Preface
PART 1: PART 1: 0BJECTIVES
8.1 ANALYSIS OF THE NUTRITION VIGNETTE IN TERMS OF THE TAXONOMY TABLE BASED ON STATED OB.JECTIVES
THE COGNITIYE PROCESS DIMENSION THE
KNOWLEDGE 1. 2. 3. 4.
s.
DIMENSION REMl!MBER UNDERSTAND APPLY ANAL.YZE EVAL.UATE
A.
FAC:TUAL.
KN0WLEDGE
B,
C0NC:l!PTUAL.
KN0WL.EDGE
Objective 1 Objective 1 Objective 3
c.
PROC:EDURAL.
KN0WLEDGE
D.
META•
C:0GNITIVE KN0WLEDGE
Objective 2 Objective 2
Key
Objective 1 == Acquire knowledge of a classification scheme of "appeals."
Objective 2 == Check the influences commercials have on students' "senses."
Objective 3 = Evaluate commercials from the standpoint of a set of principles.
Objective 4
=
Create a commercial that reflects understandings of how commercials are designed to influence people.6.
CREATE
Objective 4
122 Section
m
The Taxonomy in UseCOMMENTARY
COMMENTARY
COMMENTARY
the chapter), 1 mentioned foods seen on television. 1 suggested that some commercials aim at the idea of economy (i.e., trying to convince people that buying the product will save money), while others focus on ease (e.g., trying to convince people that buying the product will save time and effort over al- ternatives). 1 then summarized by stating that these were examples of appeals
that commercials make to the television viewer/potential consumer.
Once again we look for clues in the teacher's description of her instruction ac- tivities (see bold type). The teacher is presenting a variety of Factual knowledge related to the first objective. In addition, the exercises in Attachment A focus on Factual knowledge (e.g., locate and circle the fat grams, locate and circle the calo- ries). The activity either (1) is preparatory to the first objective or (2) suggests that Factual knowledge is an important component of the first objective. We opt for the first choice because the teacher immediately begins to discuss each spe- cific food in terms of one (or more) category of appeals.
Six such appeals were presented. In addition to ease and economy, the others were health, fear, love/admiration, and comfort/pleasure. Over the next few days, students spent time with examples and nonexamples of each appeal and gave examples to illustrate their understanding.
At this point the teacher completes the shift to Conceptual knowledge. The clue to this shift is the u.se of examples and nonexamples (a recognized approach to teaching Conceptual knowledge). Apparently Ms. Nagengast intends her students to acquire a classification system that includes six types of appeals. These activi- ties, in addition to her use of the word "understanding," clarify the meaning of the first objective. The emphasis is on understanding conceptual knowledge.
To assess how weil students had acquired the concepts in this scheme, 1 asked them to describe a commercial and then to attribute to the commercial writers the appeal they were making to the audience. Alternatively, 1 gave students an appeal as a prompt and asked them to develop a claim for a given product
that would match that appeal.
These tasks also contribute to our understanding of the first objecti.ve. The first task is a form of classifying (placing specific commercials into the proper ap- peals category). The alternative task is a form of exemplifying (giving an exam- ple of a commercial for a specific type of appeal). Although both of these cog- nitive processes fall into the same category Understand (see inside the back cover), they are not identical.
COMMENTARY
COMMENTARY
Chapter 8 Nutrition Vignette 123
One phrase used by the teacher requires additional consideration: "at- tribute to the commercial writers." This phrase suggests that students are not to classify the commercials based on the appeal-effect the commercial has on them; rather, they are to classify commercials on the basis of the appeal in- tended by the developer of the commercial. As we show in Table 5.1, attribut- ing is a cognitive process associated with the category Analyze, which is a more complex category than Understand.
Some students were imaginative and fluent in matching commercials with appeals. Others had difficulty, and often the appeal they identified as the target of the ad writer was, at least from my point of view, decidedly off target.
1s there an explanation for this "learning problem"? Ms. Nagengast is dis- cussing the instructional activities related to the first objective. But students may have the second objective in their minds as weil, which would make them aware of the effect of the appeals on themselves. Consistent with her first ob- jective, Ms. Nagengast is asking about the intended appeal of the writer. The students, however, realizirtg that the unit is also about the second objective, may miss this distinction. Therefore, those operating from an analytic (attribu- tional) framework will more likely produce "proper" classifications. In con- trast, students who respond in terms of their own understanding (its effect on them) can be expected to produce fewer correct classifications.
From these exercises, 1 was able to determine which students had and had not mastered the concept of appeal as it applied to nutritional commercials. To be successful, students not only had to recall the names of all six appeals but also had to understand the concept of appeals well enough to classify commercials appropriately.
- - - ~ - - - -
Ms. Nagengast is making an important distinction here. Students may be able to remember the name of the dass to which the appeal was assigned (Factual knowledge), but they may not be able to classify examples of appeals correctly (Conceptual knowledge). Ms. Nagengast is concerned with both types of knowl- edge. Thus, the activities related to Objective 1 focus on both Remember and Un- derstand and on both Factual and Conceptual knowledge (see Table 8.2).
My second objective was for students to examine the impact that commercials have on their own decisions. Students were asked to respond to the impact that various "hooks" had on their own thinking. A first step was to get students to examine the phrases they associated with various products (see Attachment
B) and then to reflect on the impact those commercials had on their feelings.