When mentoring our
pre-service and in-service teachers we need to describe and model both
research-based and clinically tested best practices, and demonstrate how these
best practices can be applied in the real (i.e. physical) and virtual (i.e. online)
classroom for both teaching and teacher training. The combination of face to
face instruction in a physical setting and online learning is called blended
learning. In this section of the blog we will describe how the internet can
serve as a supplemental resource for instruction and the mentoring of
pre-service and in-service Jewish educators. In this post we will begin our
discussion of how Visual Ranking can be used to promote skillful, creative and
critical thinking in the Judaic Studies classroom.
Assumption: The teacher or mentor teacher has a interactive
white board (i.e. SMART Board, Promethean, etc.), a Tablet PC (also called a
Slate or Blade), a computer presenter or computer with internet access attached
to an LCD projector in the classroom. It would be ideal if students or mentees
had access to their own laptop computers or Ipads. Given parental and
school approval, and the development of specific guidelines, smartphones can be
used to enhance instruction as well.
Note: Although the Visual Ranking cognitive tool can be
applied in the Judaic Studies blended learning classroom, it can be also be
used for training pre-service and in-service Jewish educators for professional
or staff development. It is our hope that Jewish educators around the globe
will form an online community of
practice, a CoP, a group of people who share an interest, a craft,
and/or a profession, to enhance the delivery of instruction and training of
Jewish educators. For example, here is
a CoP you might want to join.
Note: The Visual Ranking cognitive tool can be used in
a face to face and virtual classroom.
In previous blog posts we have defined thinking skills and processes, creative thinking, critical thinking and Benjamin Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives. We have also shared creative and critical thinking tools developed by Dr. Donald J. Treffinger.
What is the Visual
Ranking online thinking tool?
According
to the website, Technology Integration: Meeting Students in Their DigitalWorld, http://bhs.cc/tech/?page_id=17 ,
visual ranking “ is an online tools that allows students to order items in a
list, describe the rationale behind their choices, and work with other groups
to make comparisons and spark
discussions.”
How does Visual Ranking
empower students to place in priority order, justify, and discuss a list of
different options?
Click here and see a
video explaining how the visual ranking online thinking tool empowers students
to prioritize, justify and discuss a list of different options.
Then click here to see a
demonstration of how the web-based visual ranking tool works.
For additional resources
on Visual Ranking refer to the sources listed below:
Below please find an
example of the web-based Visual Ranking Tool on the topic of inventions[1]:
On the
next post we will discuss how the web-based thinking skills tool, Visual Ranking, can be used to promote instruction in the blended learning classroom.
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