Curriculum leaders have focused intently in recent years on outcomes. Education, they claim, must be directed by outcomes that are specific and measurable. While there is evidence such outcomes can contribute to learning in some settings, most educators counter there are other aspects of becoming educated that are equally or even more valuable, but that cannot be specified and measured. I maintain an educated person, one who has greater capacity to contribute to society, will be recognized by a range of characteristics including:
- Skills include the “things” that one can do. The range of skills that fall with the domain depends on the purpose of the school. Students in my Spreadsheet Applications course that I teach in the community college expect to develop the ability to write formulas that automate calculations. They may enter with some skill doing this, but our work helps them to extend and strengthen those skills.
- Knowledge includes those “things” one can recall and declare. Generally, we conclude an individual knows a fact when he or she can state it or can recognize or explain it.
- Habits describe the manner in which individuals approach problems or situations.
Skills, knowledge, and habit can all be labeled cognitive variables as changes in these affect individuals’ abilities to perceive, understand, analyze, and respond to situations.