Educational Technology for GT Development

Educational Technology for GT Development

I have developed the technology of Global Thinking (GT) exploring the nature of Creative Thinking by G.Altshouller, 1990, and E. de Bono, 1992. They found that understanding of the advantages of Creative Thinking and theoretical knowledge of its methods are not enough for the development of its structures. It is necessary to have a series of practical tasks.

GT, as a type of Creative Thinking, has the same development pattern. Understanding of global problems, even though detailed and systematic, is not enough for GT development. Students need practice of solving large-scale and whole-world problems as training tasks, different types of problems with ecological, social, and personal contexts. For example, they can try to find answers to following questions: what to do with waste products of “their” factory at a certain location, or how to help poverty in Africa, or how to prevent and treat health disorders caused by stress in urban settings. They would need to build a model of system of causes and effects with strong and lateral connections in their minds, develop the most efficient strategy of solution, and verify their solution by building a model of changes in their system which will bring their solution. Analysis of solutions I interpret by the GT scale. I evaluate the level of solution on each of the parameters and then find the level of GT. The principles of organization of GT competitions, possible versions of competitions with task contents, principles and examples of interpretation of solutions of tasks on a GT SCALE, review of the most common and the most interesting answers with analysis of solutions obtained in the experiment are attached to my research manuscript.

The Technology of GT Development consists of varieties of a series of possible tasks similar to tasks in the diagnostic and special tasks for each of the parameters - Integrity, Dynamics and Alternativity development. Usually I divide a class into 2 to 4 teams, and they compete in solving of series of similar problems. This way they stimulate the GT development of each other and the whole group. Before the first task, students need to get familiar with Global Thinking parameters, scale, and samples of solving problems, so they know how they expected to approach to solutions of task problems they will be given. When a task is given, each student has an opportunity to think over a problem, then discuss it with other team members, and participate in final solution. Each team representative informs the rest of participants about that solution. Team members have a right to add or correct something in a representative’s talk, and then students from other team(s) can do the same, and might gain points in this competition.

After each completed task I evaluate the solution via my GT SCALE, explain my evaluation to the students, give them possible directions to think of the improvements to their solutions, compare differences and similarities of tasks given to students. The next task, similar, more complex, or easier will depend on the level of just completed task and student's particular need found. Via diagnostic of results, a teacher is able to control and manage each step of the personal development of GT, and make a choice of the next step or series of tasks based upon student’s results. So the process of GT development is based on the interaction between task solutions and diagnostics.

I measure a level of GT before and after a GT Course so I can see the efficiency of the implementation of this technology. The detailed description of this technology with variable task versions can be found in one of the attachments to my manuscript. Usually an educational technology is an algorithm, a recipe how to get step-by-step a certain result, and it does not consider alternatives.This is like baking a pie: you are given certain amount of certain ingredients, and the instruction of what you supposed to do with them and how. If you follow the instruction properly, your result will be a pie with a certain type with no doubts.

My Technology of GT Development technically does not quite fit for this definition. of educational technology, which is basically a recipe how to build up certain skills and knowledge. It is different type of technology – multivariable technology, or meta-technology (a technology of the Implementation of principals). This is also a recipe for the achievement of a certain result but with description of the alternatives at each step which depend on conditions which might change. It is similar to a computer program. The following diagrams demonstrate an increased level of the GT in students who participated in GT Course (in red) comparing to those who didn't do it or didn't do it yet (in blue).

The first diagram (on the left) shows the average GT of students in each class. Students in ordinary schools on average have not developed GT. Students in schools with at least one component of the educational process significant for GT development, have developed GT on average. You can see that the difference of average GT in 9^th, 10^th, and 11^th grades in the School for Advanced Studying in Global Education affected by the age in GT development. The diagram also shows that the average impact of the technology for GT development on 9^th grade students is to raise their level to the level of 11^th grade.

The second diagram (on the right) shows the % of students with developed GT (a score of 3 or more) in each class. You can see that the % of students who developed GT differs in 11a and 11b classes in the School for Advanced Studying in Global Education because of different average levels of their personal parameters: IQ, CR, and motivation. Again, we can see the results of my Technology’s work in 9^th grade students.

This technology can be used in any school, college or university. It is necessary to take into account the personal parameters and the age of students and build up an educational process (EP) with tree considered components which include courses & competitions for GT development, and with diagnostics which makes possible correction and control the EP for its better effectiveness.

Also, my technology of Global Thinking development can be adapted to government and industry leaders, education and organization leaders.

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