The Basic Skills/Abilities Being
Emphasized in Social studies and History 20

Social studies and history 20 concentrate on teaching the skills, of dialectical thinking, problem solving, decision making and conflict resolution. On the following pages there is a more detailed breakdown of the sub-skills inherent in these general skills.

Assessment of Skills/Abilities

Teachers can use the skills breakdown lists as checklists to assess student progress. Each ability described on the following pages has a list of key skills which students must understand before they can demonstrate the ability. The accompanying questions can be used to assess student performance in the skills. By using the key skills, teachers will be able to assemble data that can be used to monitor student progress. Checklists and rating scales are particularly suited to recording student information in this area.

Assessment of Dialectical Thinking

Key Skills in Dialectical Thinking The student will be able to:	Questions to Appraise Dialectical Thinking
make an initial value claim expressing what is good, right, or worthwhile concerning an issue;	Has the author expressed a moral and ethical position on which there is an honest division of opinion?
provide supporting arguments for taking that particular position on the issue;	Has the author provided reasons developed into one or more lines of support for the position taken? Do the reasons justify the position taken?
set out a value claim opposing that of the first value claim;	Has the author expressed a moral and ethical position (counter-argument) which opposes the first position taken? Is the counter-argument valid and relevant to the issue being discussed? Has the counter-argument been argued convincingly and with passion?
provide supporting arguments for the opposing value claim;	Does the author provide all and the best reasons to support the counter-argument? Are the reasons strong enough to adequately support the counter-argument?
create a dialectic by: acknowledging the existence of opposing value claims, pointing to some aspect of the opposing value claim which is worth considering, or pitting the first set of supporting arguments against the second set; and,	Does the author create a dialectic by showing clearly that: the facts in the supporting arguments are true and relevant and provide support for each position; and, the generalizations and inferences drawn are logical and supported by evidence?
come to a dialectical conclusion in which: one value claim is deemed to be the most correct, another value claim is discovered to be better than either initial value claim, or both value claims are refined into a new synthesis.	Does the author test the value claims with the following and other intellectual tests: How well do the value claims apply to a different case; Could the value claims survive a role exchange test; and Are the consequences of accepting these value claims acceptable morally and ethically?

Dialectical Thinking

Assessment of Decision Making

Key Skills in Decision Making The student will be able to:	Questions to Appraise Decision Making
determine whether the situation requires a decision;	Has all the relevant information been gathered? Have the goals been clearly identified and defined? Is there a problem that requires a decision?
determine the various options available for handling the situation;	Has a range of options been generated and listed? Have the constraints been considered and listed? Have the assumptions been considered and listed?
define the goals for the situation which can be used as criteria to determine whether the decision made is achieving the desired results;	Have the assumptions been evaluated and priorized? Have the goals been defined and priorized? Has a set of criteria been developed for evaluation based on the assumptions and goals listed above?
make a decision;	Has a decision been made about the most appropriate option to follow considering: the constraints that have to be accepted; the assumptions and goals that have been accepted; and, the combination of options that best satisfies the constraints and assumptions?
develop a plan to carry it out; and,	Does the plan: define the steps that need to taken; outline the order in which each step will occur; determine the resources needed to carry out each step; and, define and assign responsibility for each step?
monitor the plan using the established criteria to determine whether the results meet the goals of the decision.	Can the plan be implemented as planned? Did the plan achieve the results as defined by the criteria established by the goals?

Decision Making

Assessment of Problem Solving

Key Skills in Problem Solving The student should be able to:	Questions to Appraise Problem Solving
define a problem;	Has enough information been gathered so that the situation is clearly understood? Have goals for the situation been determined? Out of all the alternative problems possible, has a specific problem been understood and defined?
generate solutions to the problem;	Have a number of ideas for solving the problem been generated? Have the ideas been refined into alternative solutions to the problem?
define goals and establish criteria to evaluate the available alternatives;	Have evaluation criteria based on the goals been selected? Have the various alternative solutions been evaluated using these criteria? Have the different alternatives been modified and combined to find ways which best meet the criteria ?
decide upon a course of action;	Has a trial alternative been selected to serve as the basis of a plan which will solve the problem? Have all the steps in the plan been defined and sequenced? Have all the needed resources been identified? Have the responsibilities been defined and assigned?
decide on a plan to determine whether the plan of action is successful; and,	Have criteria been selected for evaluating the plan? Has a timetable for evaluation been established?
decide whether the results of the action plan meet the criteria established to solve the problem.	Have the outcomes been compared with the objectives? Has there been a search for any new problems created by the plan? Has there been a determination of whether further action is necessary?

Problem Solving

Assessment of Conflict Resolution

Key Skills in Conflict Resolution The student will be able to:	Questions to Appraise the Conflict Resolution Process
confront the opposition to discover whether something can be done about the conflict;	Have both sides been able to express their feeling and perceptions about the conflict? Have the sides described each other's behaviour without being insulting? Does everyone involved in the confrontation want to work at and take responsibility for solving the conflict?
define with the opposition what the conflict is about so that misunderstandings are not taken into the conflict resolution process;	Has the conflict been clarified so that everyone clearly understands it? Have both sides examined carefully what in their behaviour led to the conflict? Do both sides know what they really want and what they can give up to reach an agreement ?
before and during the conflict resolution process, communicate her/his intention to cooperate with the conflict resolution process;	Are both sides prepared to discuss the conflict honestly and openly? Have both sides argued the other side's viewpoint as if it were their own? Have both sides looked at where there might be agreement and where there is disagreement?
look at the other person's perspective accurately and fully during the conflict resolution process;	Have both sides listened carefully enough to the other side's position so they clearly understand it? Have both sides argued the other side's viewpoint as if it were their own? Have both sides looked at where there might be agreement and where there is disagreement?
communicate clearly and honestly any changes of positions and feelings during the conflict resolution process; and,	Are both sides sending signals they want this process to work successfully? Have both sides carefully considered what is being gained and lost by continuing this conflict? Are both sides expressing their discomfort with behaviours and decisions as they arise?
work to negotiate an agreement that achieves a balance between the goals of both sides.	Does the agreement clearly specify for both sides: what has been agreed; how people will behave differently; and, how things will be corrected in the future if one side or the other breaks the deal?