second location
of their choice

 Learners examining photos enlarged at

different sizes to develop an understanding of

similarity and then describing their

understanding

 Learners of a theater class analyzing the

characters in a play to learn about character

development and then writing an essay about

what they learned

 Learners designing and executing a procedure

for testing the qualities of the tap water at

their school, testing the water, and redesigning

the procedure iteratively until they have

accurate data

1 min Say:

The following scenarios require learners to apply their

knowledge in a new context:

 Learners analyzing demographic statistics from

 their hometown and then using their
understanding of population trends to develop

a plan for an upcoming housing development

project

 Learners examining photos enlarged at

different sizes to develop an understanding of

similarity and then applying that knowledge to

abstract geometric shapes, thinking about size,

ratios, and angles to determine which shapes

are mathematically similar

 Learners in a theater class analyzing the

characters in a play to learn about character

development; then using Microsoft Video

Editor to create their own one-act play

demonstrating character development

 Learners designing and executing a procedure

for testing the qualities of the tap water at

their school, and once they have accurate data,

using that information to determine which

water filtration system would be most
 appropriate for the school

1 min Say:

If we answer “yes” to the third question, we must

consider one more question.

That is: Is the learning activity interdisciplinary?

Interdisciplinary learning activities have learning goals

that involve content, important ideas, or methods

from different academic subjects such as mathematics

and music, or language arts and history.

Subjects that are typically taught together do not

count as interdisciplinary for the purposes of this

rubric.

Additionally, even though we often use ICT as a tool

for learning in other subjects, ICT isn’t considered a

separate academic subject within this rubric. For

example, learners might build ICT skills when they do

online research for a history project, but this activity is

not interdisciplinary.
1 min Say:

The following scenarios are not interdisciplinary:

 Learners in science class writing persuasive

letters to an environmental organization about

the results of their experiment, and educators

grading students only on the quality of their

data

 Learners in science class plotting points on a

graph and no learning goals for math are

defined

 Learners in physics using ICT to present their

work to the class

1 min Say:

The following scenarios are interdisciplinary:

 Learners in science class writing persuasive

letters to an environmental organization about

the results of their experiment, and educators

grading students on the quality of their data
 and their writing skills

 Learners in science class plotting points on a

graph, and learning goals for both math and

science are defined

1 min Say: Do:

Now that we’ve discussed the rubric and decision tree, Give participants a minute to find the learning activity in

let’s practice coding an anchor lesson. the 21CLD notebook.

Go the 21CLD OneNote notebook, and then the

anchor lesson section.

Then, select The American Dream – Let America Be

America Again learning activity page.

(Give participants a minute to find the learning

activity.)

15 mins Say: Do:

Now, I’ll give you 15 minutes to review this lesson. Use As participants review the learning activity, mill around the
either the knowledge construction rubric or decision room to help or answer questions.

tree and code the lesson. Feel free to work with a

 colleague. Set a timer for 15 minutes. If participants finish early, move
on to the next activity.
When everyone is finished, we’ll discuss your findings.

(Give participants 15 minutes to review the lesson and

code it according to the rubric/decision tree.)

5 mins Say: Do:

Okay! I loved listening to your conversations! Foster a collegial conversation about the anchor lesson.

Let’s discuss as a large group what you all observed in Encourage educators to explain why they decided on a
coding this lesson. specific code.

Who would like to share what number you coded the

lesson and why?

(Pause for responses)

Say:

Did anyone code it a different number?

(Pause for responses)

3 mins Say: Do:

 Thanks, everyone, for sharing your thoughts!

It’s important to understand that our analysis here is

less about getting a right answer and more about

thinking critically about the lesson and exploring the

concepts of the rubric.

Now that we have compared our analysis with each

another, let’s compare it with Becky’s.

Play the Knowledge Construction anchor lesson video.
(Play the knowledge construction anchor lesson video.)

15 mins Say: Do:

Now, let’s work in small groups to analyze one more

anchor lesson.

Each small group will have a different anchor lesson.

You will review your assigned lesson and code it

according to the rubric.

You may work independently to review and code and

then discuss your analysis as a group.

Or you can work on coding the lesson together.

 Once you’ve finished your group discussion, you can
look at the analysis in the notebook and compare it to

your group’s analysis.

Any questions? Okay, I will assign each group an

anchor lesson now.

(You can assign anchor lessons by counting off groups

as a 1, 2, or 3. Then, assign each group as follows:

Assign each group an anchor lesson.
Group 1 – House on Mango Street

Group 2 – Design a Catapult

Group 3 – Indigenous Cultures

Give groups 15 minutes to analyze their assigned lesson.

1 min Say:

Great job, everyone!

Now, let’s explore some of the Microsoft tools that

can help you and your students with knowledge

construction activities.

First, when learners conduct research that they will

analyze or use to construct new knowledge, they need
 a way to easily collect and organize their resources.
Microsoft Edge does just that the Collections

feature. Collections help learners organize the

resources they find during their online research.

1 min Say:

As the class's digital hub, Microsoft Teams provides a

space to house all the content that learners need for

constructing knowledge.

Add digital textbooks, websites, and supplemental

content as tabs in a Team for learners to easily access.

1 min Say:

OneNote Class Notebook is another way you can

share content.

In addition to text, you can add graphic organizer

templates that encourage interpretation, analysis,

synthesis, and evaluation.

As learners research a topic to apply in a new context,

they can store key concepts from their research in
 OneNote.

Using digital inking, they can annotate and analyze

the research they collect.

As learners work in OneNote, immersive reader also

offers reading and translation support.

1 min Say:

And finally, SmartArt graphics in Word and

PowerPoint provide support for knowledge

construction in the form of graphics that help learners

demonstrate their understanding, interpretation,

analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of information.

3 mins Say: Do:

Now, let’s see some of these tools in action!

(Play the Microsoft tools for knowledge construction (Play the Microsoft tools for knowledge construction

video.) video.)

5 mins Say: Do:

 Can you think of any other Microsoft tools that would Encourage discussion about the Microsoft tools that
support your learners’ knowledge construction? learners could use when constructing knowledge.

(Pause for responses.)

3 mins Say: Do:

Great ideas, everyone!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. All these tools

would definitely help our learners when constructing

knowledge!

Now, let’s talk about how you can take what you have
learned here today and apply it to your own learning

activity.

Before we work on our learning activity, though, let’s

hear from Astrid Sinnaeve, an educator in Belgium, to

learn how she incorporates knowledge construction Play Astrid’s video.
into a learning activity.

(Play Astrid’s video.)

1 min Say:

Okay!

Let’s start putting what we’ve learned into action. You

all selected a few learning activities last time to use in

our sessions.

Select one of those now and evaluate it according to

the knowledge construction rubric.

Use the knowledge construction decision tree to

guide the design of the activity.

Consider the following: 

 Does the learning activity require knowledge

construction?

 Is knowledge construction the main

requirement?

 Are learners required to apply their knowledge

in a new context?

 Is the learning activity interdisciplinary? 

 If it isn’t already there, set a goal to re-design your
learning activity in such a way to code at least

a three on the rubric.

Remember, to achieve this, learners must interpret,

analyze, synthesize, or evaluate information or ideas.

Also, the main effort of the learning activity must be

knowledge construction.

15 mins Say: Do:

Take the next 15 minutes and analyze your activity

according to the rubric.

If it codes lower than a three, explore ways to re-

design the activity so that it codes at least a three.

If the activity already codes at a three, consider

whether you might want it to code higher.

If so, modify the activity to meet your goal of either a

four or five. If you don’t want the activity to reach a

four or a five, consider analyzing a different learning

activity that you might want to re-design for deeper
 knowledge construction.

Feel free to discuss your lessons with your colleagues.

Some of the best re-designs come from collaboration

with other educators and building off one another’s

ideas.

Sharing your activity, its current code, and your goals Set a timer for 15 minutes.
with others is a great way to start the re-design
Mill around the room and answer questions or help
process.
educators in need.

1 min Say:

Awesome job, everyone!

I have loved hearing your conversations about your

learning activities and seeing the changes you’re

making to deepen your learners’ knowledge

construction.

4 mins Say: Do:

Before we close today, does anyone have any Answer participants' questions.

questions related to the knowledge construction

 dimension or the 21CLD design process?

(Pause for questions)   

1 min Say: Do:

Thank you for your time and attention today!

You’ve all been wonderful, and I have loved learning

from you.

If you have any questions or final thoughts, please feel

free to share them.

Be sure to go to the online course and take the quiz

related to this course. Share the link to the Knowledge Construction course
online and show participants where the quiz is located.
I’ll see you next time on xxx (indicate the next time
you will meet the group).