Bob Grammens & Carol Weagel's ProjectMaker Work Page

Then and Now

a ProjectMaker Work Page
created for Bob Grammens & Carol Weagel
email: Carol.Weagel@moa.net

Introduction | The Challenge | Learning Strategies | Technology-Infusion | Resources

Introduction

We want students to experience and compare other cultures with their own and search for information about these cultures in non-traditional resources. We also want them to share their findings with others.

Because of examples like this,I really want to work on achieving the following goals:

We want our students to gather information, write coherently, and compare and analyze data. We also want them to be comfortable using the Internet for research and communication.

The Challenge

One possible challenge students could tackle is:

We want students to be aware of their past. We want students to realize that people have the same basic needs all over the world and that they are met in a variety of ways.

Learning Strategies : DIMENSIONS of THINKING

The following are some useful tips/reminders excerpted from Robert J. Marzano's A Different Kind of Classroom.

Dimension 1: Positive Attitudes and Perceptions about Learning

What will be done to help students develop positive attitudes and perceptions about learning?

What will be done to help students feel accepted by the teacher & peers?
What will be done to help the student perceive the class as a comfortable & orderly place?

What will be done to help students develop positive attitudes about classroom tasks?

What will be done to help students perceive class tasks as valuable?
What will be done to help students believe they can perform the tasks?
What will be done to help students understand & be clear about class tasks?

Dimension 3: Extending and Refining Knowledge

What information will be extended or refined?
What activities will be used to help students extend and refine their knowledge? A) Comparison
- How are these things alike? What particular characteristics are similar?
- How are they different? What particular characteristics are different?
B) Classification
- Into what groups could you organize these things?
- What are the rules for membership in each group?
- What are the defining characteristics of each group?
C) Induction
- Based on the following facts (or observations), what can you conclude?
- How likely is it that will occur?
D) Deduction
- Based on the following generalization (or rule or principle), what predictions can you make or what conclusions can you draw that must be true?
- If ________, then what can you conclude must happen?
- What are the conditions that make this conclusion inevitable?
E) Error Analysis
- What are the errors in reasoning in this information?
- How is the information misleading?
- How could it be corrected or improved?
F) Constructing Support
- What is the argument that would support the following claim?
- What are some of the limitations or assumptions underlying this argument?
G) Abstracting
- What is the general pattern underlying this information?
- To what other situations does the pattern apply?
H) Analyzing Perspectives
- Why would someone consider this to be good (or bad or neutral)?
- What is the reasoning behind their perspective?
- What is an alternative perspective and what is the reasoning behind it?

Dimension 4: Using Knowledge Meaningfully

What are the big issues?
A) Decision Making
- Is there an unresolved issue about who or what is the best?
- Is there an unresolved issue about who or what has the most or least?
B) Investigation
- Is there an unresolved issue about the defining characteristics or defining features of something? (Definitional)
- Is there an unresolved issue about how or why something occurred? (Historical)
- Is there an unresolved issue about what would happen ifÉ or what would have happened if...? (Projective)
C) Experimental Inquiry
- Is there an unexplained phenomenon (physical or psychological) for which students could generate explanations that can be tested?
D) Problem Solving
- Is there a situation or process that has some major constraint or limiting condition?
- Is there a situation that could be better understood if constraints or limiting conditions were placed on it?
E) Invention
- Is there a situation that can or should be improved on?
- Is there something that should be created?
How many issues will be considered?
Who will structure the tasks?
What type of products will the students create?
To what extent will the students work in cooperative groups?

Technology Infusion

One effective way to infuse technology is to have students take on specific technology tasks as members of a collaborative team. Based upon the technologies you have available, here are some ideas:

Student Jobs You Could Use to Infuse Technology

Technology	Collaborative Jobs
Internet	webmaster surfer/researcher graphics converter
Email	listserv reader correspondent editor
Newsgroups	news reader correspondent librarian/catalog maintainer
Text Editors	creative writers expository writers editors proofreaders HTML programmers
Multimedia	programmer writer illustrator audio CD mixmaster laser disc clip selector
Graphics / Scanning	freehand artist photographer/scanner graphic artist
Desktop Publishing	layout person editor fill artist
Video Cameras	storyboarder cinematographer producer

Resources

Before looking at content area resources, it's important to keep in mind the local human resources available like:

Staff with different backgrounds, Parents, Senior Citizens, and Elected Officials

One benefit of Internet/email access is that it's easy to get in touch with others who share your similar interests through newsgroups. Look at the general list of all groups or zoom in on a topic like Recreation.

The World Wide Web is also a great resource for information in content areas. Below is a listing by discipline based upon the curricular areas you see integrating on your project.

Last updated on Wednesday, January 10, 1996.

Bob Grammens & Carol Weagel / Carol.Weagel@moa.net / Masonic Heights School /

Tom March created ProjectMaker (with timely scripting help from Jodi Reed) by adapting Prof. Bernie Dodge's HomeMaker HyperCard stack

Introduction

The Challenge

Technology Infusion

Student Jobs You Could Use to Infuse Technology

Resources

Language Arts

Sciences

Social Sciences

The Arts

Some General Resources