Dive into the advanced learning process
- Higher order thinking is nonalgorithmic. That is, the path of action is not fully specified in advance.
- Higher order thinking tends to be complex. The total path is not “visible” (mentally speaking) from any single vantage point.
- Higher order thinking often yields multiple solutions, each with costs and benefits, rather than unique solutions.
- Higher order thinking involves nuanced judgment and interpretation.
- Higher order thinking involves the application of multiple criteria, which sometimes conflict with one another.
- Higher order thinking often involves uncertainty. Not everything that bears on the task at hand is known.
- Higher order thinking involves self-regulation of the thinking process. We do not recognize higher order thinking in an individual when someone else “calls the plays” at every step.
- Higher order thinking involves imposing meaning, finding structure in apparent disorder.
- Higher order thinking is effortful. There is considerable mental work involved in the kinds of elaborations and judgments required.
(Resnick, L. (1987), Education and Learning to Think, Washington D.C.: National Academy Press.)
Resnick, L. (1987)
Navigation is by nature a highly aggregated cognitive task, making it very
difficult to break down and measure
Jason L. Stine
From the above description, it is clear that land navigation is not simply a cognitive activity, but a clear example of HOT. The challenges facing developing a system of learning land navigation are:
- Breakdown into elements.
- Developing the capability of HOT.
- Control over the learning process
It its foundation, Topo-GO copes with these three challenges. The three exercises presented in the movie are only samples of dozens of exercises that were built on the principle of breakdown into elements, where in every exercise a new capability is built based on capabilities reached in previous exercises (while ensuring that the capability was reached in prior exercises before continuing to the next exercise). Following is an expanded explanation of each of the sample exercises presented in the video.
Ridges
Understand the feature of directionality as a linear basic feature and use it in terrain association
identify nuances, interpret and judge them.
Required Prior Knowledge: Identify basic features in terrain, identify the basic feature in a collection of abstract symbols (= contour lines) on a map.
Basic features are presented on a map and terrain in relatively amorphic form that makes it difficult to simplify into a linear feature.
Presentation on terrain and map of a number of similar ridges/valleys with different directions, in order to force the soldier to use the characteristic of direction of the linear basic feature.
the system tracks the work methods of the soldier and attempts to identify guesses, cognitive and other errors (for example: confusion in cardinal directions) and more, offers help to the soldier in correctly coping with the task. The help may include a grade on the mistaken correlations or their number, but will not provide the solution, and forces the soldier to continue to cope by himself until successfully completing the task. The system continues to provide the soldier with additional challenges of the same type and level of difficulty until reaching a statistically clear successful completion of the task. The system will not allow the soldier to advance to the next task until he successfully completes the current task.
In the initial phases, the system presents linear features of the same type (ridge or valley), in advanced phases the system mixes them up, and thus forces the soldier to rapidly differentiate between them on the map.
Segmentation
Provide the capability to divide a long axis into a number of short and certain segments.
Find a number of solutions to a known problem and the ability to weigh their advantages and disadvantages.
Required Prior Knowledge: Ability to move along linear basic features.
Noticing the small details in the map and terrain that indicate changes that can be identified in the linear basic feature that the movement is executed along.
The soldier is given a task of moving along linear basic features between two close points on a map. In the planning phase the soldier is required to choose a necessary point between the start and finish points. During the movement phase the soldier is required to move through the necessary point that he defined and do identify it with extreme precision. The task forces the soldier to find on the map changes in the linear basic feature that he moves along (changes in direction, steepness, intersection with another basic feature, terminus of the basic feature, etc.) and to identify them in the terrain.
The soldier is tested on the precision of identifying the point of necessary passage in the movement phase. If the precision is low, this indicates that the point chosen was not “strong” enough for the current land navigation skill level of the soldier, and he must choose a clearer point. The system continues to provide the soldier with additional challenges of the same type and level of difficulty until reaching a statistically clear successful completion of the task. The system will not allow the soldier to advance to the next task until he successfully completes the current task.
The system will allow the solder to choose clear passage points (like hills or saddles) in the early phases and later will force him to find more complex points.
Paratroop Navigation
To provide the capability of static orientation between the terrain and the map. (= determining the location on the map based on the location in terrain).
Activity in conditions of uncertainty.
Required Prior Knowledge: Ability to statically orient from the map to terrain.
The map is more abstract and difficult to understand in the map/terrain pair. When our current location on the map is known, we can be satisfied with choosing prominent terrain features in the map and scanning the relevant sector in the terrain to locate them. However, when our current location on the map is unknown, while we can be satisfied with choosing prominent features in the terrain, we can not avoid scanning all of the map to locate them, and thus we are forced to completely understand all of the map.
The soldier finds himself in terrain, with the ability to observe in every direction but without the ability to leave the point where he is. The soldier is presented with a map without his exact location marked, but with general area of possible location marked. The soldier has to draw a map of the terrain around him, to attempt to match his drawn map to the marked area in the map, until fining his exact location on the map.
The soldier is tested on marking his precise location on the map. The system will examine the level of accuracy of the drawn map and suggest to the solder where there is a need for corrections/additions if necessary. The system will identify areas on the map where there was no attempt at matching and suggest to the soldier to check them. The system will identify situations of false negative and suggest to the soldier to recheck them. The system continues to provide the soldier with additional challenges of the same type and level of difficulty until reaching a statistically clear successful completion of the task. The system will not allow the soldier to advance to the next task until he successfully completes the current task.
The system will position the soldier on simple points (hills, saddles, etc.) and in a small area on the map in the early phases, afterwards will position him on more complex points (fork in draws) and in larger areas on the map.