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Date: Mon, 18 Nov 1996 13:49:17 -0400 (EDT)
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From: chenaults@cofc.edu (Stephanie Low Chenault)
Subject: Group 9 meeting
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Inquiry Group 9
Summary of 11/14/96 meeting

The group met to finalize our discussion of the General Education Goals and Objectives. After discussion, we concluded that our group preferred a combination of the current Goals and Objectives and the proposed versions.

This was our final, preferred list. Explanations and discussion follow the list.

1. To develop reading, writing, and oral communication skills.

2. To utilize methods of scholarly inquiry, based on critical thinking, scientific research, and problem solving.

3. To develop a commitment to intellectual curiosity and lifelong learning.

4. To understand and respect people from diverse backgrounds and cultures and to develop a global outlook.

5. To understand the importance of the political, social, ethical, economic, scientific, and health issues of their time.

Discussion of #2: The current version, with the addition of "based on critical thinking _" was preferred over the proposed 2 & 3. We feel that scholarly inquiry incorporates many methods, including the use of technology-based and traditional information retrieval systems. The inclusion of critical thinking with problem solving is important, since they are related but not exactly the same skills.

Discussion of #4 and #5: The group prefers this statement to the proposed 5 & 6. In addition, the group modified the current Goal to include ethical and health issues.

Discussion of the proposed #7: To enhance affective development. We assume that "affective development" refers to the affective domain of learning. According to Krathwol & Bloom "Taxonomy of education objectives. Handbook II: Affective domain." (1956), the affective domain is a taxonomy developed to organize levels of commitment. We feel that the proposed goal to "enhance affective development" is already included in 3-5 in our list (above).

Finally, the committee used an interesting technique in formulating this list. We cut printouts of the current and proposed Goals and Objectives into strips, so we could consider various combinations of them. In the next step, we cut out certain phrases and experimented with them in several locations. As a result, we ended up with two particular phrases that were cut from several Goals, both current and proposed. In deference to the original authors of both the current and proposed versions, we feel that these phrases must be important enough to become their own Goal, and so we propose the addition of:

6. To help students to become conscious. ;-> 

slc
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Stephanie Low Chenault                              I run with scissors.
The College of Charleston                         
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