Bradshaw, Amy. The Relationship of the World Wide Web to Thinking Skills. Sep 2002, Vol. 39 Issue 3/4, p.275-285.

 

As access to the world wide web (WWW) increases, schools need to start evaluating how and why it is being used in daily instruction. The emphasis has been on gaining access to the WWW in school and NOT on how students will benefit from instruction based upon it.  An ongoing goal in education is for students to move beyond the lower cognitive domain and to apply higher order thinking skills such as analysis, application, critical thinking, and problem solving. This is best done in a learner-centered, problem centered, collaborative, authentic classroom.  The two biggest questions are how can instruction based on the WWW foster these higher order-thinking skills? And how much teacher training and support is needed?

In Amy C. Bradshaw’s article, The Relationship of the World Wide Web and Thinking Skills, she lists five promising features of the WWW that will help foster higher order thinking:

Motivation: Today’s students are acclimated to a computer culture and therefore like to use computers and software. “Motivation increases the likelihood that students will be engaged with their task, thus increasing the potential for using complex thinking skills” (Bradshaw, 276).

Unlimited Resources: The WWW differs from all other media in that it is boundless and updated sometimes by the minute.  Most of the information is current and authentic.

Global Communication: The ability to communicate with people all over the world and to experience other cultures.

Collaboration:  “Working collaboratively is beneficial to students’ use of critical thinking skills” (Bradshaw, 277). The WWW opens up new collaborative opportunities such as the course we are taking now.

Authentic Problems:  Students can access statistics and real life issues on the WWW.  They can also publish so more people are viewing their work besides just the professor.

Hypertext Environment:  Hyper linking helps instructors choose meaningful pathways for students to explore. This also allows for individual pacing. Part of the study found that “students using a hypertext learning environment developed the ability to transfer their knowledge to new situations at a greater degree than those who used a more traditional approach” (Bradshaw, 278).

 

The study did find major drawbacks such as information overload and quality of information.  However, “if used in an authentic learning environment with appropriately designed instruction”, the WWW can help foster higher order thinking skills.  In an information society such as ours, a student’s most valuable assets are higher order thinking skills.

This article specifically applies to TF-III.C “Apply technology to demonstrate students’ higher order skills and creativity.” Any student can Google a topic, but how can we as teachers help them to analyze and apply this information? Webquests, when done correctly, can help foster higher order thinking skills.  They differ from web searches in that they require the student to process information in a variety of ways.