KNOWLEDGE

There are many social and scientific concepts fundamental to our way of life which children can learn in the context of the school classroom. These have been well documented in curriculum guides and school text books. Knowledge also takes the form of stories, personal anecdotes, myths, songs, poems and other art works.

• Information: facts, cultural perspectives, stories, works of art
• Concepts: schemas, event scripts, attributes and categories
• Relations: cause and effect, how objects and processes relate, part-whole
• Meaning: personal experience of knowledge, individual understanding

SKILLS

Skills are relatively small, clearly defined, observable units of behaviour or action. In addition to learning many basic skills and how to apply these, children need to learn social and personal skills. The learning environment of the classroom offers opportunities for applying skills that promote cooperation, negotiation, leadership and teamwork.

• Basic academic skills: talking, reading, writing, counting, measuring
• Scientific and technical skills: data management, use of computers and scientific equipment, observation
• Social skills: cooperation, discussion, debate, negotiation, teamwork
• Personal relationships: give and take, appreciation, assertiveness

DISPOSITIONS

Dispositions are habits of mind or patterns of behaviour. Children need to develop certain dispositions to enable them to be effective learners in the classroom. For example, teachers can develop children's disposition to be interested in their work thereby facilitating learning and energizing effort. As children's disposition to try out alternatives in their work is strengthened they can learn to evaluate their own achievement and learn from mistakes or errors of judgement. Those dispositions which are dysfunctional for learning can be weakened or discouraged; for example, the disposition to solve social problems with aggressive behaviour or to give up trying when work gets more difficult.

• Habits of mind: wondering, figuring out, predicting, explaining, etc.
• Approaches to work: challenge seeking, persistence, reflection, openness
• Preferences: cooperating/alone, longer/shorter time, active/passive
• Strengthening and weakening: promoting useful dispositions and discouraging dysfunctional ones

FEELINGS

The way children feel about their work is important for achievement. In project work the challenge of some learning may result in unpredictable feelings of elation or disappointment as children become absorbed in tasks which they have helped to design for themselves. As children take more ownership of their work they also have to learn appropriate emotional responses to success and failure in themselves and in others. Evaluation involves recognizing personal strengths and limitations, and working on these with courage and determination. As children feel increasingly competent and sense their own potential for learning so they develop feelings of confidence and self esteem.