FOSTERING HIGHER THINKING AMONG

STUDENTS THROUGH HUMAN-VALUES

Outcome-based Education and Value System

According to Bloom taxonomy, human thinking and learning may be divided
into three domains:

Cognitive
Affective
Psychomotor

Cognitive domain Affective domain Psychomotor

learning
Mental activities:
Understanding, analysis,
evaluation, and synthesis,
mainly from the knowledge
acquisition, application, and
generation perspective
learning
Physical skills: coordination,
Human-values and involves
manipulation, grace,
exploring, understanding,
strength, speed; actions
analysing, judging,
which demonstrate the fine
justifying, synthesizing,
motor skills such as use of
adopting and internalizing
precision instruments or
values
tools; or actions

Values-oriented Learning Outcomes (VLO)

Deeper understanding of human-values system requires:

Exploration, interpretation, assessment, and evaluation (cognitive skills) of several

aspects, concerning beliefs, habits, behaviour, attitude, culture, societal
environments, natural habitat

VLO1 Critical Analysis and Evaluation VLO4 Environment and Sustainability

VLO2 Problem Solving and Decision making VLO5 Exploration and Communication
VLO3 Collaborative & Social Work VL06 Life-long learning and Ethics

Teaching and Exploring Human-values

Students learn to understand abstract thoughts, analyse and evaluate them and discover links among facts.
These are kind of skills which enhance higher level thinking decision making, problem solving, creative and
critical thinking.

Valeria Orozco Rodríguez

 HAS HIGHER EDUCATION FALLEN DOWN THE
RABBIT HOLE AND LANDED IN THE BIZARRO
WORLD? YOU BET IT HAS!

“Students are not getting the skills [in college]

they need to succeed in the workplace”

Higher education is about educating students. The term “teaching school” is practically a
pejorative at many institutions.
The goal of many colleges and universities is: To be known as a research school which
often means that only professors who can publish in quality academic journals will be
awarded tenure and promotions. Faculty are advised to work more on publications and pay
less attention to their teaching.

Numerous, Specialized Rabbit Holes

Many academic departments promote disciplinary or even sub-disciplinary elitism.
Academic departments have become insular “silos” that encourage the absurd belief that
one discipline is superior to others and can provide all the answers. This belief interferes
with critical thinking and is a cognitive bias known as déformation professionelle.

Déformation professionelle: The tendency to see things narrowly, i.e., from the point of
view of one’s discipline or profession
Silo mentality: Occurs when groups or departments in an organization refuse to share
knowledge. The best way to learn is via collaboration, so it is crucial for students today to
learn how to work in teams and share knowledge.

Diversity of Ideas? Not in My Rabbit Hole

Diversity is not only about hiring underrepresented populations such as women, minorities,
and the disabled. True diversity is also about hiring individuals with diverse opinions.
Students need to hear many sides of an argument as a means to enhance their critical
thinking skills.

Higher education should be at the forefront of teaching people to listen and consider
other viewpoints. The opposite of critical thinking, it can produce angry people who can
never fit into society or the workplace.

Valeria Orozco Rodríguez