Originally published here.
I am much better at deconstruction than construction… at least, it is easier for me. After building a creative project for this course, I understand why synthesis is a higher level thinking skill on Bloom’s taxonomy. Creation is challenging.
We were asked to work in small groups with the goal of creating a short film. We were successful but it took quite a bit of work. We coordinated on our Google doc. I got more of a sense of collaboration this time around because there were three of us collaborating and we got to work on it earlier in the week.
I enjoyed checking in on the document to find responses to my input. We were able to hammer out a plan relatively quickly. Then it was time to get to work.
My responsibility was to explore the response to the question from the cyclical point of view. I was happily assigned this even though my first ideas were along a different line. It was nice to be assigned a specific task. It is always easier to work within constraints. I still added my original perspective because it tied in well with my assignment.
One of my partners posted her video first. This was a great inspiration because it was done so well. It was a great model. Ideas about what my product were solidified early in the week. Building the project was another challenge all together.
For my short portion of the project, I enlisted my son to help with art (he had a blast), and my colleague to help film chicken sex (Thank you Mrs. Felciano). I took a short video and a photograph myself, I wrote a script, learned a new tool (a piece of presentation software), narrated my film, and built the subtitles. Here is my script:
the actual question "what came first the chicken or the egg" demonstrates biases in thinking.
In many cultures, around the world, time, even existence, is perceived as cyclical. there is no beginning and there is no end. in these contexts, the question itself doesn't make sense.
The scientific perspective disregards the role of the rooster in the reproductive process. after all, chickens reproduce sexually. the question takes a gynocentric view of time.
Applying skills learned in the Crit101 COURSE leads me to believe that the age old question my not be worth asking.
It was a lot of work. I probably have three-four hours invested in my 45 second clip.
Synthesis is so high on Bloom’s taxonomy because all of the critical thinking skills that we have examined are implemented. I had to research my resources, read and write critically, evaluate my resources, and then build, present, and publish the project.
I am going to keep in mind that having students create projects demands that they engage all levels of the critical thinking process.