Selection and Organization of Content

The Structure of Subject Matter

Content
Christopher H. Punzalan
2015

BTTE 5
Principles of Teaching 1
Think about this…
 Subject Matter
matter presented for
consideration in discussion,
thought, or study

the substance of a discussi

on, book, writing, etc., as
distinguished from its form
or style.
 Subject Matter Content
Elements

Cognitive
Skills
Affective
The Structure of Subject
Matter Content
 Cognitive
 Facts
 Concepts
 Principles
 Hypotheses
 Theories
 Laws
 Skill
 Thinking skills
 Manipulative skills
 Affective
 Realm of values and attitudes
 COGNITIVE
Facts
Concepts
Principles
Hypotheses
Theories
Laws
 Facts
Fact is an idea or action that can be
verified.
Basic unit of cognitive subject matter
content

Example:
 names and dates of important
activities
 population of the Philippines
 Concepts
Concept is a categorization of
events, places, people, ideas.

Example:
Furniture -> chairs, tables, tables,
beds, and desks.
Swim -> breast stroke, crawl,
butterfly
 Principles
the relationship(s) between and
among facts and concepts.
arrived at when similar research
studies yield similar results time after
time

Example:
Number of children in the family is
related to the average scores on
nationally standardized achievement
tests for those children.
 Hypotheses
educated guesses about
relationships (principles)

Example:
 For lower division undergraduate
students, study habits is a better
predictor of success in a college
course than is a measure of
intelligence or reading
comprehension.
 Theories
refer to a set of facts, concepts and principles that
describe possible underlying unobservable
mechanisms that regulate human learning,
development, and behavior.
explains why these principles are true.

Example:
 Piaget’s theory on cognitive development
 Laws
firmly established, thoroughly tested
principle or theory

Example:
 Thorndike’s law of effect
 Law on the conservation of matter and
energy
 Law of supply and demand
 Law of gravity
 SKILLS
Manipulative skills
Thinking Skills
 Divergent thinking
 Convergent thinking
 Problem solving
 Metaphoric thinking
 Critical thinking
 Creative thinking
 Manipulative Skills
for courses / subjects that are
dominantly skill –oriented
 Computer
 Home Economics and Technology
 Physical Education
 Music
The learning of these manipulative
skills begin with simple manipulation
and ends up in expert and precise
manipulation.
 Thinking Skills
 the skills beyond recall and comprehension
 They are skills concerned with the
application of what was learned,
 (in problem-solving or in real life) evaluation,
critical and creative thinking and
synthesis.
 Thinking Skills
 Divergent thinking
 Convergent thinking
 Problem solving
 Metaphoric thinking
 Critical thinking
 Creative thinking
 Divergent Thinking
 Includes the following and its characteristics
 Fluent thinking
 generation of lots of ideas
 thought flow is rapid
 thinking of the of the most possible ideas
 Flexible thinking
 variety of thoughts in the kinds of ideas generated
 different ideas from those usually presented
 Original thinking
 differs from what’s gone before
 thought production is away from the obvious and is
different from the norm
 Elaborative thinking
 embellishes on previous ideas or plans (Torres, 1994)
 Uses prior knowledge to expand and add upon things and
ideas
 Convergent Thinking
It is narrowing down from many possible thoughts to
end up on a single best thought or an answer to a
problem.
 Problem Solving
 Made easier when the problem is well-defined.

“The proper definition of a problem is already half the solution”

 Can be solved by using :

 algorithm – following specific, step by step instructions
 heuristic strategy – general problem solving strategy, for a
solution
- experience based techniques
 Effective Problem Solving
Strategies
Provide worked-out examples of algorithms being
applied

Help students understand why particular algorithms are

relevant and effective in certain situations

When a student’s application of algorithm yields an

incorrect answer, look closely at the specific steps the
student has taken until the trouble spot is located.
 For teaching heuristics:
Give students practice in defining ill-defined problems

Teach heuristics that students can use where no

algorithms apply

Examples of real-life heuristic that people use as a way

to solve a problem or to learn something:
 Educated guess
 Common sense
 Availability heuristic
 Working backward
 Familiarity heuristic
For teaching both algorithm
and heuristics:
Teach problem-solving strategies within the context of
specific subject areas (not as a topic separate from
academic content)
Provide scaffolding for difficult problems
Have students solve problems in small groups
 Metaphoric Thinking
Also called “Analogic thinking”
Uses analogic thinking
 A figure of speech where a word is
used in a manner different from its
ordinary designation to suggest or
imply a parallelism or similarity

Example:
Teaching is lighting a candle. The
learner’s mind is a “blank slate”.
 Critical Thinking
Involves evaluating information or arguments in
terms of their accuracy and worth. (Beyer, 1985)
It takes a variety of forms
Verbal reasoning
Argumentative analysis
Hypothesis testing
Decision making
 Creative Thinking
 Involves producing something that is both original and
worthwhile
 For Creative thinking we must develop:
 Awareness
 Curiosity
 Imagination
 Fluency
 Flexibility
 Originality
 Elaboration
 Perseverance
 AFFECTIVE

Skill
Cognitive

Values

Three-level approach to teaching

 Values and Attitudes

Values can be taught

They are both taught and caught.
Values have :
Cognitive dimension
Affective dimension
Behavioral dimension
Affective component is concerned with values and
attitudes. When we teach values, we connect facts,
skills and concepts to the life of students.
 How can we teach values?

 Deutero-learning : Your student learns by

 being exposed to the situation,
 acquainting himself with a setting
 following models
 pursuing inspirations
 copying behavior

“YOUR CRITICAL ROLE AS MODELS IN AND

OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM CANNOT BE
OVEREMPHASIZED”

 Positive reinforcing good behavior

 Teaching cognitive component of values in the
classroom
Lesson Plan Sample
 Reference
Ormrod, 2000

Jeanne Ellis Ormrod, Ph.D.

Professor of Psychological Sciences

McKee Hall
jormrod@comcast.net
Areas of Specialization:
 Learning and cognition
 Study strategies
 Pedagogy
Thank you!
PUNZALAN
2015