Selection and Organization of Content

The Structure of Subject Matter

Content
Think about this…
 Subject Matter Content
Elements

Cognitive
Skills
Affective
 COGNITIVE
 Facts
 Concepts
 Principles
 Hypotheses
 Theories
 Laws
 Facts
 Fact is an idea or action that can be
verified.
 Basic unit of cognitive subject matter
content
 Concepts
Concept is a categorization of
events, places, people, ideas.
 Principles
 the relationship(s) between and
among facts and concepts.
 arrived at when similar research
studies yield similar results time after
time
 Hypotheses
 educated guesses about
relationships (principles)
 Theories
 refer to a set of facts, concepts and principles that
describe possible underlying unobservable
mechanisms that regulate human learning,
development, and behavior.
 explains why these principles are true.
 Laws
 firmly established, thoroughly tested
principle or theory
 SKILLS
 Manipulative skills
 Thinking Skills
 Divergent thinking
 Convergent thinking
 Problem solving
 Metaphoric thinking
 Critical thinking
 Creative thinking
 Manipulative Skills
 for courses / subjects that are
dominantly skill –oriented
 Computer
 Home Economics and Technology
 Physical Education
 Music
 The learning of these manipulative
skills begin with simple manipulation
and ends up in expert and precise
manipulation.
 Thinking Skills
 the skills beyond recall and comprehension
 They are skills concerned with the
 application of what was learned,
 (in problem-solving or in real life) evaluation,
 critical and creative thinking and
 synthesis.
 Divergent Thinking
 Includes the following and its characteristics
 Fluent thinking
 generation of lots of ideas
 thought flow is rapid
 thinking of the of the most possible ideas
 Flexible thinking
 variety of thoughts in the kinds of ideas generated
 different ideas from those usually presented
 Original thinking
 differs from what’s gone before
 thought production is away from the obvious and is
different from the norm
 Elaborative thinking
 embellishes on previous ideas or plans (Torres, 1994)
 Uses prior knowledge to expand and add upon things and
ideas
 Convergent Thinking
 It is narrowing down from many possible thoughts to
end up on a single best thought or an answer to a
problem.
 Problem Solving
 Made easier when the problem is well-defined.

 “The proper definition of a problem is already half the solution”

 Can be solved by using :

 algorithm – following specific, step by step instructions
 heuristic strategy – general problem solving strategy, for a
solution
- experience based techniques
 Effective Problem Solving
Strategies
 Provide worked-out examples of algorithms being
applied

 Help students understand why particular algorithms are

relevant and effective in certain situations

 When a student’s application of algorithm yields an

incorrect answer, look closely at the specific steps the
student has taken until the trouble spot is located.
 For teaching heuristics:
 Give students practice in defining ill-defined problems

 Teach heuristics that students can use where no

algorithms apply

Examples of real-life heuristic that people use as a way

to solve a problem or to learn something:
 Educated guess
 Common sense
 Availability heuristic
 Working backward
 Familiarity heuristic
For teaching both algorithm
and heuristics:
 Teach problem-solving strategies within the context of
specific subject areas (not as a topic separate from
academic content)
 Provide scaffolding for difficult problems
 Have students solve problems in small groups
 Metaphoric Thinking
Also called “Analogic thinking”
Uses analogic thinking
 A figure of speech where a word is
used in a manner different from its
ordinary designation to suggest or
imply a parallelism or similarity

Example:
The learner’s mind is a “blank
slate”.
 Critical Thinking
 Involves evaluating information or arguments in
terms of their accuracy and worth. (Beyer, 1985)
 It takes a variety of forms
 Verbal reasoning
 Argumentative analysis
 Hypothesis testing
 Decision making
 Creative Thinking
 Involves producing something that is both original and
worthwhile
 For Creative thinking we must develop:
 Awareness
 Curiosity
 Imagination
 Fluency
 Flexibility
 Originality
 Elaboration
 Perseverance
 Values and Attitudes

Values can be taught

They are both taught and caught.
 Values have :
 Cognitive dimension
 Affective dimension
 Behavioral dimension
Affective component is concerned with values and
attitudes. When we teach values, we connect facts,
skills and concepts to the life of students.
 How can we teach values?

Deutero-learning : Your student learns by

 being exposed to the situation,
 acquainting himself with a setting
 following models
 pursuing inspirations
 copying behavior

Positive reinforcing good behavior

 Teaching cognitive component of values in the
classroom
Thank you!