Passionbased Inquiry

Are you Ready for Learning and Leading in the 21st

Century?

It isn’t just “coming”… it has arrived! And schools who aren’t redefining themselves, risk becoming irrelevant in preparing students for the future.

Shifts focus of literacy from individual expression to community involvement.

Share

Cooperate

Collaborate

Collective Action

According to Clay Shirky, there are four stages to mastering the connected world: sharing, cooperating, collaborating, and collective action.

Trend 1 – Social and intellectual capital are the new economic values in the world economy.

This new economy will be held together and advanced through the building of relationships. Unleashing and connecting the collective knowledge, ideas, and experiences of people creates and heightens value.

Source:Journal of School Improvement, Volume 3, Issue 1, Spring 2002http://www.decs.sa.gov.au/wallaradistrict/files/links/Ten_Trends_Educating_Child.pdf

Shifting From Shifting To

A teaching focus A learning focus

Teaching as a private event

Teaching as a collaborative practice

School improvement as an option

School improvement as a requirement

Mandated accountability

Mutual accountability

“Schools are a node on the network of learning.”

FORMAL INFORMAL

You go where the bus goes You go where you choose

Jay Cross – Internet Time

http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/google_whitepaper.pdf

MULTI-CHANNEL APPROACHSYNCHRONOUS

ASYNCHRONOUS

PEER TO PEER WEBCAST

Instant messenger

forumsf2f

blogsphotoblogs

vlogs

wikis

folksonomies

Conference rooms

email Mailing lists

CMS

Community platformsVoIP

webcam

podcasts

PLE

Worldbridges

Change is inevitable: Growth is Optional

Change produces tension- out of our comfort zone.

“Creative tension- the force that comes into play at the moment we acknowledge our vision is at odds with the current reality.” Senge

Real Question is this:Are we willing to change- to risk change- to meet the needs of the precious folks we serve?

Can you accept that Change (with a “big” C) is sometimes a messy process and that learning new things together is going to require some tolerance for ambiguity.

Project-Based Learning

Rigor without sacrificing excitement !

Credit: Some slides from George Lucas Foundation

“The biggest obstacle

to school change

is our memories.”

-- Dr. Allen Glenn

Obstacles

Project-Based Learning (PBL)

What is Project-Based Learning?

• PBL is curriculum fueled and standards based.

• PBL asks a question or poses a problem that ALL students can answer. Concrete, hands-on experiences come together during project-based learning.

• PBL allows students to investigate issues and topics in real-world problems.

• PBL fosters abstract, intellectual tasks to explore complex issues.

How Does Project-Based Learning Work?

Select and research topic:• Make sure the topic is of personal interest to you and the students and that it is based on

their needs and developmental levels. Consult the state and local curriculum guides, teacher’s editions of textbooks, trade books on the topic, and other expert learners. Involve the children in planning.

Identify concepts/brainstorm topic:• Identify key concepts or subtopics related to the theme of the project. A semantic map is an

excellent way to visualize and brainstorm content related to a theme. Use K-W-L with the children for their input about what they want to know. Get ownership through their questions.

Locate materials and resources:• Locate diverse materials and resources related to the topic, i.e., children’s literature, films,

manipulatives, music, arts/crafts, resources, and people from your Web community. Utilize diverse global perspectives.

Plan learning experiences:• Develop a variety of learning experiences related to the topic. Include hands-on activities

using concrete objects. Plan for small and large group activities, learning centers/stations, independent research, exploration, problem-solving, using both divergent/convergent learning activities.

Use Internet resources and models when gathering materials and planning learning experiences

– Online Correspondence and Exchanges: Involves setting up / modeling connections between your students, their online peers, and subject matter experts (SMEs) like scientists and engineers working in the field. Also includes the formation of learning communities and/or networks.

– Information Gathering: These projects challenge students to use the Internet to collect, analyze, compare, and reflect upon different sources of authentic information through a social learning perspective.

– Problem-Solving and Competitions: Online competitions are projects through which students must use the Internet and other sources to solve problems while competing with other classrooms. Student created learning products are an outcome.

– Online Conferencing: Students use asynchronous and synchronous learning environments or audio or video conferencing software to collaborate and complete various project objectives

– Collective Action: Students collaboratively create a project that leaves the world a better place.

Guidelines to PBL ContinuedIntegrate content areas:• Use a webbing approach to organize concepts and activities into content areas:

the arts, sciences, social studies, mathematics, literature, and technology. The goal is seamless integration of all content area learning within the planned activities.

Organize the learning environment: • Consider space, time, materials, learning experiences, teacher/learner roles,

methods of assessment and evaluation.Initiate integrated/interdisciplinary study:• Arouse students’ curiosity and interest with stimulating introduction. Consider

visual display of theme as well as introductory activities. Culminating activity:• Bring closure to the theme by concluding with an event. Incorporate parent

involvement, collaboration with other classes both in the school and the blogosphere, and allow students to use technology to enhance learning and celebrate success!

Assessment and authentic evaluation:• Use assessment and evaluation which may include the following:

“kidwatching,” observations, anecdotal records, checklists, conferences, informal interviews, rubrics and digital portfolios.

Question

• Take a real-world topic and begin an in-depth investigation

• Start with the Essential question(s).

• Have students do a concept map with you around the topic. (You have already created one during your planning)

• KWL

• Questions from group to research

Plan

• Plan which content standards will be addressed while answering the question. (I start with my concept map, then I break into a topic map, then I match standards)

• Involve students in the questioning, planning, and project-building process. (I decide which areas I will teach and then I put them in cooperative learning groups of mixed ability and let them choice their area to become experts)

• Teacher and students brainstorm activities that support the inquiry.(I use a tic tac toe activity chart. Groups will choose three to do.)

Schedule• Teacher and students design a timeline for project

components.• Set benchmarks--Keep it simple and age-appropriate.• Learning contracts help with individual passions.• Learning stations help support exploration and

discovery• Schedule individual and group meetings with you.• Schedule initiating and culminating events well in

advanced.

Monitor

• Facilitate the process.

• Mentor the process.

• Utilize rubrics and peer assessment/relfections.

Assess

• Make the assessment authentic.

• Know authentic assessment will require more time and effort from the teacher.

• Vary the type of assessment used.

• Electronic portfolios work well (video, podcasts, and digital pics of work)

Evaluate

• Take time to reflect, individually and as a group.

• Share feelings and experiences.

• Discuss what worked well.

• Discuss what needs change.

• Share ideas that will lead to new inquiries, thus new projects.

Questions?

Think BIG!

The Question is the Answer

!

What is the

Question or

Theme?

Photo Credit: George Lucas Foundation