Forum 6-Lesson 6

 

L6-Q1 Procedural Knowledge

 

Instructor:  Tom Anderson

 

Submitted by Kim Fitzer

 

In teaching Photography, much of the technical information my students must learn is presented as procedural knowledge, or knowing when and how to do something (Anderson).   In particular, the procedure I use for teaching students how to develop their film springs to mind.  It is a step intensive process, and each stage of the activity is dependent on the one before it.  We also discuss troubleshooting procedures, which can be difficult for students to understand.

 

When I begin the lesson, I present students with a flow chart, with each step graphically represented with a chemical bottle or faucet, so that they can begin to make visual associations with either chemical processing, or running water.  I include lines within to take notes, as well.  The production rules of the lesson specify what will happen as each step is accomplished, and what the specific conditions are for each step.  What is actually occurring is that new declarative knowledge is being formed (Bruning, Schraw, & Ronning, 1999).  This schemata helps students to chunk information regarding each chemical, such as its purpose, the agitation, quantity, temperature and whether the chemical is recycled or not.

 

I then demonstrate the process, by lecturing and going through each step.  Students are responsible for writing down each step and all of the notes associated with it.  This flow chart will serve as their guide later on, when they process for the first time on their own.  The first time we go through the steps, students struggle a bit to try to understand it all, and are uncertain how they will remember all of the steps.  This is the primitive stage of information processing (Anderson).  Once all of the steps have been completed, students are then encouraged to try the procedure on their own.  Because the first roll of film is a group effort, students are also encouraged to ask a group member to read aloud the steps, and to double-check their work.  Students must use their lecture notes to follow the process, and as they perform each step after reading aloud from the notes, an associative connection begins to form (Anderson). 

 

One the process has been completed students compare the outcome against the test example I have selected, to ascertain as to whether they processed correctly.  One problem that may arise is insufficient or improper fixing of the film.  Film that has not been fixed properly is brownish, muddy in appearance, instead of the clears and darks of properly developed film.  Students often have difficulty at this point knowing what to do if there appears to be a problem.  This IF-THEN bundle may require being actually experienced before students process this information.  It is simply too complex to fathom as they are learning the basic procedure.  Another situation arises if the film has been processed in fixer prior to developer.  The film will have no edge numbers and look totally clear.  This is similar to, but fundamentally different from the other problem of the film being improperly, or unexposed in the camera.  The film will have edge numbers, but have no images and be totally clear.  These three IF-THEN scenarios are confusing to the students because they all have very different causes, and only one is salvageable.  For the first few times, I ask students to check their film after fixing, so that we can determine whether it is time to move on to the next step or not.  I also look at their film and if there are issues, I ask them to describe what they see, and what could be the possible cause. 

 

Eventually, as students practice their development procedures, they eventually can stop relying on their flow charts or their coaches.  At this time, they reach the autonomous stage.  They are clearly still thinking about the process, but now feel more confident with less effort.  At this stage, they begin to concentrate on the troubleshooting issues that may arise.  If something does go awry, they are able to identify it and make a quick decision as to what to do next.  Because of the earlier training they received, they are now adept at selecting the correct IF-THEN bundle (Anderson).

 

References

 

Anderson, Thomas H.  Cognitive Psychology:  The interaction of memory structures and cognitive strategies.  Retrieved from the World Wide Web on December 2, 2001.

 

Bruning, Roger H., Schraw, Gregory J. and Ronning, Royce R.  1999.  Cognitive Psychology and Instruction:  Third Edition.  Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Prentice-Hall, Inc.  pps. 59-60, 66