The majority of my students, except those in the Advanced Placement class, are still at the concrete-operational stage. They cannot think abstractly and do not understand what is inferred in a written or visual text. According to Piaget, the concrete-operational stage occurs when the child is able to solve concrete problems. It is the time when the child displays a logic which is based on what he or she can see, touch or hear. The goal I set for my term is to move my students from this initial stage to the formal-operational one in which they are able to solve abstract problems. This means the students can infer, as well as develop theories and concerns about the social world surrounding him or her. At this stage students are able to think hypothetically and reason deductively. The formal-operational thinker can identify general principles or use specific observations to identify a solution or a new theory. This goal cannot be achieved at the end of a single unit since it requires a long and consistently planned path primarily oriented toward the formal-operational thinking process. This unit reflects just the beginning of a process that will be consistently reinforced throughout the year.
In planning all my units, I also take into consideration Vygotsky's theory that the teacher has to assist and guide students in their learning experience. The Department of Education in the state of Connecticut and the New Haven School District also follow Vygotsky. This theory requires that the teacher provide continuous scaffolding - giving information, prompts, reminders, and allowing the students to gain ownership of their learning. This is particularly important for this unit, which is based on critical thinking, because my students would never follow me if I did not empower them.
Another important theory presented by Vygotsky is the "zone of proximal development," which is the level at which a student cannot solve problems or do things alone because he or she does not know how. At this point real learning occurs, and the teacher is needed to guide the student to the solution of the problem. It is only at this level that learning is directed by the teacher, who models appropriate strategies to meet a goal and guides the students in their use of strategies. It is also important to plan a consistent repetition of the task, making them aware of the specific strategies they are using so that they can achieve a degree of automaticity.
My unit also takes into account Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences. Gardner's theory states that there are separate abilities, but also it confirms that these abilities may not be so separate as is commonly thought and that there are connections between them. My students are a clear example of this idea. I have students with a specific musical talent who have logical-mathematical skills because they are able to handle long chains of reasoning. I have dancers who have interpersonal skills since they are able to respond appropriately to the moods, desires, and motivations of other students. I have many students in the AP and honors classes who have a clear intrapersonal intelligence but also have capacities to perceive the visual-spatial world or have a particular sensitivity for the meanings of words, sounds, and language in general. The concept of different intelligences, extremely important in teaching, should never be minimized. All individuals are different, and they have different and multiple intelligences because they can excel in one or more disciplines or areas.
My unit is based on the cultivation of all these capabilities. As an educator, I feel a responsibility to prepare my students for the community they live in and, in a broader sense, for our society. The multiple-intelligences theory allows me to approach my unit goals in a variety of ways. I can spend a significant amount of time on generating ideas or essential questions by asking students to use what they already know in their particular art in order to make them understand how to see details, how to infer what the image may refer to, and finally draw conclusion about what they see. Gardner's theory offers me the effective possibility to introduce the principle of differentiation because I will use music, drawing, dance, creative writing, and theater, while leading my students to understand how details are relevant in the analysis of a text. Due to these considerations, the unit begins with the students researching images of love as it is represented in their artistic disciplines.