Model
Support
Demonstrate
Illustrate
Standard
Sample
Guide
Example
Help
Explain
Place this file and Slide Show mode
and click your way through the points
at your own pace.
It will help you focus and learn.
How an example topic helps
Seeing how things work always helps us understand. So, we have an example topic requiring the
higher order thinking that you are expected to demonstrate it in your assignments
We use this topic to help you see how to:
1. Analyse your question/problem in a way that encourages higher order thinking right from the beginning
•
Once you are thinking ‘higher order’, you will be able to find the most appropriate kinds of
literature to meet the higher order requirements
•
You will be able to apply that literature to the tasks set in the assignment
2. Evaluate your proposed solution/answer to ensure that:
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It meets the higher order requirements set by the assignment
•
That you have clearly demonstrated your thinking to your marker, not just to yourself, ensuring that
you receive the grade you deserve. Of course, in professional practice, this would ensure that your
solution can be properly implemented.
Our example topic
How can Smart Growth Principles be used to help identify, prevent and/or resolve
transportation issues that influence the level of isolation experienced by individuals and
communities in Australia?
As you consider the topic, think about the concepts involved NOT the keywords in the
question – this may challenge your past practices and advice from elsewhere
Thinking concepts will help you set yourself up for higher order thinking
Thinking keywords will set you up for shallower thinking.
The Problem Solving Cycle … getting you on track
If you haven’t used the Problem Solving Cycle (introduced in ENG1101) for a while, now is a great time
to re-acquaint yourself with it – you won’t find a better tool to guide your literature searching and
application
A focus on Stages 1, 2 and 3 is critical as it helps you identify the important topics and start to think
about the possible links between them – setting some direction for your thinking journey.
Click to view the Cycle video
Moving along the higher order thinking track
Before we can begin to consider the application of Smart Growth Principles to help us analyse and
resolve particular issues or to apply them in particular geographic contexts, we need to gain a sound
understanding of the Smart Growth Principles.
We don’t want to read complex literature on the topic or debates about the Principles, we just
need to understand it for ourselves so we can do our own high order thinking and demonstrate
that thinking in the assignment work.
So, our time and effort goes into finding a discussion or two about the fundamentals that will set us
up for our higher order thinking about the isolation of individuals and communities and its
connection to transport issues and Smart Growth Principles – how they are connected and how
those connections can be manipulated for positive outcomes.
Can you see how this simple identification of the topic elements and their broad connections and
relationships put us on a track to think deeply? We are setting ourselves up to keep asking ourselves
questions – the WHY and HOW questions that drive deep and critical thinking.
Asking & answering the HOW & WHY questions
•
•
Smart Growth
Principles
•
Social isolation
↓
Why & how arises?
How to prevent &
overcome?
Australian context?
Identifying the HOW and WHY questions
Finding the answers to those questions
Analysis & synthesis to suggest
transportation-related changes for
resolution/alleviation/prevention
Drive the literature and information
that you look for and use
The Problem Solving Cycle again
Once you think that you have pulled together your analysis and offered a resolution to the problem,
it’s time to double check that you actually have solved your problem/answered your question
A check can often reveal that you haven’t resolved the entire problem or that there is a flaw in the
logic that you have used
This is a common problem as thinking deeply around a complex topic can lead the brightest
thinkers to focus on the trees at the expense of the forest.
This checking places us in
Stages 5 and 6
of the Problem Solving Cycle
Click to view the Cycle video
Checking the problem is resolved
How can Smart Growth Principles be used to help identify, prevent and/or resolve transportation
issues that influence the level of isolation experienced by individuals and communities in Australia?
•
•
Smart Growth
Principles
•
Social isolation
↓
Why & how arises?
How to prevent &
overcome?
Australian context?
Ask yourself questions like these when you review
your assignment work:
Is it clear that you understand the Smart Growth Principles?
Have you demonstrated an analytical understanding of how
social isolation arises, rather than simply described social
isolation?
Have you clearly demonstrated how the relevant Smart
Growth Principles can impact on social isolation?
Has your analysis of the transportation issues drawn on the
Smart Growth Principles?
Analysis & synthesis to suggest
transportation-related changes for
resolution/alleviation/prevention
As you drew on the international literature, have you taken
into account anything particular to the Australian context?
Do your integrated transport solutions clearly draw on your
social and transportation analyses or are the connections.
Other resources in this suite of online help
The Planning literature & your assignment tasks
Finding & using documents from professional organisations
& governments
Accessible from the
platform resource –
Finding & using books & videos
URP4001:
Finding and using
Finding & using journal articles & conference papers
the Planning literature
Help with in-text referencing
If you need more help, contact the Library – we’re here for you!!