AN INCOMPLETE LIST OF COGNITIVE SKILLS

• Rote memorization (e.g. name presidents of the U.S.)
• Gist (e.g. recall the plot of Jane Eyre)
• Procedures (e.g. draw a right triangle)

• Selective attention: filter out distractions, ignore irrelevant information
• Sustained attention: focus for long periods of time
• Divided attention: focus on more than one thing)

• Fine motor control
• Hand-eye coordination
• Gross motor control

• Plan
• Inhibit irrelevant or automatic responses
• Flexibility: change direction if not working; adopt multiple approaches
• Strategy use: ability to reflect on strategy and select appropriate strategy
• Automaticity: make skills automatic

• Listening skills: ability to take in and process auditory information
• Reading: recognition of sight words and decoding new words
• Comprehension: understanding what is read or said
• Formulation: ability to access and organize information to express it

• Reasoning about concrete items versus abstract ideas
• Creativity
• Analyzing/evaluating arguments
• Developing a logical argument
• Inductive reasoning: using specific examples/observations and forming a more general principal
• Deductive reasoning: use stated general premise to reason about specific examples
• Generate hypotheses: intuition, aesthetics, emotion
• Hypothesis testing: test ideas through experience or manipulation of variables
• Application: use knowledge in a new area
• Appreciation: recognition of value of something
• Responding to novelty: ability to react appropriately in a novel situation
• Self-reflection: ability to think about oneself in relation to the material

Added during discussion:

• communicating whatever has been processed

Cognitive Skills in Relation to Tasks:
Sample History Lessons on the 1960's

analyze and evaluate
memorize
listen
sight reading and writing
generate hypothesis (?), if ask provocative questions
selective and sustained attention
all language skills
self-reflection(?), if encouraged by lecture
might encourage comparison of present and past

Lesson 2:Add to above small-group discussion of the material and have students do reflective journal entries of their reactions to the material.
Skills required/developed:

general thinking skills
application
appreciation

Lesson 3:Add to above project where students compile an oral history of 60's and prepare a final report. Skills required/developed:

executive functions - planning, structuring
exposure to non-traditional info sources
evaluation/judgment

Some generalizations

broader tasks involve more skills
basic skills remain important
small changes in teaching can add significantly to cognitive skills being used/encouraged
risky, need to be prepared for tangents
some skills depend on output, won't develop if only work with input side

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