Rethinking structures and practices: The teaching of complex reasoning processes

Field: Arts and Humanities (Social Sciences)

This thesis investigated the planning, teaching and assessment of complex reasoning processes in a senior secondary school chemistry classroom. In particular, the study has been concerned with: • articulating a definition for the term complex reasoning processes that make these processes conceptually clear, able to be taught, developed and used in the classroom • the development of a pedagogy that would enable students to learn and apply complex reasoning processes in a senior secondary school chemistry classroom • considering other areas or issues (apart from definition and pedagogy) that impact upon the teaching and learning of complex reasoning processes. The importance of this research is that it adds to the general body of knowledge on the teaching arid learning of complex reasoning processes through the use of a qualitative methodology, where the researcher was also the teacher being investigated. This thesis has significant implications for the senior chemistry classroom in the areas of curriculum, teaching and teacher change. The study argued that the Queensland Board of Senior Secondary School Studies chemistry syllabus definition of complex reasoning processes (advanced skills in the areas of problem solving, decision making and critical/creative thinking) was inadequate as it was too broad and ill-defined. That is, the definition did not provide a way for teachers to think about and organise the teaching and learning of these processes. The study concluded that separate thinking processes could be articulated to enable the deliberate development of complex reasoning processes. Consequently, complex reasoning processes were defined as a multi-step operation that required the use of several thinking skills in a structured way. These thinking skills were described in a set of guidelines or steps that provided the teacher and students with a clear structure for the thinking process. In the context of this study, ten specific thinking processes were chosen as being applicable to the senior chemistry curriculum. A pedagogical framework was developed from the data of the study to highlight the basic component parts of a teacher's pedagogy in the development of students' complex reasoning processes. The framework described five phases labeled initiation, modelling, guided practice, reflection and evaluation, and demonstrated performance. Each of these phases was investigated to illustrate key ideas and issues involved in their application. The areas of planning of learning experiences, student assessment, learning environment and teacher change were found to be important in the development of students' complex reasoning processes. In the planning of learning experiences it was concluded that factors including the selection of knowledge to be acquired by students, the choice of thinking process to be developed, the sequencing of learning experiences and the use of language all required serious thought by chemistry teachers. An assessment framework was presented which consisted of three basis components (the delineation of complex reasoning processes, assessment tasks and rubrics). The framework was designed in an attempt to achieve alignment between the planned, enacted and assessed curriculum. The importance of the learning environment in enabling student learning of thinking processes was highlighted. The action learning approach adopted in this study was found to be a powerful tool for learning, action and development. That is, the methodology is an important process for facilitating teacher change. This thesis has shown that teachers can deliberately develop students' complex reasoning processes in the classroom through careful planning, teaching and assessment practices. The findings of this study, however, are only a beginning point to understanding student development and use of these processes. Further research is required in areas as diverse as student transfer of processes from one subject to another, student cognitive processes and student assessment.