HOW THE CURRICULUM LIBRARY IS A TOOL

FOR TEACHING HIGHER-ORDER THINKING

TOGETHER WE CAN TEACH HIGHER ORDER THINKING
The Curriculum Cooperative Library (CL) is intended to become the major source of instructional materials in our classrooms. Its method of cataloging and retrieving lessons supports a focus on critical thinking and problem solving throughout the course. Higher order thinking depends not only on good individual lessons, but also on how all the lessons fit together. The CL provides lots of support on designing, aligning and documenting a course curriculum focused on higher order thinking. Equally important, it provides us teachers with a highly flexible, constantly replenished, multi-dimensional tool for manipulating instructional materials and strategies in the service of deep understanding and wide knowledge. Yet the multitude and diversity of lessons that make the CL so valuable to us individually comes from us collectively. Each of us teaches a unique set of students in a unique context, and so we have each created one or more unique lessons that works effectively in our circumstances. Sharing these lessons benefits us all.

HOW DOES THE CL ENHANCE TEACHING?
The Curriculum Library uses a cataloging and retrieval system organized so that we can focus our teaching on higher order thinking, defined as the ability to transfer knowledge from one context to another. As a teaching tool, it was designed for the task of teaching knowledge transfer, but, just as any well fashioned tool, it is useful for almost any teaching and learning purpose. The 23 categories of choice used by the CL can catalog an essentially infinite number of different lessons to be retrieved quickly with almost any possible focus. This flexibility allows a teacher to manipulate instructional materials as dynamically as they manipulate instructional strategies. This enormous increase in a teacher's control of the learning process will bring benefits, regardless of the teacher's style, philosophy or constraints.

HOW DOES THE CL ENHANCE TEACHING HIGHER-ORDER THINKING?
But how does the CL specifically enhance the teaching of higher order thinking? It's important to first be clear about the goal. In operational terms, higher order thinking could be defined as the ability to transfer knowledge gained in one context to a different context for the purposes of problem solving, thinking critically or making considered decisions. The structure of the CL was designed to catalyze such knowledge transfer.

The CL's 23 categories are organized into seven trunks, one of which defines the transferable concept being taught, while a second defines a skill being taught. These two trunks, their many options organized according to the science of how such knowledge is learned, are combined with a third trunk. This third trunk defines the many possible topics and subjects to which conceptual and skill knowledge could be applied. Knowledge transfer is two-sided: it involves the knowledge that is to be transferred and applied, and, on the other side, the factual knowledge about the context of a question. The CL allows you to focus on a particular concept or skill while easily finding corresponding lessons that match the performance levels, interests, backgrounds and curiosities of your students, not to mention the dictates of state or national standards.

Using the Curriculum Library you may specify any concept or process skill in combination with any topic to find a lesson that asks students to transfer their knowledge of the chosen concept or skill to the chosen topic. The premise is that students should practice transferring knowledge if we want them to learn this ability. The enormous variety and number of lessons needed to fulfill this dream come from all of us sharing our best lessons - Surely there is a teacher somewhere who has created the lesson that you need in order to connect with your students and excite them about learning.

USING THE CL THROUGHOUT YOUR COURSE
The skill structures presented as options in the CL will probably be familiar to you as a classroom teacher. Each concept listed as an option in the CL is defined by its generalizations or enduring understandings (the knowledge that would be transferred). These also provide a concrete bridge to assessment - Exactly what is the knowledge that a student is supposed to have when they "understand" a particular concept or have mastered a particular skill? Essential questions, concept maps and text explanations for each concept and rubrics for each skill provide clarity for student learning.

The structure of transferable concepts that makes up the concept trunk of the CL cataloging also provides you with the ability to structure and coordinate your instructional materials across the entire course of study. The concepts are structured according to cognitive learning theory. Therefore you can build a syllabus for your course curriculum that corresponds with the natural development of a child's, or adolescent's, intellect. You can also use it to coordinate curriculum vertically from one grade level to another throughout K-12, ensuring that conceptual and skill learning builds from year to year and progresses according to the science of how students learn. (See the Help menu under the CONCEPTS category for a brief explanation of how cognitive theory dictates the conceptual structure.)