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Today Petra and I started of the day with listening to a French antrophologist speaking about sterilization of men in Cambodia…Quite interesting, but one understands how important it is to present something in a relaxed, personal way, instead of reading from a script and showing a PP-presentation with words, words, words. Go Pelle – you did an outstanding job yesterday!
Right now we are all listening to Tun Dr Mahathir Bin Mohamed, the former Prime-Minister of Malaysia. One of Asia’s greatest leader – the man who transformed Malaysia into the modern country that it is today. He is highly thought of here and all over Asia. So it is considered a great privilege to get the opportunity to listen to him. The topics we will go through is: Leadership, Asian political leadership and Thinking for change.
Oh, oh…here we go: bad leaders: Nixon, Blair and especially George W Bush. Good leaders: Koreas second president and the present leader of China. “Obama won because the distaste of President Bush” – not because he had an important message. Hej och hå!
The rest of the speech he focuses on value-system and how important it is to lead in a way that people can trust you and how value-systems are influenced by thinking. Think as a Doctor – pose a diagnose and start to cure.
Now there is a woman asking about how Malaysia should act to prevent the rain-forests from getting extuinguished – and there is an answer we we´re not prepared for: the rest of the world should decrease their use of carbondioxide instead of having Malaysians decrease their standard of living.
A picture of the speaker
Now it´s time for Pelle Holmén and his Peer-Reviwed session titled: ”Improvement of Problem Based Learning with the Aid of Thinking Skills in a Cross-Curricula Teaching Enviroment”
(This text is written in real time experience even if it isn´t published since there´s no inernet connection in the session) As so often the unexpected happens – the presenter preceding Pelle doesn´t show up! But that´s not really a problem for Mr Holmén, that just gives him more time to put up the hexagones and to connect the computer. Right now I´m listening to a wonderful piece of music called ”Frösöblomster nr:8” by the famous Swedish composer Wilhelm Pettersson Berger as background music while the audience enters Pelles session…
Pelle Holmén at the 14th International Conference on Thinking
And now: Take Off! He starts off cautiously but it doesn´t lasts for long. He looks good up there! Like a number one superhero. I´m proud of him. Perhaps I´m too subjective so I turn to the masses and their facial expressions confirm my initial feelings. When Pelle shows a picture of a cute duck on a pond the audiences interest level peaked. As is typical of Pelle he uses analogies to help people understand and in this case the duck is a facilitator. Off course - Finding Humor is important!
Another important Habit of Mind to possess is Thinking Flexibly, which Pelle experience when the “girl-with- the –time-signs” all of a sudden shows him a sign saying that he only got ten minutes left to talk! His professional skills are challenged – trying to manage the session in speed while answering questions and keeping the red thread (quote from Pelle himself). I know him well and is not at all surprised to learn that he did it splendidly!
At the 14th International Conference on Thinking Pelle Holmén will give a talk on his peer-reviewed paper entitled:
Improvement of problem based learning with the aid of thinking skills in a cross-curricula teaching (Peer-Reviewed)
Per Erik Holmen, Folkuniversitetet Foundation, Sweden, pelleholmen@gmail.com
The paper describes part of a development program that was aimed at improving the quality of knowledge development and learning among students and student-active teaching in a Natural Science and Humanities program. A team of seven teachers and 44 students, aged 16-19, took part in the development program which was documented in an Action Research Study, and this became the thesis for a Degree in Master in Action Learning from the University of Tromsoe, Norway. Problem Based Learning (PBL) is the main method of teaching in this Swedish school. Many study subjects are integrated into themes, which usually consist of 2-3 problems. Lessons and activities are designed around students‘ learning goals which are constructed during steps 1-5. Step 6 is the learning process of each student, and step 7 is where a deeper learning discussion about the problem takes place. The Action Research Study focuses on the implementation of the Complex Thinking Tasks from Thinking-Based Learning (TBL) into newly-designed PBL problems within a theme called The Mindful Human. Tasks such as skilful decision making and judging the factual accuracy of information were integrated into two of the problems. The paper concludes that the quality of students’ learning and knowledge improved substantially. Student interest levels and personal engagement in learning were cultivated, and the outcomes have been so successful that all future PBL-problems at the school will be redesigned in the same manner.
Pelle Holmen has a Master of Science for Upper-Secondary and Adult Education and a Master of Action.
Improvement of problem based learning with the aid of thinking skills in a cross-curricula teaching (Peer-Reviewed)
The paper describes part of a development program that was aimed at improving the quality of knowledge development and learning among students and student-active teaching in a Natural Science and Humanities program. A team of seven teachers and 44 students, aged 16-19, took part in the development program which was documented in an Action Research Study, and this became the thesis for a Degree in Master in Action Learning from the University of Tromsoe, Norway. Problem Based Learning (PBL) is the main method of teaching in this Swedish school. Many study subjects are integrated into themes, which usually consist of 2-3 problems. Lessons and activities are designed around students‘ learning goals which are constructed during steps 1-5. Step 6 is the learning process of each student, and step 7 is where a deeper learning discussion about the problem takes place. The Action Research Study focuses on the implementation of the Complex Thinking Tasks from Thinking-Based Learning (TBL) into newly-designed PBL problems within a theme called The Mindful Human. Tasks such as skilful decision making and judging the factual accuracy of information were integrated into two of the problems. The paper concludes that the quality of students’ learning and knowledge improved substantially. Student interest levels and personal engagement in learning were cultivated, and the outcomes have been so successful that all future PBL-problems at the school will be redesigned in the same manner.
Pelle Holmen has a Master of Science for Upper-Secondary and Adult Education and a Master of Action.
The talk will be given on monday at 16.35 in room MR402. You find the full schedule for the conference here.
