sponses by other students? And the most important question of all higher order thinking
questions—WHY?
Using questions to promote critical literacy is also a major component of Grant Wiggins’s
approach to teaching methods, which he calls “Understanding by Design.” Wiggins argues
that teachers should present students with “essential questions” without simple answers
that are reintroduced over and over throughout the curriculum. For social studies, he sug-
gest questions such as: “Is there enough to go around (e.g., food, clothes, water)?” “Is history
a story of progress?” “When is law unjust?” “Who owns what and why?” A language arts class
could explore questions such as: “Must a story have a moral?” “What qualities make some-
one a hero (or villain)?” “Do we always mean what we say and say what we mean?” A biology
curriculum could be organized to answer the question: “How does an organism’s structure
enable it to survive in its environment?” or “Is biology destiny?”
JOIN THE CONVERSATION—BLOOM’S TAXONOMYBenjamin Bloom’s classification system organizes questions into six categories based on
the “level of thought” required from students. They are ranked here from lower level to
higher level thinking.
Knowledge: Students are asked to recall or describe information that they have been
provided in an assignment or by the teacher.
Comprehension: Students are asked to interpret or explain information.
Application: Students use information to explain other related events, solve a problem,
or speculate about broader causes or issues.
Analysis: Students use information to draw conclusions.
Synthesis: Students use information to arrive at a new understanding.
Evaluation: Students use information and established criteria to make a judgment or
support an opinion.Questions to Consider:- Do you think teachers should think of questions in advance and include them in their
lesson plans? Explain. - Do you agree with Bloom’s idea of a hierarchy of questions? Explain.
- Design three to five high-order analysis, synthesis, or evaluation questions in your sub-
ject area.
4.In your opinion, can higher order thinking questions be used to enhance critical liter-
acy? Explain.
SECTION G: HOW CAN TEACHERS LEARN AND TEACH
ABOUT TECHNOLOGY IN A UNIVERSE WHERE
TECHNOLOGY IS CONTINUALLY CHANGING?
When it comes to technology, I always seem to be three steps behind everyone else. It took
me years to figure out how to use a VCR for teaching. I still listen to vinyl records and cas-
settes (though I recently purchased a sound system with a CD player). By the time I learned
how to use a computer as a word processor, other people were into graphic design. Now
LITERACY 193