Reflecting on Higher Order Learning

PID 3100 – Assignment 2: Post #3 – “Aha!” Moment

Welcome to the third post in this series on Trends in Adult Education. To view the previous two posts click here and here.

I’ve chosen to reflect on the focus on Higher Order Thinking in Vocational Training. I came to my “Aha!” moment by reflecting on my journey through life that lead me to this point.

When I was in High School, the conventional wisdom was “Go into computers, there will always be jobs in that!” and “Get a degree if you want to make good money!”. Millions of kids bought into this line of thinking and enrolled into Computer Science and Bachelor degrees in hopes of a good adult life, myself included.

Like most academic programs, these programs have a certain portion of General Education courses. These courses are not directly related to the job you will be performing, but help to broaden your understanding of the world around you, giving you a more full and meaningful life. I got to experience this education first hand and can honestly say, it has made a difference.

After realizing the conventional wisdom of my youth was not in fact the path to economic success, I quit academia and entered the trades. The apprenticeship program was excellent at preparing me to be a good electrician. Unfortunately, the program mostly focuses on the theory behind the job, and not on development of the person.

Now I look at the world my son is growing up in. The conventional wisdom is now “Join a trade if you want to make good money!”. Millions of kids are now foregoing academic degrees and learning a trade. I think this is fundamentally a great thing for society but I think back to my days in academia and can’t help but think these kids are missing something profound in their vocational training.

As Kerka states in the ERIC article, Higher Order Thinking Skills in Vocational Education,

The ability to think creatively, make decisions, solve problems, visualize, reason, analyze, interpret, and know how to learn–these skills are most often mentioned in definitions of critical thinking. Characteristics of critical thinkers are perseverance, flexibility, metacognition, transfer of knowledge, problem orientation, open mindedness, use of quality standards, and independence (Lee 1989), a list that resembles many descriptions of the desirable qualities of the future work force.

In teaching our students Higher Order Thinking skills in the Trades, we are better preparing them for the challenges of our fast paced, ever changing modern world. We are also filling the General Education gap in vocational training.