21C Learning Design by Michael Papadimitriou

TCDSB21C: Learning Design

the neXt lesson

TCDSB21C Learning Design:

the neXt lesson Table of Contents Introduction

Collaboration

2-7

Knowledge Construction

8-13

Real-World Problem Solving and Innovation

14-19

Use of ICT for Learning

20-26

Self-Regulation

27-31

Skilled Communication

32-38

Appendix 21C Learning Activities (Examples)

TCDSB 21st Century Learning Design

Introduction Educators globally are working to design new models of learning that better prepare learners for life and work in the 21st Century. The purpose of the 21st Century Learning Design framework is to help educators identify and understand the opportunities that learning activities give students to build 21st century skills. A learning activity is any task that students do as part of their school-related work. It can be an exercise that students complete in one class period, or an extended project that takes place both in and outside of school. This guide describes six rubrics of 21st century learning, each of which represents an important skill for students for develop: 

collaboration



knowledge construction



self-regulation



real-world problem-solving and innovation



the use of ICT for learning



skilled communication

In this guide, the description of each rubric has three parts: 

an overview of definitions of key concepts and related examples;



a rubric to help you determine how strongly a learning activity offers opportunities to develop a given skill;



and a flowchart that shows how to determine where the learning activity is on the neXt continuum.

The TCDSB rubrics were adapted from the rubrics developed and tested internationally for the Innovative Teaching and Learning Research project. ITL research is sponsored by

www.itlresearch.com Original rubrics designed by

www.pil-network.com

Collaboration Are students required to share responsibility and make substantive decisions with other people? Is their work interdependent?

Overview In traditional schooling in most countries, students do their own work and receive their own grades. This model does not prepare them well for the workplace, where they are likely to work on teams with others to accomplish tasks that are too complex for individuals to do on their own. In today‟s interconnected world of business, real project work often requires collaboration across companies (e.g., a collaboration between a pharmaceutical company and a chemical engineering company to produce a new vaccine) or with people in a different part of the world. This type of working requires strong collaboration skills to work productively on a team and to integrate individual expertise and ideas into a coherent solution. This rubric examines whether students are working with others on the learning activity, and the quality of that collaboration. At higher levels of the rubric students have shared responsibility for their work, and the learning activity is designed in a way that requires students to make substantive decisions together. These features help students learn the important collaboration skills of negotiation, conflict resolution, agreement on what must be done, distribution of tasks, listening to the ideas of others, and integration of ideas into a coherent whole. The strongest learning activities are designed so that student work is interdependent, requiring all students to contribute in order for the team to succeed.

Big Ideas Students work together when the activity requires them to work in pairs or groups to:  discuss an issue  solve a problem  create a product Students work in pairs or groups might also include people from outside the classroom, such as students in other classes or schools, or community members or experts. Students can work together face to face or by using technology to share ideas or resources. 2

IS THIS WORKING TOGETHER? YES:

NO:

Pairs of students give each other feedback.

Students do their work alone.

A small group discusses an issue together.

A whole class discusses an issue.

A student uses Microsoft Lync or Skype to interview a student in another town via the Internet. Students use OneNote to share their story drafts and give each other feedback.

Each student creates his/her own story and sends it to the educator for feedback.

Students have shared responsibility when they work in pairs or groups to develop a common product, design, or response. Shared responsibility is more than simply helping each other: students must collectively own the work and be mutually responsible for its outcome. If the group work involves students or adults from outside the classroom, this qualifies as shared responsibility ONLY if the students and the outside participants are mutually responsible for the outcome of the work.

IS THIS SHARED RESPONSIBILITY? YES:

NO:

Students conduct a lab experiment together. Students have joint responsibility for carrying out the lab experiment.

Students give each other feedback. This activity structure implies that one student “owns” the work, and the other is only helping.

A student works with a peer in another country to develop a joint website using Microsoft Office 365. The students share responsibility for the development of the website.

A student interviews a peer in another country about the local weather. This is a task that students conduct together, but they do not have mutual responsibility for its outcome.

Students make substantive decisions together when they must resolve important issues that will guide their work together. Substantive decisions are decisions that shape the content, process, OR product of students‟ work:



Content: Students must use their knowledge of an issue to make a decision that affects the academic content of their work together, such as taking a stance on a topic they will then write about, or deciding on the hypothesis they will test.



Process: Students must plan what they will do, when to do it, what tools they will use, or the roles and responsibilities of people on the team.



Product: Students must make fundamental design decisions that affect the nature and usability of their product.

IS THIS A SUBSTANTIVE DECISION? YES:

NO:

Students in teams are preparing for a debate and must decide what side of the issue they will argue for. This is a content decision that will shape their work together, and students must negotiate their ideas.

Students work together to identify capital cities of particular countries in Europe. This decision does not affect the rest of their work.

Pairs of students are developing a presentation about climate change and must decide what causes to write about. Students must decide together what the most important causes are; this decision will shape their presentation.

Pairs of students choose which animal they will study. Students will probably make this decision based only on personal preference, not on their knowledge of the subject.

Student teams are conducting a research project and must decide on their own workplan and roles on the team. Students must plan the process of their work.

Student teams assign roles to team members based on the list of roles the educator has defined. The educator has planned the process of their work, not the students.

Pairs of students decide how to shape their presentation to a particular audience. This is a fundamental design decision that will affect the nature of their overall product.

Pairs of students select a colour scheme for their presentation. Decisions about surface features are not considered substantive decisions that fundamentally affect product design.

Students‟ work is interdependent when all students must participate in order for the team to succeed. Too often, a group of students may share responsibility for an outcome, but in practice the work is not divided fairly: one or two students may do all the work for the team. The strongest learning activities on this rubric are structured to require the participation of all students.

To meet this criterion, students must be required to produce an interdependent product (such as a presentation that they each must share in developing and presenting) or other interdependent outcome (such as a decision that requires information that is distributed across students). Most interdependent work involves two levels of accountability:  Individual accountability: each individual on the team is responsible for a task that he or she must complete in order for the group to do its work. The role of each student on the team is essential.  Group accountability: the students must work together to produce the final product or outcome. Students must negotiate and agree on the process, design, and conclusions of their work. It is important that the work is structured in a way that requires students to plan together and take the work of all team members into account so that their product or outcome is complete and fits together. For example, if each student is responsible for a page of a presentation, and in the final presentation the pages are simply assembled together, this is NOT considered interdependent. The final presentation IS considered interdependent if the students‟ contributions must work together to tell a story or communicate an overarching idea; in this case, students‟ individual pages must be designed as parts of a coherent whole. IS STUDENTS’ WORK INTERDEPENDENT? YES:

NO:

Group members each research a different internal system (e.g. circulation, digestion, etc.) of frogs. Students then work together to dissect a frog and write a lab report about the dissection, identifying frog parts and the systems to which they belong. Students rely on each other's work in order to successfully identify what they see during the dissection.

Group members work together to research frogs, but each student conducts their own dissection and writes their own lab report. Students work together on the research component, but the products do not require input or participation from others.

Students each use their own networked device to contribute coordinate points that must collectively create the shape of a star. Each student‟s contribution is necessary so the group can create the completed shape.

One student uses a device to plot coordinate points and create a star shape, with input from group members. Only one student is plotting coordinates; the others may contribute, but they could also disengage without preventing the group from completing the product.

Students create a tourist website presenting the history, culture, attractions, and accommodations of their

Students each create a webpage about the history, culture, attractions, or accommodations of

local area. Each individual might create a different piece of the overall website, but students need to work together to determine how to organize the information to create the best possible website.

their local area that will be linked to the class homepage. Students do not have to strategize together in any particular way.

Students use Mouse Mischief to create a diagram showing the food chain in a vernal pond ecosystem. Each student controls a particular species and students must work together to place each species in its appropriate niche in the food chain. Students must work with each other to complete a comprehensive and accurate representation of the food chain.

Students use Mouse Mischief to identify which species in the vernal pond ecosystem are carnivores, herbivores, or omnivores, by placing each species in the appropriate list. Any student can use their mouse to move any species to any list; students do not need to work together in any specific way.

TCDSB21C: Learning Design The neXt lesson

Collaboration Collaborative Contributor

Entry

Students are NOT required to work together in pairs or groups.

Adoption

Students DO work together, BUT they DO NOT have shared responsibility.

Adaptation

Students DO have shared responsibility, BUT they ARE NOT required to make substantive decisions together requiring them to think critically about the meaning and purpose of work.

Infusion

Students DO have shared responsibility, AND they DO think critically about the meaning and purpose of work, BUT their work is not interdependent.

Transformation

Students DO have shared responsibility. AND they DO think critically about the meaning and purpose of work, AND they truly work together as interdependent team members.

TCDSB21C Learning Design

The neXt lesson Collaboration Collaborative Contributor

Are students required to work in pairs or groups?

Entry NO YES

Do the students have shared responsibility?

Adoption NO YES

Do students make substantive decisions requiring them to think critically about the meaning and purpose of work?

Adaptation NO YES

Is the students’ work interdependent?

Infusion NO YES

Transformation

TCDSB’s Project NEXT’s Spectrum of adoption inspired by the Technology Integration Matrix Produced by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology, College of Education, University of South Florida © 20112013. http://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/matrix.php

Knowledge Construction Are students required to construct and apply knowledge? Is that knowledge interdisciplinary?

Overview Many school activities require students to learn and reproduce information they are given. Certainly it is essential for students to master the important content of a domain. But memorization alone does not give students the critical thinking and reasoning skills that they will need for success in higher academics and in knowledge-based organizations. With information so readily available through the Internet and other sources, employees must be able to integrate and evaluate information in order to use it productively in their work. Increasingly, most living-wage jobs also demand higher levels of expertise than in the past, and the ability to apply knowledge to new situations and new problems. This rubric looks at studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x; opportunities to build deep knowledge that they can transfer and apply in practice. Knowledge construction activities require students to generate ideas and understandings that are new to them. Students can do this through interpretation, analysis, synthesis, or evaluation. In stronger activities, knowledge construction is the main requirement of the learning activity. The strongest activities require students to apply the knowledge they constructed in a different context, helping them to deepen their understanding further, and to connect information and ideas from two or more academic disciplines (for example, integrating learning from both science and literature).

Big Ideas Knowledge construction happens when students do more than reproduce what they have learned: they go beyond knowledge reproduction to generate ideas and understandings that are new to them. The skills of knowledge construction are often considered â&#x20AC;&#x153;critical thinking.â&#x20AC;? Activities that require knowledge construction ask students to interpret, analyse, synthesize, or evaluate information or ideas.



Interpretation means drawing inferences beyond the literal meaning. For example, students might read a description of a historical period and infer why people who lived then behaved the way they did. Analysis means identifying the parts of a whole and their relationships to each other. For example, students might investigate local environmental factors to determine which are most likely to affect migrating birds. Synthesis means identifying the relationships between two or more ideas. For example, students might be required to compare and contrast perspectives from multiple sources. Evaluation means judging the quality, credibility, or importance of data, ideas, or events. For example, students might read different accounts of an historical event and determine which ones they find most credible.

If an activity asks students to practice a procedure they already know, or if the activity gives students a set of steps to follow, the activity does NOT require knowledge construction. To determine whether students already know a certain procedure, consider what is typically expected of students of their age. If an activity asks students to devise a procedure themselves, the activity DOES require knowledge construction. It is important to note that not all student activities that are commonly described as “research” involve knowledge construction. If students are asked to look up information and then write a paper that simply describes what they found, students are reproducing knowledge, but they ARE NOT constructing knowledge—they have not been asked to interpret, analyse, synthesize, or evaluate anything.

IS THIS KNOWLEDGE CONSTRUCTION? YES:

NO:

Students use details in a story to infer the reasons why a character committed a crime.

Students write a paper describing the crime a character committed.

Students use Bing to search the Internet for information about local activities to help the environment and analyse it to decide what else could be done.

Students use Bing to search the internet for information about local activities to help the environment and give a presentation to describe what they found.

Students write a paper that compares and Students write a paper that describes contrasts information from multiple sources. information they found online or in books. Students compare different explanations for Students familiar with the barometer use changes in atmospheric pressure to one to measure atmospheric pressure. determine which explanations are credible. Students who have not learned about parallel lines examine several different pairs of lines to try to develop a definition of “parallel”.

Students who have already been taught the definition of “parallel” use the definition to decide whether several sets of lines are parallel.

The main requirement is the part of the activity that students spend the most time and effort on and the part that educators focus on when grading. If the learning activity does not specify how much time students should spend on each part, you may have to use your professional judgment to estimate how long students are likely to spend on different tasks.

IS KNOWLEDGE CONSTRUCTION THE ACTIVITY’S MAIN REQUIREMENT? YES:

NO:

Students spend 10 minutes listing details from a story, then spend 35 minutes using the details to propose why a character committed a crime.

Students spend 35 minutes listing details from a story, then in the last 10 minutes of class they use the details to infer why a character committed a crime.

Students earn 30% of their grade for finding information and 70% for analysing what they find.

Students earn 70% of their grade for finding information and 30% for analysing what they find.

Students must apply their knowledge when they use the knowledge they have constructed to support another knowledge construction task in a new context. For example, students in a physics class might construct knowledge about heat principles from a study of the Earth‟s inner core, and then apply what they learned to investigate the environment of Jupiter. Students in language class might write a persuasive essay for an academic audience and then apply the knowledge they constructed about audience-focused writing to reposition the same content for a public newspaper article. In each case, the second knowledge construction task deepens students‟ understanding of core principles because they must abstract what they learned and look at it from a different perspective in order to apply it in a different situation. To be considered an application of knowledge in a new context, it is not enough for the two contexts to differ only in surface features. Students cannot respond to the new situation simply by applying the same formula. Students must use interpretation, analysis, synthesis, or evaluation to decide how to use what they have learned in this new context.

ARE STUDENTS REQUIRED TO APPLY THEIR KNOWLEDGE? YES:

NO:

Students analyze demographic statistics from their hometown and then use their understanding of population trends to develop a plan for an upcoming housing development project. Students apply their knowledge from analyzing demographic statistics in order to develop a housing plan; this step requires further analysis.

Students analyze demographic statistics from their hometown and then analyze demographic statistics from a second location of their choice. Students do not apply their knowledge from analyzing demographic statistics to any new activity; they simply repeat the same activity with a different dataset.

Students examine photos enlarged at different sizes to develop an understanding of similarity and then apply that knowledge to abstract geometric shapes, thinking about size ratios and angles to determine which shapes are mathematically similar. Students apply their knowledge from evaluating shapes to deepen their own understanding of mathematical similarity.

Students examine photos enlarged at different sizes to develop an understanding of similarity and then describe their understanding. Students do not apply their knowledge from evaluating shapes to any new domain; they simply articulate that knowledge.

Students in theatre class analyze the characters in a play to learn about character development; then the students use Movie Maker to create their own one-act play demonstrating character development. Students apply their knowledge from their character analysis to create and develop their own characters; this step requires further interpretation and analysis.

Students in theatre class analyse the characters in a play to learn about character development and then write an essay about what they learned. Students do not apply their knowledge from their character analysis to any new task; they simply articulate that knowledge.

Students design and execute a procedure for testing the qualities of the tap water at their school. Once they have accurate data, they use that information to determine which water filtration system would be most appropriate for the school. Students apply their knowledge from designing and conducting water quality tests to select an appropriate water filtration system, which

Students design and execute a procedure for testing the qualities of the tap water at their school. They test the water and redesign the procedure iteratively until they have accurate data. Although students apply their knowledge from previous trials to refine the procedure, they are only applying knowledge within a single (repeated) context. They are deepening their knowledge, but not extending it to a 11

forces them to look at what they have learned in a new way and deepen their knowledge.

new type of application.

Interdisciplinary learning activities have learning goals that involve content, important ideas, or methods from different academic subjects (such as mathematics and music, or language arts and history). Subjects that are typically taught together in your country do not count as interdisciplinary. For purposes of this rubric, ICT is NOT considered a separate academic subj ect. ICT is often used as a tool for learning in other subjects. For example, students might build ICT skills when they do online research for a history project. This activity is NOT considered interdisciplinary.

ACTIVITY

IS THIS INTERDISCIPLINARY? YES:

NO:

Students in science class write persuasive letters to an environmental organization about the results of their experiment.

Educators grade students on the quality of their data AND on their writing skills.

Educators grade students only on the quality of their data.

Students in science class plot points on a graph.

Learning goals for both math AND science are defined.

No learning goals for math are defined.

Students in physics use ICT to present their work to the class.

Use of ICT as a tool in physics class is not considered interdisciplinary.

TCDSB21C: Learning Design The neXt lesson

Knowledge Construction

Discerning Believer

Creative Thinker

Entry

In light of the common good the learning activity does NOT require the student to create knowledge or adapt and evaluate prior knowledge. Students can complete the activity by reproducing information or by using familiar procedures.

Adoption

In light of the common good the learning activity does require the student to create knowledge or adapt and evaluate prior knowledge, BUT this is not the main requirement of the assignment.

Adaptation

In light of the common good the learning activity does require the student to create knowledge or adapt and evaluate prior knowledge, BUT the learning activity does not require students to use that knowledge to constructively influence change in a new context.

Infusion

In light of the common good the learning activity does require the student to create knowledge or adapt and evaluate prior knowledge, AND the learning activity does require students to use that knowledge to constructively influence change in a new context, BUT the learning activity does not have interdisciplinary learning goals.

Transformation

TCDSB21C Learning Design

The neXt lesson Knowledge Construction Discerning

Creative Thinker

Believer

Does the activity require the student to create knowledge or adapt and evaluate prior knowledge?

Entry NO YES

Is the main requirement the creation of knowledge or the adaptation and evaluation of prior knowledge?

Adoption NO

YES Are students required to Use that knowledge to influence change in a new context?

Adaptation NO

YES

Is the learning activity Interdisciplinary?

Infusion NO

YES

Transformation

Real-World ProblemSolving and Innovation Does the learning activity require solving authentic, real-world problems? Are students‟ solutions implemented in the real world?

Overview In today‟s workplace, problem-solving tasks abound. Whether the need is to find new ways to reach global markets or to redesign a product to take advantage of new materials, successful workers must be adept at generating and testing creative ideas in order to solve a problem with a real set of requirements and constraints. This is a very different definition of “problem” than we often see in academic settings, where textbook “problems” are simply practice at executing specific learned procedures. This rubric examines whether students‟ work involves problem-solving, and uses data or situations from the real world. The strongest learning activities for this rubric:  ask students to complete tasks for which they do NOT already know a response or solution  require students to work on solving real problems  represent innovation by requiring students to implement their ideas, designs or solutions for audiences outside the classroom.

Big Ideas Problem-solving involves a task with a defined challenge for the student. Problem-solving happens when students must:  develop a solution to a problem that is new to them OR  complete a task that they have not been instructed how to do OR  design a complex product that meets a set of requirements.

Learning activities that require problem-solving do NOT give students all the information they need to complete the task or specify the whole procedure they must follow to arrive at a solution. Often, problem-solving tasks require students do some or all of the following:  investigate the parameters of the problem to guide their approach  generate ideas and alternatives  devise their own approach, or explore several possible procedures that might be appropriate to the situation  design a coherent solution  test the solution and iterate on improvements to satisfy the requirements of the problem. To count for this rubric, problem-solving must be the learning activity‟s main requirement.

IS THIS PROBLEM-SOLVING? YES:

NO:

Students must rewrite a story from the perspective of a character other than the narrator. Students use the original story but have not been instructed how to complete this task.

Students read a story and then take a quiz about what they read. Students do not have to develop any solutions. There is no defined challenge for the students.

Students use a map of a bus route to propose where pedestrian crossings should be added in a fictional town. Students have not been instructed where to put the crossings.

Students learn about pedestrian safety by studying a map showing bus stops and pedestrian crossings. There is no defined challenge for the students.

Students identify appropriate situations for using mean, median and mode by exploring several sample datasets in Microsoft Excel. Students have not been instructed on how each measure is best used.

Students use Microsoft Excel to calculate the mean, median and mode of several sample datasets. Students are simply practicing a computation.

Real-world problems are authentic situations and needs that exist outside an academic context. Real-world problems have all of the following characteristics:  Are experienced by real people. For example, if students are asked to diagnose an ecological imbalance in a rainforest in Costa Rica, they are working with a situation that affects the real people who live there.  Have solutions for a specific, plausible audience other than the educator as grader. For example, designing equipment to fit a small city playground could benefit the children of the community.



Have specific, explicit contexts. For example, developing a plan for a community garden in a public park in their town has a specific context; learning which vegetables grow best in which parts of one‟s country does not. If students are using data to solve a problem, they use actual data (for example, real scientific records of earthquakes, results of their own experiments, or first-person accounts of an historical event), not data developed by an educator or publisher for a lesson.

ARE THESE REAL-WORLD PROBLEMS? YES:

NO:

Students rewrite a Shakespeare play for a teenage audience. Teenagers are a real, specific audience.

Students rewrite a Shakespeare play in a new rhyme scheme. This has no specific audience.

Students use their town’s bus map to propose where pedestrian crossings should be added in their town. This has a specific, explicit context. Students use actual data to do this.

Students use a bus map in a textbook to propose where pedestrian crossings should be added in a fictional town. This does not involve actual data.

Students investigate whether growing plants in their classroom can improve the air quality. Even though the setting is the classroom, air quality is a real issue.

Students investigate the interaction between green plants and carbon dioxide in the air. There is no explicit context for the students‟ investigation.

Students analyze data about the basketball team and use Microsoft Excel to graph performance patterns for the overall team and individual players. Students are using actual data about the team and performing analysis typically conducted by the coaching staff.

Students identify appropriate situations for using mean, median and mode by exploring several sample datasets in Microsoft Excel. Students are using datasets created by the educator.

Innovation requires putting students’ ideas or solutions into practice in the real world. For example, it IS innovation if students design and build a community garden on the grounds of their school; just designing the garden is NOT innovation. In cases where students do not have the authority to implement their own ideas, it is innovation ONLY if students convey their ideas to people outside the classroom context who can implement them. For example, it IS innovation if students present their ideas for building a community garden in a public park in their town to a local environmental group or to local officials, but NOT if students design a community garden for that public park and only share their plans with their teacher and classmates.

Innovation also benefits people other than the student; it has value beyond meeting the requirements of a classroom exercise. The townspeople who tend the new garden in the public park and the teenagers who attend the rewritten Shakespeare play benefit from students‟ efforts, for example. It also counts as innovation if students create a project for a science fair or submit an original poem to a regional poetry contest, for example, because the fair and contest are not educator-controlled and have real audiences who are interested in and may benefit from the students‟ work.

IS THIS INNOVATION? YES:

NO:

Students rewrite a Shakespeare play for a teenage audience and perform it at a local youth center. The teenage audience at the youth center benefits from the students‟ effort.

Students rewrite a Shakespeare play for a teenage audience but do not perform it. No one outside the classroom benefits from the students‟ effort.

Students write letters to the town council about their ideas for adding pedestrian crossings in their town AND mail the letters to council members. Students cannot make new pedestrian crossings themselves but the town council can implement their ideas.

Students write letters addressed to the town council about improving pedestrian safety BUT only give the letters to their educator to grade. The letters did not reach an audience beyond the educator as grader.

Students investigate 2 or more online websites or games, develop a presentation using Community Clips and Windows Live Moviemaker about internet safety guidelines for parents and students to be aware of, AND present their products at parent’s night. Parents and students who attend the parent‟s night presentation are an authentic audience for the guidelines that students developed.

Students investigate 2 or more online websites or games, and develop a presentation using Community Clips and Windows Live Moviemaker about internet safety guidelines for parents and students to be aware of. Their product is handed in for a grade. Students learned about internet safety but did not communicate their solutions to others who needed this information.

Students analyze statistics on the basketball team’s past performance and create mathematical models using Microsoft Excel for the coach to illustrate targeted improvements for both team

Students analyze data about the basketball team and use Microsoft Excel to graph performance patterns for the overall team and individual players. Students' graphs are presented to the class 17

and individual performance. The coach can use students' analysis to help players focus their training on skills that need improvement.

as an academic exercise.

TCDSB21C: Learning Design The neXt lesson

Real-World Problem-Solving & Innovation Caring Family Member

Entry

The Learning Activity’s main requirement is NOT problem solving. Students use a previously learned answer or procedure for most work.

Adoption

The Learning Activity’s main requirement is problem solving, BUT the problem is NOT a concern outside the students’ immediate world.

Adaptation

The Learning Activity’s main requirement is problem solving, AND the problem is a concern outside the students’ immediate world, BUT they are NOT required to minister to their school or class community through innovation.

Infusion

The Learning Activity’s main requirement is problem solving, AND the problem is a concern outside the students’ immediate world, AND they are required to minister to their school or class community through innovation, BUT they are NOT required to consult with experts in the wider community with the intention to share their solutions.

Transformation

The Learning Activity’s main requirement is problem solving, AND the problem is a concern outside the students’ immediate world, AND they are required to minister to their school or class community through innovation, AND they are required to consult with experts in the wider community with intention to share their solutions.

TCDSB21C Learning Design

The neXt lesson Real-World Problem Solving & Innovation Is the main requirement problem solving?

Caring Family Member

Entry NO

YES

Are students working on a problem which is a concern outside their immediate world?

Adoption NO YES

Does the activity require innovation?

Adaptation NO YES

Have students consulted with experts in the wider community with intention to share their solutions?

Infusion NO YES

Transformation

Use of ICT for Learning Are students passive consumers of ICT, active users, or designers of an ICT product for an authentic audience?

Overview We live in a connected world with unprecedented access to a vast array of digital information and experiences. The use of technology continues to transform how we live and work. On-going adoption of new advances in ICT has become more essential to both lifelong learning and life-long earning. In today‟s globalized, knowledge-based economies, individuals increasingly need skills not only to intelligently consume information and ideas, but also to design and create new information and ideas using ICT. While ICT is becoming increasingly common in classrooms and learning environments, it is often used to present or consume information rather than to fundamentally transform learning experiences. This ITL rubric examines how students use ICT— and whether it is used in more powerful ways to construct knowledge or to design knowledge-based products. In this rubric, the term “ICT” encompasses the full range of available digital tools, both hardware (computers and related electronic devices such as tablets and notebooks, ereaders, smart phones, personal digital assistants, camcorders, graphing calculators, and electronic whiteboards) and software (including everything from an Internet browser and multimedia development tools to engineering applications, social media, and collaborative editing platforms). ICT is a powerful tool to promote and support a wide range of 21 st century skills, including all other Learning Design rubrics. For example, ICT can help students to collaborate in ways that were not possible before, or to communicate through new mediums of expression. In this rubric we focus on the interaction of ICT use with two rubrics in particular: knowledge construction and real-world problem-solving and innovation. These are not the only important ways that ICT can support innovative teaching and learning, but they represent particularly powerful uses.

Big Ideas Student use of ICT happens when students use ICT directly to complete all or part of the learning activity. The educator‟s use of ICT to present materials to students does not count as student use: it is important that students have control over the ICT use themselves. Some educators‟ use of ICT can enhance their teaching significantly: for example, educators can show simulations that make difficult content easier for students to visualize. However, this rubric focuses only on how the learning activity requires students to use ICT in their learning.

This rubric looks at the opportunities students have to use ICT. It is considered ICT use if the students are required to use ICT or can use ICT to complete an activity.

IS THIS STUDENT USE? YES:

NO:

Students complete a math learning activity by using Excel spreadsheet software.

Students complete a math learning activity by using worksheets that the educator has printed out from the computer.

Students learn about cell replication by using a software simulation to explore the process.

Students learn about cell replication by watching the educator demonstrate a software simulation of the process.

Students use Microsoft OneNote to edit their writing, tracking their changes as they go.

The educator uses Microsoft OneNote to make and track suggested changes to the student‟s writing.

Knowledge construction occurs when students generate ideas and understandings that are new to them, through interpretation, analysis, synthesis, or evaluation. This rubric examines whether the learning activity requires that students use ICT in ways that support knowledge construction, either directly or indirectly. ICT supports knowledge construction when:  Students use ICT directly for the knowledge-construction part of a learning activity. For example, students use a computer to analyze scientific information.  Students use ICT to indirectly support knowledge construction, by using ICT to complete one step of an activity, and then using information from that step in the knowledge-construction part of the activity. For example, students might search for terms related to current events on Twitter and then analyse people‟s responses offline. The information they found on Twitter supported their analysis, so we say that ICT use supported knowledge construction. 21

The knowledge construction supported by ICT must be about the learning goals of the activity: learning to use the ICT does not qualify. For example, students might learn about PowerPoint as they create a presentation for history class. But to be considered knowledge construction using ICT, it is essential that the use of PowerPoint helped them to deepen their interpretation, analysis, synthesis, or evaluation of historical ideas, not just to deepen their knowledge on how to use the tool. Evaluation of Internet resources related to the learning goals is also considered knowledge construction. Some learning activities are designed to help students become intelligent, ethical users of Internet resources rather than passive consumers of the information. For example, students might be required to find several sources on a topic and evaluate their credibility before they select which information to rely on.

DOES THIS STUDENT USE SUPPORT KNOWLEDGE CONSTRUCTION? YES:

NO:

Students use Excel spreadsheet software to analyse results of an experiment.

Students use Excel spreadsheet software to add numbers together.

Students use a computer-based simulation to investigate how stars are formed.

Students watch a video about how stars are formed.

Students use StickySorter to create interconnected plot and character diagrams for the novel they are reading in literature class.

Students use StickySorter to make a list of the characters in the novel they are reading in literature class.

Students use Kinect (Xbox) Driving Games to research and publish the effects of texting while driving.

Students play with Kinect (Xbox) Driving Games.

Students write an essay on a computer, using the Microsoft OneNote to help organize and synthesize their ideas in writing.

Students use Microsoft OneNote to type an essay they have written.

Students use AutoCollage to create a composite image that reflects the style and influences of an artist of their choice.

Students use AutoCollage to create a composite image of art works by an artist of their choice.

Students who have not learned about triangles experiment with Microsoft Mathematics graphing calculator tool by entering angle degrees and hypothesizing about the total number of degrees in a triangle.

Students who have already learned about triangles use the Microsoft Mathematics graphing calculator tool to create triangles by entering angle numbers that add up to 180 degrees.

ICT is required for the knowledge construction when it allows students to do knowledge construction activities that would be impossible or impractical without the use of the ICT. For example, students might be asked to communicate with students in another country over a period of two weeks to research the impact of a recent drought on their community. In this case, email enables students to construct knowledge that they could not construct without ICT because mailing physical letters would be impractical in this short a time. The use of email is required for constructing this knowledge. Many activities that require knowledge construction can also be done without ICT. For example, students may be asked to find information about the beaks of a variety of bird species with different diets and develop categories of different types of beaks. If students use the Internet for this activity, they are constructing knowledge, but ICT is not required: they would be able to achieve the same learning goals without ICT by using printed books in a library.

IS ICT REQUIRED FOR THIS KNOWLEDGECONSTRUCTION? YES:

NO:

Students use the Internet to find newspaper articles about a current event from three different countries, and analyse how the perspectives are similar or different. In this school, current newspapers from other countries are not available in hardcopy.

Students read the local newspaper online to research a current event and analyse three stories they find. The local newspaper is probably available to students in hardcopy.

Students use a computer-based simulation to investigate how stars are formed. The simulation helps deepen studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x; knowledge about events that cannot be directly observed.

Students use a spreadsheet to compute totals that they will use to analyse their data. The calculations can also be done by hand.

Students are designers of ICT products when they create ICT products that others can use. For example, if students record a podcast and make it available on the Internet, they are creating an ICT product others could use. The product lasts beyond the learning activity and can be used or enjoyed by an outside audience. When students act as designers, ICT is supporting their real-world problem-solving and innovation. Students must have an authentic audience in mind, such as a community that needs the information their podcast will provide, or younger students who will learn about disease prevention from the simulation students are building. In their design, students must attend to the needs and preferences of that audience. Ideally, but not necessarily, the product might actually be used by the intended audience. Students who create a product with no particular audience in mind do not qualify as designers under this definition.

ARE STUDENTS DESIGNERS OF AN ICT PRODUCT? YES:

NO:

In computer programming class, students use TouchDevelop to design and program a mobile smarthphone app that could help senior citizens in their daily lives. The students build knowledge of computer programming AND must consider the needs of senior citizens in order to create an app that would be useful for that population.

In computer programming class, students use TouchDevelop to program a mobile smartphone app that causes the phone to vibrate any time the user takes a photo. The students build knowledge of computer programming, but they do not consider any end users.

Students use SongSmith to create songs to educate visitors to the children's natural history museum about dinosaurs. Students must think about the interests and ability level of museum visitors to create a song with appropriate content and music.

Students use SongSmith to create songs about dinosaurs that they will post on the Internet for general access. Students do not need to consider any specific end-users.

Students create videos of their own interviews with local community members that will air on a local television channel program about "our community". Students must consider the television audience and adhere to television programming parameters (e.g., time limits).

Students create videos of their own interviews with local community members to submit to the educator for the end-of-year assignment. Students do not need to design for any particular audience.

Students use the Internet to research and communicate with local food producers and then develop an app to help families in their community make more local choices when they buy their food. Students must design the app to be accessible and usable to local families.

Students use the Internet to research local food producers and write a report of their findings to submit to the educator. Students do not create an ICT product or need to consider the needs of any particular audience.

TCDSB21C: Learning Design The neXt lesson

Use of ICT for Learning Effective Communicator

Entry

Students DO NOT have the opportunity to use ICT for this learning activity.

Adoption

Students use ICT to learn or practice basic skills or reproduce Information, BUT they DO NOT use ICT to construct knowledge.

Adaptation

Students use ICT to learn or practice basic skills or reproduce Information, AND they use ICT to support knowledge construction. BUT they could construct the same knowledge without using ICT.

Infusion

Students use ICT to learn or practice basic skills or reproduce Information, AND they use ICT to support knowledge construction. AND they could not construct the same knowledge without using ICT, BUT they do not create an ICT artefact that others can use.

Transformation

Students use ICT to learn or practice basic skills or reproduce Information, AND they use ICT to support knowledge construction. AND they could not construct the same knowledge without using ICT, AND they create an ICT artefact that others can use.

TCDSB21C Learning Design

The neXt lesson Use of ICT for Learning Effective

Communicator

Entry Do students have the opportunity to the use of ICT?

NO YES

Does use of ICT support students’ knowledge construction?

Adoption NO

YES

Is ICT required for constructing knowledge?

Adaptation NO YES

Do the students create an ICT artefact for others to use?

Infusion NO YES

Transformation

Self-Regulation Is the learning activity long-term? Do students plan and assess their own work, and revise their work based on feedback?

Overview Today‟s complex world demands self-regulated thinkers and learners who can take responsibility for their lives, their work, and their ongoing learning. It requires individuals to monitor their own work and to incorporate feedback to develop and improve their work products. In most traditional classrooms, educators structure students‟ work for them, directing them in exactly what to do and monitoring compliance. To create opportunities for students to learn effectively and monitor their own progress, educators can instead work with them, guiding and empowering them in ways that help them take increasing responsibility for their own learning, both as individuals and in groups. In turn, this supports students‟ ability to function in a 21st century workplace, where people are expected to work with minimal supervision, planning their own work, designing their own work products and incorporating feedback to improve the quality of those products. Learning activities that give students the opportunity to acquire self-regulation skills must last long enough for students to have the opportunity to plan their work over time, and offer visibility into clear learning goals and success criteria that students can use to plan and monitor their own work. Educators can foster self-regulation skills by giving students working in groups responsibility for deciding who will do what and on what schedule. In the most successful learning activities, students receive feedback that is supportive of students‟ progress toward clear learning goals, and they have the opportunity to act on that feedback to improve their work before it is considered final. Self-regulation involves a range of skills that become increasingly sophisticated as they develop over time. At the beginning of a semester, students who are new to sel f-regulation may need more explicit guidance; over time, it can be a goal for educators to give students progressively more responsibility for their own learning.

Big Ideas A learning activity is considered long-term if students work on it for a substantive period of time. If the learning activity is completed within a single class period, there is no time for students to plan the process of their work nor to improve their work over multiple drafts. Length of time is a basic prerequisite for students‟ opportunity for self-regulation.

IS THIS LEARNING ACTIVITY LONG-TERM? YES:

NO:

Students keep a journal about their nutrition over the course of a week.

Students document what they ate on two different days.

Learning goals define what is to be learned in this activity and how these goals fit with prior and future learning. Success criteria are the factors that will be considered to determine whether the learning goals have been met: the evidence of student progress and success in this learning activity. When students have learning goals and associated success criteria in advance of completing their work, it is possible for them to examine the progress and quality of their own work as they do it. The educator might provide learning goals and associa ted success criteria to students, or the class might negotiate the learning goals and success criteria together to foster more student ownership. An understanding of these factors early in the learning activity is another important prerequisite for students‟ opportunity for selfregulation.

When students plan their own work, they make decisions about the schedule and steps they will follow to accomplish the task. Planning their own work may involve:  Deciding how: Students break down a complex task into simpler sub-tasks, or choose the tools they will use.  Deciding when: Students create a schedule for their work and setting interim deadlines.  Deciding who: A group of students determines how to divide work among themselves.  Deciding where: Students decide what pieces of the work will be done inside or outside of the school building or the school day. If a task is long-term but students are given detailed instructions and timelines, they do NOT have the opportunity to plan their own work. Students making decisions about small aspects of tasks does NOT qualify as planning their own work.

ARE THESE STUDENTS PLANNING THEIR OWN WORK? Learning Activity:

YES:

NO:

Over two weeks, students work in groups to research and debate climate change with their classmates.

Students decide who will research which aspects of the topic and who will speak at different points in the debate.

The educator assigns specific roles to each student.

Students make their own deadlines for completing their research, writing their speeches, and practicing them.

Students follow the steps and timeline provided by the educator.

Students have the opportunity to revise their work based on feedback when feedback is given and explicitly used to improve the work before it is submitted or fi nalized. Feedback may come from the educator or from peers. Students might also have the opportunity to revise their work based on their own deliberate process of self -reflection. Feedback can be one of the most significant influences on improving learning. Effective feedback helps students to address the gap between current performance and performance goals. It is more than simple praise; comments such as „good job‟ or „great work‟ do little to help the student understand what constitutes great work. Effective feedback:  Tells the student specifically what he or she is doing well and offers specific guidance to help move their learning forward  Is directly connected to the learning goals and success criteria  Helps the student to be more aware of progress along a learning path  Leads to reflection and planning of next steps.

DO THESE STUDENTS HAVE OPPORTUNITY TO REVISE WORK BASED ON FEEDBACK? Learning Activity:

YES:

NO:

Students learn about environmental conservation and create games in Kodu where players make decisions to preserve the environment.

After developing a beta version of their game, students trade games with a partner and give each other feedback to improve their games before turning them in.

Students post the first version of their games for classmates to play, without opportunities to receive or implement feedback.

Students create PowerPoint presentations about a topic in world history.

Students do practice presentations, receive feedback from their educator and peers, and revise their presentation based on feedback before doing a final presentation.

Students do their final presentation without any opportunity for practice, feedback, or revision.

Students write persuasive essays that will be assessed according to a rubric that the educator shared with students at the beginning of the learning activity.

Students use the rubric to reflect on their own essay drafts and make revisions.

Students use the rubric only after getting back their graded essays, to see why the educator gave them a certain grade.

TCDSB21C: Learning Design The neXt lesson

Self Regulation Responsible Citizen

Self-Directed Learner

Entry

The Learning Activity is not long-term.

Adoption

The Learning Activity is long term, BUT students DO NOT have learning goals and associated success criteria in advance of completing work.

Adaptation

The Learning Activity is long-term, AND the students DO have the learning goals and associated success criteria in advance of completing work, BUT they DO NOT have the opportunity to be self-directed responsible, life long learners.

Infusion

The Learning Activity is long-term, AND the students DO have the learning goals and associated success criteria in advance of completing work, AND they DO have the opportunity to be self-directed, responsible, life-long learners, BUT they DO not have the ability to revise their work based on feedback.

Transformation

The Learning Activity is long-term, AND the students DO have the learning goals and associated success criteria in advance of completing work, AND they DO have the opportunity to be self-directed, responsible, life-long learners, AND they DO have the ability to revise their work based on feedback.

TCDSB21C Learning Design

The neXt lesson Self-Regulation Responsible Citizen

Self-Directed Learner

Entry

Is this a long term activity?

YES Do students have learning goals and success criteria in advance?

Adoption NO YES

Do students do have the opportunity to be selfdirected, responsible, lifelong learners.

Adaptation NO

YES Do students have opportunity to revise work based on feedback?

Infusion NO YES

Transformation

Skilled Communication Are students required to communicate their own ideas regarding a concept or issue? Must their communication be supported with evidence and designed with a particular audience in mind?

Overview Communication is at the heart of all human interaction. In the 21st century, developing technologies have created new opportunities for communication that is spoken, written, visual or multimodal; in print or digital forms; and with broader reach and fewer barriers than ever before. In contemporary communication the active process of communication is often seen as being as important as the end product. Nevertheless, digital capture and publication of even informal communications mean that those products persist longer and disseminate farther than ever before. As a result, the need for effective communication is no longer confined to language classes and journalism careers. It is important for students in all areas of academic study, and in future roles that range from office worker to lawyer to scientist, to be able to communicate clearly and persuasively with a variety of audiences and subjects. This rubric examines whether students are asked to produce extended or multi-modal communication, and whether the communication must be substantiated, with a logical explanation or examples or evidence that supports a central thesis. At higher levels of the rubric, students must craft their communication for a particular audience. 21st century communication can take many different forms. For example, as part of a learning activity students may have a discussion with a peer over Skype. In this rubric, we donâ&#x20AC;&#x;t focus on informal classroom talk, whether face-to-face or electronic. Instead, we focus on activities that require students to articulate their ideas in a permanent form: a presentation, a podcast, a written document, an email, etc. A performance (for example, a skit or oral debate) would also be considered in this rubric. We recognize that less formal conversational media are also very important aspects of communication. But effective uses of Skype will have an outcome related to the learning goals of the activity: do students produc e a summary of what they learned through Skype, or build that learning into the final product they are creating? This rubric evaluates the skilled communication requirements of the products or outcomes of the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x; work.

Big Ideas Extended communication is required when student must produce communication that represents a set of connected ideas, not a single simple thought. In written work, extended communication is the equivalent of one or more complete paragraphs rather than a sentence or phrase. In electronic or visual media, extended communication might take the form of a sequence of video, a podcast, or a page of a presentation that connects or illustrates several ideas.

A single text message or tweet is NOT extended communication. If students are engaged in electronic communication, this is ONLY considered extended communication if it produces an outcome that requires students to connect the ideas they discussed (for example, producing documentation of what they learned or next steps for resol ving an issue that arose). The duration of an electronic chat is not considered in evaluating extended communication.

DOES THIS LEARNING ACTIVITY REQUIRE EXTENDED COMMUNICATION? YES:

NO:

Students host a webinar where they present on different topics about their city to peers in their sister-city and then answer followup questions.

Students participate in a webinar where they listen to presentations by peers from their sister-city and then ask follow-up questions.

Students write an extended proof to demonstrate the solution to a geometry problem.

Students solve a geometry problem, but do not write any proof.

Students write a letter to the editor in response to a recent news article of their choice.

Students post a one-sentence comment in response to a recent news article of their choice.

Students hold a Skype conversation with peers from another school to create a plan for the performance they will put on together about the novel they read.

Students hold a Skype conversation with peers from another school to talk about the novel they read.

Communication is multi-modal when it includes more than one type of communication mode or tool used to communicate a coherent message. For example, students might create a presentation that integrates video and text, or embed a photograph into a blog post. The communication is considered multi-modal only if the elements work together to produce a stronger message than any one element alone. If the learning activity offers students the opportunity to choose the tool or tools they will use to communicate, we consider it to be a multi-modal communication opportunity.

IS THIS COMMUNICATION MULTI-MODAL? YES:

NO:

Students create a print, radio, or television advertisement for their new invention. The learning activity allows students to choose what type of media to use.

Students create a radio advertisement for their new invention. The learning activity does not offer students any choice regarding the type of media, nor does it imply the use of multiple media.

Students write lab reports about their science lab on density of matter, including narrative text and visual evidence of what the students saw in their experiment (such as drawings or screen shots of real-time data displays). The learning activity requires multiple modes of media that work together for a more complete description of the experiment.

Students write lab reports about their science lab on density of matter, including only narrative text. The learning activity requires only one mode of media.

Students produce blog posts on a hurricane for their journalism class, including a written description of the conditions and additional audio or visual media. The learning activity requires multiple modes of media to add depth to the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x; descriptions.

Students produce a podcast on a hurricane for their journalism class, including a written script and the final audio podcast. The story is the same whether written out (in the script) or spoken (in the podcast); multiple media are not used to enhance the content of the communication.

Communication requires supporting evidence when students must explain their ideas or support their thesis with facts or examples.

For this rubric, a â&#x20AC;&#x153;thesisâ&#x20AC;? is a claim, hypothesis, or conclusion. Students must have a thesis when they are asked to state a point of view, make a prediction, or draw a conclusion from a set of facts or a chain of logic. The communication requires evidence if students must describe their reasoning or provide supporting facts or examples. The evidence should be sufficient to support the claim that the student is making.

DOES THIS LEARNING ACTIVITY REQUIRE SUPPORTIVE EVIDENCE? YES:

NO:

Students must write an essay about why global warming is a problem. This learning activity asks students to state and defend a claim about global warming.

Students must write an essay about global warming. Students can complete this activity with a set of facts; they do not have to state and support a claim, hypothesis, or conclusion.

Students must describe their derivation of a mathematical equation. The learning activity asks students to explain the logic that brought them to a conclusion about the equation.

Students must derive a mathematical equation. Students can compute the equation without explaining their logic.

Students must write a blog post about the main themes from Alice in Wonderland, with examples from the story to illustrate their point. Students are required to support their proposed themes with examples.

Students must write a blog post listing the main themes of Alice in Wonderland. Students are not required to justify their themes with evidence from the story.

Students must write a journal entry from the perspective of a slave. They must state a perspective or a point of view about their imagined life, and describe their day with historical accuracy to support that perspective. The learning activity requires students to use historical details as evidence to support their perspective.

Students must write a journal entry from the perspective of a slave. They must describe their day with historical accuracy. The learning activity does not require students to state or support a perspective.

Students use Microsoft Community Clips to video themselves solving a mathematical problem, including both the steps they took and their reasoning. The learning activity requires students to explain both their process and their thinking.

Students use Microsoft Community Clips to video themselves solving a mathematical problem, stating the steps they took. The learning activity simply requires students to narrate their process.

Students are required to design their communication for a particular audience when they must ensure that their communication is appropriate to the specific readers, listeners, viewers, or others with whom they are communicating. It is not sufficient for students to be communicating to a general audience on the internet. They must have in mind a specific group with specific needs in order to shape their communication appropriately. When they are communicating with a particular audience, students must select the tools, content, or style that they use to reach the audience. They might be required to consider what tools the audience has access to or uses on a regular basis; the relevant information they must present in order for the audience to understand their thesis; or the formality or informality of the language they choose in order to be appropriate to the audience. To qualify for this idea the learning activity might specify a particular audience, or students might be allowed to select their own audience. It is ideal, but not essential, if the communication will actually be seen by that audience. The requirement is that the students must develop their communication with that audience in mind. For example, students might develop some type of presentation to teach younger students about how to divide fractions. They will have to decide what medium to use to reach those students (for example, a podcast), and what type of language and content the students would understand and relate to. This satisfies the requirement even if the podcast is never used by younger students. Many teachers find that it is useful to specify an audience of a different age or background than the students themselves in order to highlight the need to think about the audience for a communication and what they will and will not understand and find interesting.

ARE STUDENTS REQUIRED TO DESIGN THEIR COMMUNICATION FOR A PARTICULAR AUDIENCE? YES:

NO:

Students must create a video about their school, using appropriate imagery and evidence, to welcome the incoming students in the coming school year. Students must design the video to help the incoming students feel welcome and enthusiastic about attending.

Students must create a video about their school, using appropriate imagery and evidence. There is no specified audience or purpose for the video.

Students must write a letter to a company, suggesting improvements to a product. Students must consider the arguments and perspectives that will be most compelling to the company.

Students must write an essay about their ideas for improving a particular product. The students do not need to consider any particular audience.

Students must design a “rocks and minerals” exhibit for the town library.

Students must do a “rocks and minerals” science project. The

The learning activity requires students to communicate a message through the exhibit, which must include rock & mineral samples, different media presenting information to capture visitor interest, and take-home pamphlets for exhibit visitors. Students must design their communications to be appropriate to the museum audience.

learning activity requires students to communicate a central finding, include rock & mineral samples, narrative text and/or audio information. Students will submit the project to the teacher and do not need to consider any particular audience.

TCDSB21C: Learning Design The neXt lesson

Skilled Communication Effective Communicator

Entry

The students are NOT required to produce extended or multi-modal communication.

Adoption

The students are required to produce extended or multi-modal communication, BUT they are NOT required to provide supporting evidence.

Adaptation

The students are required to produce extended or multi-modal communication, AND they are required to provide supporting evidence, BUT they are NOT required to communicate information and ideas clearly and honestly, with sensitivity to others.

Infusion

The students are required to produce extended or multi-modal communication, AND they are required to provide supporting evidence, AND they are required to communicate information and ideas clearly and honestly, with sensitivity to others, BUT they are NOT required to communicate ideas so as to enhance the quality of life.

Transformation

The students are required to produce extended or multi-modal communication, AND they are required to provide supporting evidence, AND they are required to communicate information and ideas clearly and honestly, with sensitivity to others, AND they are required to communicate ideas so as to enhance the quality of life.

TCDSB21C Learning Design

The neXt lesson Skilled Communication Effective Communicator

Entry Does this activity require extended or multi-modal communication?

NO YES

Are students required to provide supporting evidence?

Adoption NO

YES Are students required to communicate information and ideas clearly and honestly, with sensitivity to others?

Adaptation NO

YES

Are students required to communicate their ideas to enhance the quality of life?

Infusion NO YES

Transformation

APPENDIX: 21C Learning Activities (Examples)

Design a Catapult

Design a Catapult 17 December 2012 11:44

Design a Catapult Each group must build a catapult, test it to see how far it makes the load fly, and then create new catapult designs that will make it fly even farther. Your group will be graded on how far your catapult can launch the ball, and on your explanations of the science of how a catapult works. Step 1: Follow the pattern to create a catapult similar to the one shown in the picture.

Step 2: At a launching station, test your catapult 3 times. Measure how far your object traveled by measuring from the tape to the spot where your object originally landed. Measure in centimeters and record the results below. Calculate the average measurement for the three launch attempts. Launch # 1

Launch #2

Launch #3

Average

Measurement 1

Design a Catapult

Step 3: Redesign your catapult so that your object will travel even further. Build and test 4 redesigns before deciding which one is the best. Record measurement results of each design below. Launch #1

Launch #2

Launch #3

Average

Redesign #1 Redesign #2 Redesign #3 Redesign #4

Draw a picture of your best catapult design.

Label the fulcrum, effort, load, and lever arm on your drawing. What class lever is it?

How far, on average, did your object travel?

Design a Catapult

Explain, in scientific terms, why the changes you made work. Use your science journal and the facts about levers to help you with this.

Design a Catapult

21CLD Learning Activity Cover Sheet Title of Learning Activity & Average Age of Students

Title: Design a Catapult Average Age of Students: 14 years

What did you hope your students would learn from this learning activity?



Understand science terms such as fulcrum, effort, load, and lever arm.



Build a scientific model and conduct an experiment that tests specific variables.



Consider how elements of design affect performance.



Did you have learning goals from more than one discipline (for example, literature and history, or science and math) for this learning activity? No.

Were students required to work in pairs or as a group on any part of this learning

4. activity?  No

 Working in groups was optional. Please describe below the work that students did together.  Working in groups was required. Please describe below the work that students did together. Students worked in groups to design and test the catapult, and to discuss their design improvements. Each student wrote a separate report to turn in for grading.

Design a Catapult  Students could use technology for this activity  Students were required to use technology for this activity They used it for writing results of the experiments and making suggestions for future changes. 6.

What criteria did you use to judge the quality of students’ work on this learning activity? Were students aware of the criteria in advance of completing the learning activity? I graded students on their completeness of their experimental trials (4 redesigns, 3 tests each), their drawings, and the comprehensiveness of their analysis/ final report. Written rubric not available.

How long did the learning activity take?  a. Completed in a single class period  b. Completed in 2-4 days c. Required one week or more to complete

What verbal instructions did you give to students? Before students began designing, the entire class discussed what students would learn from thi s activity and how it fit with the unit about motion that they had just completed. We talked about what a catapult is and how changes in the design can change the distance an object will travel when launched. We discussed possible designs, and groups had s ome time to look up samples on the Internet. I gave them instructions for their first model, and provided the materials they would use. Next they created their models and ran their tests. Before they started work, I told students what I expected from them and showed them the rubric for their grade. I explained that they had to carefully track their design changes, as well as log the results of the experiments.

Is there any other information you would like to include to help another teacher using this learning activity be successful? Students love this assignment, and it gets them thinking and learning without them even realizing how much science is involved!

Join the Partners in Learning Network (http://www.pil-network.com/) to interact with 21st century teachers from around the globe and review the searchable database of thousands of 21st century learning activities and resources. http://www.pil-network.com/Resources/LearningActivities

Olympic Site Selection

Olympic Site Selection 17 December 2012 12:19

21CLD Learning Activity Cover Sheet

OLYMPICS SITE SELECTION



You are a member of a team comprised of a seismologist a volcanologist and a geologist which has been hired by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to help them choose a safe site with appropriate geologic features for the 2030 Winter Olympic Games. Your choices are Tokyo, Japan; Sao Paolo Brazil; Banff, BC, Canada; and Jacksonville, Florida.



Each team member is a specialist in his field, and will research the four sites to determine the advantages and the disadvantages of each location. Be sure to find current information on the internet to make sure that current environmental trends are taken into account. The team will then compile its findings and determine the best location for the Olympic Games.



The seismologist will report on any past and present earthquake activity i, and determine the risk of any possible future earthquakes at each location.



The volcanologist will report on any past and recent volcanic activity, and determine the risk of any possible future volcanic eruptions at each location.



The geologist will report on the types of rocks and geologic landforms found near each location.



The final product will be a business letter to the IOC recommending one site for the Games. The letter will discuss team

Olympic Site Selection

findings with respect to all three sciences. The team will also produce a chart showing the strengths and weaknesses of each location.

Tokyo, Japan

Volcanologist

Seismologist

Geologist

Advantages

Sao, Paolo, Brazil Advantages

Banff, Alberta, Canada Advantages

Advantages

Disadvantages Disadvantages Disadvantages

Disadvantages

Advantages

Disadvantages Disadvantages Disadvantages

Disadvantages

Advantages

Disadvantages Disadvantages Disadvantages

Name:

Jacksonville, Florida

Disadvantages

Teacher:

Olympic Site Selection

Date:

Title of Work: Criteria 1

Points 2

Volcanologist

Research shows no evidence of knowledge of volcanism

Research demonstrates some knowledge of volcanism, but leads to an incorrect recommendation

Research demonstrates solid knowledge of volcanism, and may or may not lead to a recommendation

Recommends a site than is safe according to volcanic activity

Seismology

Research shows no evidence of knowledge of seism

Research demonstrates some knowledge of seism, but leads to an incorrect recommendation

Research demonstrates solid knowledge of seism, and may or may not lead to a recommendation

Recommends a site than is safe according to seismic activity

Geology

Research shows no evidence of knowledge of geologic landforms

Research demonstrates some knowledge of geologic landforms, but leads to an incorrect recommendation

Research demonstrates solid knowledge of geologic landforms, and may or may not lead to a recommendation

Recommends a site than is safe according to geologic landforms

Team Chart

Chart is missing more than six boxes of information

Chart is missing between four and six boxes of information

Chart is missing no more than three boxes of information

Chart is completely and correctly filled out

Letter is well written, but the site recommendation is inappropriate

Letter is well written and clearly recommends a viable site

Recommendation Letter is incoherent and Letter

Letter is not well written, and the doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t give a site recommendation recommendation is inappropriate

Total ď&#x192;

Olympic Site Selection

Title of Learning Activity & Average Age of Students

Title: Olympics Site Selection Average Age of Students: 13

What did you hope your students would learn from this learning activity?

The theory of plate tectonics explains the formation, movement and destruction of the Earth’s surface. The Earth’s geosphere interacts with other Earth systems. Geologic events can occur quickly or over a long period of time. I also wanted students to practice logical thinking and writing a persuasive letter. 3.

Did you have learning goals from more than one discipline (for example, literature and history, or science and math) for this learning activity? This activity has learning goals in science and language arts. For science, students compared and contrasted the geology, seismology and volcanology of three different sites and based on their assessment they recommended a specific site. For language arts, students are asked to practice their skills for writing a business letter by writing a letter to the Olympic Committee which states their reasons for recommending a specific site. Were students required to work in pairs or as a group on any part of this learning

4. activity?  No

 Working in groups was optional. Please describe below the work that students did together.  Working in groups was required. Please describe below the work that students did together. Each student took on a role within a small group: seismologist, volcanologist, and geologist. They had to work separately on researching their particular field and also come together to make conclusions based on the perspectives of all three scientists.

Olympic Site Selection

What criteria did you use to judge the quality of students’ work on this learning activity? Were students aware of the criteria in advance of completing the learning activity? For this activity, I developed a rubric for each one of the scientist roles, which outlined what I expected the students to accomplish in their roles, including how well their letter of recommendation (from the perspective of their scientist role) is written. I also included a rubric about their team-work efforts.

How long did their learning activity take?  a. Completed in a single class period  b. Completed in 2-4 days  c. Required one week or more to complete

What verbal instructions did you give to students? The final product will be a business letter to the International Olympic Committee recommending a site for the 2003 Winter Games. Each team will also produce a chart showing the strengths and weaknesses of each of the four given locations.

Doing Business in Birmingham

Doing Business in Birmingham 17 December 2012 11:46

21CLD Learning Activity Example Doing Business in Birmingham A challenge to increase awareness about sustainability in our community Objectives:  Students will learn about sustainable practices and how to be effect change within their community  Students will learn how technology tools can enable them to make authentic connections beyond the classroom  Students will learn to synthesize their learning and generate creative solutions to real world problems  Students will create a wiki as public evidence of what they learned and their contributions to the community Materials:  Equipment: PC, Tablet, Mobile phone, video camera, etc. 

Software: Bing Maps, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Word, Photsynth, Clipart, Mobitags, MovieMaker

Standards:  Citizenship 

Digital and Media Literacy



Environmental Science



Language Arts & Literacy



Social Studies



Technology and ICT



21 Century Skills

Lesson Outline: Day 1: PLANNING  Outline the project and lead class discussion on the goals, purpose and impact of the project. 

Assign students to teams. Introduce roles, and brainstorm as a class how each role will contribute to the project. Students assign roles within their teams. (Some teams may require students to do two roles.) 

Communications Manager

Doing Business in Birmingham



Materials Manager



Photographer



Project Manager



Videographer

Lead a discussion to define rubrics for project grading and specify the success criteria for each role. Remind students that the rubrics will be used in 3 ways: for self-reflection on their own contribution, to rate fellow members of the team, and for my evaluation of their work.

Days 2-3: RESEARCH 1. Define “sustainability” as it relates to business practices. Students discuss within teams, then as whole class.

2. Student teams plan and conduct their own research on sustainability practices. The teams will answer these questions: 

What are the benefits of being a sustainable business?



Who are the stakeholders of sustainable business practices?



What is waste prevention?



How can a business recycle?



How does the use of energy and water affect sustainability?



How can businesses operate more sustainably?



How does the purchasing that a business does affect sustainability?



How does the use of transportation affect sustainability? Both for customers, and for getting materials to and from the business?

Days 4-6: PLANNING FOR DISSEMINATION 1. Facilitate a discussion on what students learned about sustainability and decide how the class can communicate their knowledge to local businesses and the community. (Students decided to create two brochures: one about the project and one about sustainable practices, to be distributed to local businesses.)

2. Students plan and develop their materials, and plan their field trips. Some of this work is done in teams, and some is done in role groups (with all Materials Managers and Photographers working together to plan the brochure, for example).



Materials Managers and Photographers plan the layout of the two brochures. Their goal is to create a pre-print for review. Photographers also use this time to become familiar

Doing Business in Birmingham with Photosynth so they can stitch photos together to create a 3D view of the area surrounding the business. 

Videographers plan how to obtain the photo and video equipment for every team. They also use this time to familiarize themselves with MovieMaker so they are ready to edit their footage.



Communications Managers and Project Managers plan the field trips to the businesses. This includes using Bing maps to research the locations of the businesses. Their plans should address the following: 

What area are we visiting? (Use Bing maps and assign territories)



What businesses are in the team’s territory?



List the businesses.



Do searches on what the businesses do and produce.



Each team selects two businesses within their territory to visit.



Begin thinking about specific sustainable processes for those businesses.

What can we learn in advance about each business? 

Create tables with information on businesses.



Possible sustainable practices.



Who we might speak to? (Owners? Managers?) Try to get specific names.

What can we do during the field trip?

Days 7-8: REVIEW AND FINALIZE MATERIALS 1. Group members change roles: Materials Managers, Photographers and Videographers review business maps and information while Project Managers and Communications Managers edit the two brochures. Remind students to give detailed and specific feedback for improvement.

2. Students integrate the feedback they received. 3. Brochures are printed for distribution. Day 9: FIELD TRIP TO BUSINESSES! Day 10: DEVELOP RUBRIC FOR RATING BUSINESSES 1. Discuss the trip in teams, and what teams learned.

2. As a class, build a rubric for rating the sustainability of businesses. 

How can we rate the businesses?

Doing Business in Birmingham 

What indicators and descriptors can we use that people outside of the classroom will understand?



How can we illustrate the ratings?

3. Teams apply the rubric to the data they gathered and rate each business they visited. Each team has to provide evidence to support their rating. Days 11-15: PLAN & DEVELOP THE WIKI 1. The class reviews an existing rubric for evaluating wikis and adapts it to our needs.

2. The class also defines proper wiki etiquette and rules for team members to ensure successful collaboration.

3. Students plan content and layout of the Wiki. 



What do we want on the Wiki? 

Contents of pages



Materials collected: videos and photos taken during field trips



Information that will be useful to the participating businesses?



Information that will help others in the community learn about sustainable practices?

What will the “feel” or layout look like? 

Colors



How we lay out our materials



How we lay out our findings



What attachments/links do we want?



How can each team document their research on Days 2-3? What is a standard format that can be used across all research areas?



How can users interact with the site? How can we encourage them to use it actively?



Remind students that there should be at least 1 review cycle for the wiki. Every student must review at least one other page they did not create and provide concrete feedback.



Provide time for students’ self-reflection on their role, and evaluation of fellow team members.



Student volunteers from each team complete the following tasks:



Write letters of appreciation to the participating businesses.



Create invitations for the wiki launch party. Invite the businesses and parents.

Doing Business in Birmingham ď&#x201A;ˇ

Plan the wiki launch party.

CELEBRATE THE CLASSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S SUCCESS AT THE WIKI LAUNCH PARTY!

Wiki Rubric We took an existing wiki rubric and edited it so that we could use it to assess the pages that we made for the wiki. Please edit it to meet your needs ELEMENT

Exemplary 3

Proficient 2

Partially Proficient 1

Content

Provides comprehensive insight, understanding, and useful tips for sustainability in your assigned aspect of business

Provides a moderate amount of insight, understanding and useful tips for sustainability in your assigned aspect of business

Provides only minimal understanding or few tips for sustainability in your assigned aspect of business

Provides no ____/3 understanding or useful tips for sustainability in your assigned aspect of business

Explains all ideas clearly and concisely in a logical way

Explains most ideas clearly and concisely in a logical way

Incompletely explains ideas

Fails to explain ideas clearly

Presents all information in a style that is appealing and appropriate for the intended audience.

Presents information in a style that is generally appropriate for the intended audience.

Presents Presents information in a information in a style that is disjointed, often unpolished style inappropriate which is for the inappropriate for intended the intended audience. audience.

____/3

Uses a consistent organizational structure that includes grouping related

Uses an organizational structure which groups some but not all, related

Uses a loosely defined organizational structure which attempts to

____/3

Organization

Unsatisfactory 0

Fails to provide a consistent organizational structure, and information is

POINTS

____/3

Doing Business in Birmingham

Graphics and Multimedia

ELEMENT

Group/Partner Collaboration

Writing

information

group similar items.

difficult to locate.

Includes high quality Photosynth that gives a comprehensive picture of your street

Includes a good Photosynth that gives a clear picture of your street

Includes a low quality Photosynth that gives an incomplete picture of your street

Does not include a Photosynth and no images of your street

____/3

Includes a high quality Cliplet that portrays a significant moment from your trip

Includes a good quality Cliplet that portrays a significant moment from your trip

Includes a low quality Cliplet that portrays a moment from your trip

Does not include a Cliplet to portray a significant moment from your trip

____/3

Partially Proficient 1

Unsatisfactory 0

POINTS

Exemplary 3

Proficient 2

Contributes equally with other group members in researching, writing, and editing.

Assists group members with most of the researching, writing and editing.

Provides minimal assistance to group members in researching, writing and editing, and does not follow through with all tasks.

Provides no assistance to group members in any of the researching, writing and editing and does not follow through with any of the tasks.

____/3

Meets all goals and deadlines.

Usually meets goals and deadlines.

Occasionally meets goals and deadlines.

Does not meet goals and deadlines.

____/3

Exhibits appropriate wiki etiquette when editing and respects the work of others.

Exhibits appropriate wiki etiquette most of the time and generally respects the work of others.

Exhibits a minimal knowledge of wiki etiquette and often fails to respect the work of others.

Exhibits no knowledge of wiki etiquette and fails to respect the work of others.

____/3

Edits the text

Edits the text,

Edits the text but

____/3

Doing Business in Birmingham Mechanics

with no errors in grammar, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.

with minor additional editing required for grammar, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.

but errors in grammar, capitalization, punctuation and spelling distract or impair readability. (3 or more errors)

numerous errors in grammar, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling repeatedly distract the reader and major revision is required. (more than 5 errors)

TOTAL POINTS

__/30

Here is an example of the Star Ranking we gave to businesses:

Student Work Rubric We worked as a team to develop rubrics for the field trip team roles: Communications Manager, Materials Manager, Photographer, Project Manager and Videogr apher. Here is a rubric for the Project Manager’s role as an example. Name of Project Manager:

Needs Improvement (0-1)

Satisfactory (2-3)

Excellent (4-5)

Score

Responsibilities

  

Rarely  checked with team to offer help and support Rarely  checked work for quality Rarely  encouraged or supported the team

Checked  with team to offer some help and support Checked  some work for quality Was a  supportive leader who helped guide the team

Checked constantly with team to offer help and support Checked all work for quality Was a strong , encouraging leader who helped guide the team successfully

Doing Business in Birmingham

Workload



Often dominates, sits passively, or gets distracted.



Sometim  es dominates, sits passively, or gets distracted.



Usually shares the workload equally, encourages others as needed, offers help as needed, and accepts direction from team members. Usually follows role assignments.

Listening



Talks most  of the time, rarely allowing input from others - Or –



Rarely talks, requiring partner(s) to do most talking



Occasional  ly able to read and manage their own motivations and behaviors

Usually balances talking and listening, though tends a little more to one than the other



Listens attentively to others ideas, asks questions when needed, offers ideas, and encourages others input

Able to read and manage their own motivations and behaviors.



Able to read and manage their own and others' emotions, motivations, and behaviors.

Decision Making



decision making

Dominates 

- Or –



Sometim  es seeks to reach a consensus, but often goes with just a majority rule 

Seeks to reach a consensus for all decisions. Uses appropriate conflict resolution skills as necessary.

Sometim  es builds solutions or decisions from ideas of other team members. Gives some thought to similarities and differences of members’ ideas.

Frequent ly builds solutions or makes decisions synthesizing ideas from all team members

Generally  considers all ideas, sometimes seeks to synthesize, and sometimes makes compromises.

Carefully and respectfully considers all ideas, seeks to synthesize, and compromises when needed. Works to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

Allows others to dominate decision making

Interdependence



Rarely builds solutions or decisions from ideas of other team members.

 

Flexibility



Has  difficulty considering all other’s ideas, synthesizing, or compromising



Overall Comments:

Doing Business in Birmingham

Title of Learning Activity & Age of Students

Title: Doing Business in Birmingham

Average Student Age: 11 years

What did you hope your students would learn from this learning activity?

Students will learn:   

about sustainable practices and how to effect change within their community how technology tools can enable them to make authentic connections beyond the classroom to synthesize their learning and generate creative solutions to real world problems

Students will also create a wiki as public evidence of what they learned and their contributions to the community. I am attaching a lesson plan that I used to guide the activities, but this was not distributed to the students. I really wanted students to shape the project so I left details open for discussion, such as the rubrics and planning the wiki. 

Did you have learning goals from more than one discipline (for example, literature and history, or science and math) for this learning activity? Yes. See lesson. Were students required to work in pairs or as a group on any part of this learning

4. activity?  No

 Working in groups was optional. Please describe below the work that students did together. X Working in groups was required. Please describe below the work that students did together. Students worked in teams throughout the project. Each student had specific roles and responsibilities, and contributed to the team’s work and the class wiki.

Doing Business in Birmingham

Were students allowed to work with technology (ICT) such as computers or digital cameras for any part of this learning activity? Please describe.  No technology was used for this learning activity.  Students could use technology for this activity X Students were required to use technology for this activity We used several technology products throughout the project such as Bing Maps and Photosynth. See lesson for complete list.

What criteria did you use to judge the quality of students’ work on this learning activity? Were students aware of the criteria in advance of completing the learning activity? The students and I worked together to create two rubrics for evaluating student work. One was used to grade their work on the project: grading their own work, the work of their team-mates, and for me to grade their work. The second rubric was used to evaluate our wiki. We took an existing wiki rubric and adopted it for our needs. These rubrics are posted on the resources page of our class wiki: http://doingbusinessinbirmingham.wikis.birmingham.k12.mi.us/Resources . I am also attaching them to this lesson for your convenience.

How long did the learning activity take?  Completed in a single class period  Completed in 2-4 days X Required one week or more to complete

What verbal instructions did you give to students? Throughout the project we had class discussions about how to approach each task. This included assigning student roles on the team, creating a plan for visiting businesses and collecting the information (data) from the field. We had discussions to create the rubrics for evaluating the work students would do.

Doing Business in Birmingham Later, we developed evaluation criteria for the businesses as a way to describe their progress towards implementing sustainability practices. As a class, we determined how to create the wiki pages and design the entire wiki experience to be user-friendly and useful. The students have created wikis before, so we did a quick review of how to work in a wiki. 9.

Is there any other information you would like to include to help another teacher using this learning activity be successful? Students enjoyed being able to influence their community by learning a bout sustainability in business and sharing what they learned. They also liked having an opportunity to get out into the community to meet business owners, and creating a Wiki to share their findings and their hard work. To view the Wiki and resources we created, please visit: http://doingbusinessinbirmingham.wikis.birmingham.k12.mi.us/

Falklands War

Falklands War Thursday, November 08, 2012 6:32 AM

The Falklands War On April 2, 1982, Argentina invaded and occupied the Falklands Islands. Both the Argentine Republic and the United Kingdom claimed ownership over these islands. The Argentine Republic characterized the offensive as the re-occupation of its own territory, but the UK saw it as an invasion on a British dependent territory. Margaret Thatcher, the Prime Minister of the UK at the time, launched a naval task force to engage the Argentine forces and retake the islands. The war lasted 74 days, and finally ended with the surrender of Argentine troops on June 14, 1982. Our class will conduct a research project about the Falklands War. We will gather information about the conflict between the UK and the Argentine Republic and debate the question of whether Argentina’s actions were justified. Once we have compiled our facts and developed our arguments, we will put everything in a wiki (an interactive website) that will be linked to the class homepage. 1) Whole Class Discussion  

What are we going to learn about? What do we know so far about doing historical research? About this conflict?  How can we evaluate each group’s contribution to the Wiki? What criteria can we use? (Create a rubric for this project.)  Who is the audience for the website? (It would be particularly interesting to get feedback and postings from people in Argentina and the UK.) How can we reach people in that audience?  What design features for the website should we agree on?

2) Background: Reading and Discussion On the Internet, locate four newspaper articles from different international sources that might have different perspectives about the conflict between the UK and the Argentine Republic in the Falklands. As you read the articles, think about the following questions. Discuss the questions in your group.  What was Margaret Thatcher’s strategy and what were her goals?  How was Prime Minister Thatcher’s plan received by British citizens? How was it received by the international community? c. Do you think Prime Minister Thatcher’s plan was a good one? Why or why not? 3) Group Research 1

Falklands War Each group will research a specific topic that relates to the war in the Falklands, and develop the information into a webpage. Consider including in your research a conversation with someone in our target audience. It is your responsibility to assign tasks within your groups. The topics are:  The history of the Falklands  Events leading to the war in the Falklands  The effects of the war in the Falklands  The effects of the war in the UK  Should the Argentine Republic have invaded the Falklands?  Should the UK have retaliated?

4) As a group, build a webpage on your topic. 5) Ask another group to visit your webpage and review it based on the evaluation criteria we came up with as a class. If you contacted people in our target audience, you can also seek feedback from them. 6) All group pages will be integrated into one class wiki about the Falklands War. Make any changes to your webpage before integrating it into our class wiki.

Falklands War

Title of Learning Activity Falklands War Student Age – 14 years

What did you hope your students would learn from this learning activity?I wanted students to learn about the war and the larger issues surrounding it so that they could think critically and form opinions, using methods that historians use. It was also important for them to learn to compare and evaluate a variety of news sources. I wanted students to make a class Wiki, to learn how to present information for a broader audience than the teacher or their classmates. By creating and launching the Wiki for use by students in other countries, they will be thinking about users that have different needs than their own.

Did you have learning goals from more than one discipline (for example, literature and history, or science and math) for this learning activity? Yes. Students are learning how to research and report like historians. They are also learning how to create a webpage to be part of a class Wiki, where they can present their findings to a broad audience.

Were students required to work in pairs or as a group on any part of this learning activity?  No  Working in groups was optional. Please describe below the work that students did together.  Working in groups was required. Please describe below the work that students did together. Students worked in groups to discuss the questions about the war, and then students worked in groups to do research about their topics. Each group created a webpage on their topics. All pages were integrated into one class wiki.

Falklands War 5.

Were students allowed to work with technology (ICT) such as computers or digital cameras for any part of this learning activity? Please describe.  No technology was used for this learning activity.  Students could use technology for this activity  Students were required to use technology for this activity Students used the internet to find news articles and then they created a Wiki in the final stage of the project. Some students used Skype to communicate with classrooms in the UK and Argentina.

What criteria did you use to judge the quality of students’ work on this learning activity? Were students aware of the criteria in advance of completing the learning activity? I graded my students on whether they had completed each step of the assignment, and on the quality of their research and written work. For their group work, students were asked to comment on their team members’ contributions. How long did the learning activity take?  a. Completed in a single class period  b. Completed in 2-4 days  c. Required one week or more to complete

What were verbal instructions did you give to students? I encouraged them to talk to their parents and other people outside of school while working on the project.

Is there any other information you would like to include to help another teacher using this learning activity be successful? Throughout the year, several of our big projects culminate in a classroom Wiki.

Great Train Internet

Great Train Internet Thursday, November 08, 2012 6:28 AM

The Great Train Robbery Internet Research Projects Before reading The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton, you will embark upon a “web quest” (Internet research project) about Victorian England. This is the era in which the novel is set. This project will help you to know more about the Victorian Era, to help you interpret the story. You will learn how to do historical research, and you will present what you learned in a presentation to the class so you develop public speaking skills Working in pairs on the computers, your task is to research one of the topics below about Victorian England on sites like www.thevictorianweb.com or www.victorianlondon.org. Decide what is most important for the class to understand about the topic and work together to develop a PowerPoint presentation to teach them those things. You and your partner are responsible for creating a workplan that will outline who is doing what tasks in order to do the research and create your presentations over the next five days. You will present your topic to the class on Friday. Remember the qualities of public speaking: eye contact, volume, rate, pronunciation, poise, and maturity. Your presentation will be rated on the public speaking rubric we have used since last year. You will also be rated on the content of your presentation, including the depth and the accuracy of the information in your report. You will choose one of the following topics to research:               

Queen Victoria Science The Workhouse Child Labor The Role of Women The Gentleman Fashion Crime Education Art Religion Poor Laws Health Manners Literature

Remember that you can use what you have learned in other classes in doing this project. What important historical events happened in the Victorian Era (1837 to 1901)?

Great Train Internet

Title of Learning Activity Great Train Internet Student age – 14 years

What did you hope your students would learn from this learning activity? Students will conduct research about the Victorian era in England and report their findings. Students will learn about the historical background of a piece of literature. Students will create and deliver oral presentations to improve their public speaking skills.

Did you have learning goals from more than one discipline (for example, literature and history, or science and math) for this learning activity? Yes. Students had learning goals in both history and language arts. In history students will investigate and report their findings about the Victorian Era in England through searching on the internet. In language arts, students will analyze a piece of literature keeping in mind the historical context in which the literature is situated. As students integrate the information from their findings, they will need to interpret how the writing from the Victorian era reflects the ways that people from that time saw the world.

Were students required to work in pairs or as a group on any part of this learning activity? ¨ No ¨ Working in groups was optional. Please describe below the work that students did together. þ Working in groups was required. Please describe below the work that students did together. Students did this project in pairs and they did their presentations together in pairs.

Were students allowed to work with technology (ICT) such as computers or digital cameras for any part of this learning activity? Please describe. ¨ No technology was used for this learning activity.

Great Train Internet ¨ Students could use technology for this activity þ Students were required to use technology for this activity Students used the computer to research information online. I allowed them to use any software to create their presentations, e.g., Powerpoint, MovieMaker, Autocollage. 6.

What criteria did you use to judge the quality of students’ work on this learning activity? Were students aware of the criteria in advance of completing the learning activity? I used a public-speaking rubric which the students have seen many times. I also graded students on the content of the presentations – depth and accuracy of the information presented.

How long did the learning activity take? ¨ a. Completed in a single class period ¨ b. Completed in 2-4 days þ c. Required one week or more to complete

What verbal instructions did you give to students? Refer to the rubric as your prepare your presentation. Use the Internet, PowerPoint, Word, and other technology tools of your choice. As you read through the information, be thinking about how people in the Victorian era saw the world. Choose a topic which is interesting to you, but also shows what life was like in the Victorian era. I will give you five class days to complete all your work. Make sure you plan your time wisely, and assign yourselves homework if there are tasks you can do at home. Use your time in class to coordinate your work.

House on Mango Street

House on Mango Street 17 December 2012 12:18

21CLD Learning Activity Example The House on Mango Street is a memoir written by Sandra Cisneros about her experiences growing up on a street in Chicago which is populated by impoverished immigrants from Latin America. Step 1. Read the book. Reflect on this question: “What are some of the important elements of the immigrant experience?” Step 2. Find someone in your neighborhood or family who is an immigrant to the United States. You will interview this person to ask them, “Tell me two or three of the most important problems you faced when you first immigrated to the United States.” Ask them to describe what the world they lived in was like and how their community treated them. You can conduct your interview alone or with a friend, but you will still have to submit separate poems. Step 3. Based on all that you learned from the book and interview, write a poem about a real problem that immigrants face when they come to the United states and how that impacts their life. Reflect on the following: Why is it so hard? What can non-immigrants and others in the community do to make the transition easier for immigrants? Think about people in your community who might not be aware of what immigrants expe rience. How can you communicate what you have learned to this audience? Use vivid language to make the experience more real to your readers. Offer suggestions that are realistic so they might be useful to the reader. Step 4. Work in pairs with another student. Read your partner’s poem. Think about the following questions, and use them to provide feedback to help your partner edit and improve his or her poem:  Does the poem have enough detail? Is it clear what you are describing? Mark places that are vague.  Is the poem written using correct conventions and grammar? Does it follow one of the patterns that we learned about in class? Note any mistakes.  What would make the poem better?

House on Mango Street Step 5. Use your partnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s comments to edit your poem. Fix all mistakes and consider your partnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s suggestions for improving the poem. Step 6. Put your poem into final form. It must be typed, using double spacing in Times New Roman, size 12.

House on Mango Street

Title of Learning Activity & Average Age of Students

Title: House on Mango Street

Average Age of Students: 13 years What did you hope your students would learn from this learning activity?

The goal is that students will gain an awareness of the immigrant experience and be able to communicate this to others using what they learned in our poetry lesson. They first read the book in order to gain an understanding of the challenges immigrants face. They will gather and synthesize information about a particular group of people. Interviewing a real immigrant and understanding his or her context will allow them to build a deeper connection that will help them be more sensitive to others and give them something real to write about. 3.

Did you have learning goals from more than one discipline (for example, literature and history, or science and math) for this learning activity? This learning activity has learning goals in history and language arts. The history goal for students is to synthesize information about the immigrant experience in the United States by researching online and interviewing an immigrant. The language arts goal is for students to write a poem about the immigrant experience and build on their previous experiences with the genre of poetry. Were students required to work in pairs or as a group on any part of this learning activity?

4. ď&#x201A;¨ No

ď&#x201A;¨ Working in groups was optional. Please describe below the work that students did together. ď&#x192;ž Working in groups was required. Please describe below the work that students did together. Students shared their poem with another classmate to get feedback before submitting it to me. I also allowed the students to pair up during the interviews, if they wanted to, but each one had to submit his/her own poem.

House on Mango Street 5.

Were students allowed to work with technology (ICT) such as computers or digital cameras for any part of this learning activity? Please describe.  No technology was used for this learning activity.  Students could use technology for this activity  Students were required to use technology for this activity Students were required to use ICT for both research and typing their final product

What criteria did you use to judge the quality of students’ work on this learning activity? Were students aware of the criteria in advance of completing the learning activity? I checked for grammar and made sure they followed one of the patterns of poetry tha t we had learned. I checked for the quality of their writing and to see if the poem included details from the reading and what they may have learned from the interview.

How long did the learning activity take?  a. Completed in a single class period  b. Completed in 2-4 days  c. Required one week or more to complete

What verbal instructions did you give to students? I reminded students about our past lesson on the poetry patterns and that they should follow one of these patterns when they write their poem.

Indigenous Cultures

Indigenous Cultures 17 December 2012 11:42

Indigenous Cultures Assignment: You will work in groups of six. Within your group, you will select a region of the world (such as South America, the Pacific Islands, or Africa). Day 1: In your group, think together about what you already know about this region of the world. Then decide: if you were planning to visit this region, what do you think you should bring with you? Days 2-3: Looking at the lists on the whiteboard, each student in the group will select a different indigenous culture in your region. Individually, use the Internet to research your indigenous culture and the area where the people live. You have 3 kinds of information you need to find: 1.

What are the features of the land and the climate the people live in?

What type of house or dwelling do the people use?

What kind of dress is typical for the people?

Day 4: Make drawings of the land, the houses, and the style of dress of the people you are studying. Then make your drawings come to life by decorating them with the materials available in the art bin. Write a short paragraph about land, houses, and dress.

Day 5: Together with your group mates, find a map of your region on the Internet. Put all your drawings on a poster board, together with the map. Draw a line from each drawing to the part of the region that it is from.

Day 6: Each person in the group will present for 2-3 minutes on their chosen indigenous culture.

Indigenous Cultures

21CLD Learning Activity Cover Sheet Title of Learning Activity & Average Age of Students

Title: Indigenous Cultures Assignment Average Age of Students: 11 years

What did you hope your students would learn from this learning activity?

2. Students Students Students Students 3.

will will will will

learn to find information on the Internet. learn about indigenous cultures and how they lived. practice their artistic/creative skills. practice writing.

Did you have learning goals from more than one discipline (for example, literature and history, or science and math) for this learning activity? This activity has learning goals in history and language arts. The goal for history is for students to learn about indigenous cultures through internet research and describe how indigenous peoples lived. For language arts, student will demonstrate their oral speaking abilities during their presentation. Were students required to work in pairs or as a group on any part of this learning

4. activity?  No

Indigenous Cultures  Students could use technology for this activity  Students were required to use technology for this activity Students needed computers to help them search information.

What criteria did you use to judge the quality of students’ work on this learning activity? Were students aware of the criteria in advance of completing the learning activity? I had a rubric scale for every aspect: the completeness of their descriptions of indigenous cultures, the group work, and the individual presentation.

How long did the learning activity take?  a. Completed in a single class period  b. Completed in 2-4 days  c. Required one week or more to complete

What verbal instructions did you give to students? I will grade you on accuracy and how well you work as a team. I expect you to be hard working and to use your time wisely. If you think you’re done, you can always add more details.

School Change

School Change 17 December 2012 12:20

School Change: What Are Your Ideas? PART 1. Analyzing Compare any two (2) sample letters from the set I provided. Does each letter convince you? List the strengths and weaknesses of each. Try to develop two principles of good persuasive writing based on your analysis. Be prepared to share your answers during our class brainstorm.

PART 2. Letter Writing The school leader is looking for ways to improve our school, without increasing cost. He has asked our class for ideas. Choose something about the school that you would like to change, and figure out what you could say to the school leader to persuade him to make the change you want. Write a letter to the school leader explaining the change and giving three reasons to make that change. Write neatly and be careful with spelling and punctuation because we will give the letters to him so he can consider our ideas when he decides what to do. Process: 1.

Decide on a change you would like to make.

Generate reasons why the change you want would benefit the school.

Decide which 3 reasons would be most likely to persuade the school leader to do what you want.

Write a persuasive letter to the school leader using the principles of persuasive writing we generated as a class. You should devote one paragraph to each of your three reasons.

School Change

21CLD Learning Activity Cover Sheet Title of Learning Activity & Average Age of Students

Title: School Change Average Age of Students: 11 What did you hope your students would learn from this learning activity?

Students are learning how to write a persuasive essay. They are learning how to frame an argument about something they think is important. I want students to learn that writing has power, so we are mailing our letters to the school leader. 3.

Did you have learning goals from more than one discipline (for example, literature and history, or science and math) for this learning activity? No. Were students required to work in pairs or as a group on any part of this learning

4. activity?  No

 Working in groups was optional. Please describe below the work that students did together.  Working in groups was required. Please describe below the work that students did together. No. 5.

Were students allowed to work with technology (ICT) such as computers or digital cameras for any part of this learning activity? Please describe.  No technology was used for this learning activity.  Students could use technology for this activity  Students were required to use technology for this activity No technology was used for this learning activity.

School Change 6.

What criteria did you use to judge the quality of students’ work on this learning activity? Were students aware of the criteria in advance of completing the learning activity? I used the six point writing rubric to grade their letters. This rubric was given to students prior to them submitting work.

How long did the learning activity take?  a. Completed in a single class period  b. Completed in 2-4 days  c. Required one week or more to complete

What verbal instructions did you give to students? Think about your audience: make sure the reasons you describe for making the change you propo se will be compelling to the school leader. Start by creating pre-writing notes to organize your thoughts. Check carefully to be sure your sentences are complete, and your spelling and punctuation are correct.

Is there any other information you would like to include to help another teacher using this learning activity be successful? For Part 1, I provided a set of letters to the editor that have been published in the local newspaper. Students analyzed the letters, but I did not collect their work. Rather, the whole class discussed the strengths and weaknesses of each sample and came up with a list of the most important features. I ask students to use the six point rubrics to score their own work before I give them my score. I’m helping them to understand how the six points are applied, and how they can improve their own writing.