Math with TAPS: "Talk About Problem Solving"

           STEPS:

 1.    PT - What is the "Problem Type" 

 2.      F - What are we trying to "Find"

 3.      G - What are we "Given"

 4.      T - What type of "Tricks" can we use

 5.      S - "Solve" the problem

PBL: Building a Project

Autobiographical Portfolio Project

Subjects: Math, Humanities, Art, Computer Science

Grade Level:2nd/3rd

Duration: 3 to 5 Weeks

School: Juan Diego Academy

Project Details

• Title:  Autobiographical Portfolio Project
• Author:  Steve Smith
• Content Area: Humanities, Art, Computer Science
• Essential Question:  How does the student perceive “who they are” as a family member and what family

            relationships nurtured this perception.

Summary:   The Autobiographical Portfolio Project is designed for any level of school instruction.  This interdisciplinary unit will engage each student with writing, directing, and production of an autobiographical multi-media personal reflection. Each student will be asked to write a script about the influential people in their lives.  Each student will create a web based narrative page that consists of photos, text, and a single short film.  The entire process of building this autobiography will be done via the technology used at school.  This unit will highlight their writing skills and feature their multi-media computer skills.

What Will Students Be Able To Do:  

• Students will begin the unit working in pairs.  They will write and re-write their personal narrative as a team. Once the narrative has been refined, they will move into the next phase of the project which includes the story boarding of their video narrative.  
• They will be using numerous software applications to complete this section of the project (Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, WeVideo,etc.)
• Each student will be building out thier own online blog and create a biographical short movie.
• Each student will be required to interview a mentor in their lives and from this interview they will create a paragraph that defines who they are as successful students.

What Will Students Know:  

• Students will learn how to create a complete multimedia project that is web based.

Student Deliverables:  

• 1 page written autobiography
• Online Blog:  Featuring written biography, multiple photos, and video narration of text
• 1 – 2 minute video narration with story board of content

Project Documents:

• Blogsite template
• WeVideo tutorial
• Photoshop tutorial
• Project Check-In List
• Student Created Presentation Rubric

Method of Instruction:

0 – 30 min Description of project and preview of deliverables

30 – 180 min Tutorials of software utilized during web work and video editing

180 – 360 min   This will be when the students pair up and write their narratives and review each others content.  

They will be responsible for providing photos for their web page and they will be scanning these items into their presentations.  All layout work will begin as soon as they complete their check-in list.

360 – 540 min Video editing will begin and story boards will be created prior to shooting.  The entire class will approve the content during a critiquing session that will last for approximately one hour.

540 – 600 min Video editing seminar with WeVideo tutorial.  Demonstration of WeVideo using students work as a sample for the lesson.  Professional video editor will be brought in to instruct the class on the proper terms and usage of media.

600 – 900 min Final presentations begin and all students will be graded by student created presentation rubric.  This will be the final project and will be graded as 20% of the entire grade for the semester.

Visual Arts Content Standards:

1.2 Identify and describe scale (proportion) as applied to two-dimensional and three-dimensional works of art.

Analyze Art Elements and Principles of Design:

1.3 Identify and describe the ways in which artists convey the illusion of space (e.g., placement, overlapping, relative size, atmospheric perspective, and linear perspective).

1.4 Analyze and describe how the elements of art and the principles of design contribute to the expressive qualities of their own works of art.

Skills, Processes, Materials, and Tools

2.1 Develop increasing skill in the use of at least three different media.

2.2 Use different forms of perspective to show the illusion of depth on a two-dimensional surface.

2.3 Develop skill in using mixed media while guided by a selected principle of design.

2.4 Develop skill in mixing paints and showing color relationships.

Derive Meaning

4.1 Explain the intent of a personal work of art and draw possible parallels between it and the work of a recognized artist.

4.2 Analyze the form (how a work of art looks) and content (what a work of art communicates) of works of art.

Make Informed Judgments

4.3 Take an active part in a small-group discussion about the artistic value of specific works of art, with a wide range of the viewpoints of peers being considered.

4.4 Develop and apply specific and appropriate criteria individually or in groups to assess and critique works of art.

4.5 Identify what was done when a personal work of art was reworked and explain how those changes improved the work.

 

JDA 2016: Harmony Training

Schools of The Future

Storybird Results

Assessment Results:

Rehearsals:



 Presentations of Learning: ( Storybird Starts at 6:12)

 

JDA PBL Training: 8/8/2016

Warm-Up Activity:

1.  Could you please write down one of your most memorable learning experience and be specific about the details of what made it your favorite.

2.  When you done with your reflection, turn and share out the experience with a friend and see what commonalities they share.

Introduction of PBL:

The 6 "A's" of Project Based Learning

Authenticity

Does the project emanate from a problem that has meaning to the student?

Is it a problem or question that might actually be tackled by an adult at work or in the community?

Do students create or produce something that has personal and/or social value, beyond the school setting?

Academic Rigor

Does the project lead students to acquire and apply knowledge central to one or more discipline or content areas?

Does it challenge students to use methods of inquiry central to one or more disciplines? (e.g., to think like a scientist)

Do students develop higher order thinking skills and habits of mind? (e.g., searching for evidence, taking different perspectives)? 

Applied Learning

Does the learning take place in the context of a semi-structured problem, grounded in life and work in the world beyond school?

Does the project lead students to acquire and use competencies expected in high performance work organizations (e.g., teamwork, appropriate use of technology, problem solving and communication)?

Does the work require students to develop organizational and self-management skills?

Active Exploration

Do students spend significant amounts of time doing field-based work?

Does the project require students to engage in real investigations, using a variety of methods, media, and sources?

Are students expected to communicate what they are learning through presentation and/or performance? 

Adult Relationships

Do students meet and observe adults with relevant expertise and experience?

Do students have an opportunity to work closely with at least one adult?

Do adults collaborate on the design and assessment of student work?

Assessment

Do students reflect regularly on their learning using clear project criteria that they have helped to set?

Do adults from outside the classroom help students develop a sense of real world standards for this type of work?

Will there be opportunities for regular assessment of student work through a range of methods, including exhibitions and portfolios.


Key Characteristics of PBL:  It was a project, it involved community, it had fear of failure, it had recognition of success, it had a mentor, it had a public display of your work...now how does this connect with the way you teach?
Exemplar of what "PBL" looks like:

Final Reflection: Consultancy Protocol

Consultancy Protocol, adapted for projects

Adapted from Gene Thompson-Grove,

 National School Reform Faculty (NSRF)

Purpose: A consultancy is a structured process for helping an individual or a team to think more expansively about a particular plan or concrete issue.

Time:    Approximately 50 minutes

Roles:   Presenter  (whose work is being discussed by the group)

  Facilitator  (who sometimes participates, depending on the group size)

Steps:

1. Presentation (5-10 minutes), including, perhaps:

• Overview
• Essential question(s)
• Product(s)
• Learning goals
• Timeline/Milestones (what duration, what checkpoints or intermediate products)
• Strategies for meeting the needs of diverse learners, including EL and special needs
• Presentation (how will students present/exhibit their work)
• Assessment
• A “burning question” the presenter has about this project

OR

The presenter gives an overview of the dilemma/issue with which s/he is struggling,

and frames a question for the consultancy group to consider.   The framing of this question, as well as the quality of the presenter’s reflection on the plan/issue being discussed, are key features of this protocol.   If the presenter has brought student work, educator work, or other “artifacts,” there is a pause here to silently examine the work/documents.  The focus of the group’s conversation is on the dilemma.

2.     The consultancy group asks clarifying questions of the presenter—that is,

questions that have brief, factual answers.     (5 minutes)

3.     The group asks probing questions of the presenter. These questions should be worded so that they help the presenter clarify and expand his/her thinking about the plan/issue presented to the consultancy group.   The goal here is for the presenter to learn more about the project/issue s/he framed or to do some analysis of the plan/issue presented.   The presenter may respond to the group’s questions, but there is no discussion by the consultancy group of the presenter’s responses.    At the end of the ten minutes, the facilitator asks the presenter to re-state his/her question for the group (for dilemma only).     (10 minutes)

4. The group talks with each other about the plan/issue presented.     (15 minutes)

Possible questions to frame the discussion:

What did we hear?  

What didn’t we hear that we think might be relevant?

What assumptions seem to be operating?

What questions does the plan/issue raise for us?  

What do we think about the plan/issue?

What might we do, or what have we done in similar situations? 

Members of the group sometimes suggest refinements/solutions to the plan/issue.  Most often, however, they work to define the issues more thoroughly and objectively.  The presenter doesn’t speak during this discussion, but instead listens and takes notes.   

5.     The presenter reflects on what s/he heard and on what s/he is now thinking, sharing with the group anything that particularly resonated for him or her during any part of the consultancy.    (5 minutes)

6.     The facilitator leads a brief conversation about the group’s observation of the consultancy process.      (5 minutes)

Some Tips (Dilemma Consultancy)

Step 1: The success of the consultancy often depends on the quality of the presenter’s reflection in Step 1 as well as on the quality and authenticity of the question framed for the consultancy group.   However, it is not uncommon for the presenter at the end of a consultancy to say, “Now I know what my real question is.”  That is fine, too.   It is sometimes helpful for the presenter to prepare ahead of time a brief (one-two page) written description of the plan/issue and the issues related to it for the consultancy group to read as part of Step 1.

Step 2: Clarifying questions are for the person asking them.  They ask the presenter “who, what, where, when, and how.”   These are not “why” questions.   They can be answered quickly and succinctly, often with a phrase or two.

Step 3: Probing questions are for the person answering them.   They ask the presenter “why” (among other things), and are open-ended.   They take longer to answer, and often require deep thought on the part of the presenter before s/he speaks.

Step 4: When the group talks while the presenter listens, it is helpful for the presenter to pull his/her chair back slightly away from the group.   This protocol asks the consultancy group to talk about the presenter in the third person, almost as if s/he is not there.   As awkward as this may feel at first, it often opens up a rich conversation, and it gives the presenter an opportunity to listen and take notes, without having to respond to the group in any way.   Remember that it is the group’s job to offer an analysis of the plan/issue or question presented.   It is not necessary to solve the plan/issue or to offer a definitive answer.

It is important for the presenter to listen in a non-defensive manner.   Listen for new ideas, perspectives, and approaches.   Listen to the group’s analysis of your question/issues.   Listen for assumptions—both your own and the group’s—implicit in the conversation.   Don’t listen for judgment of you by the group.   This is not supposed to be about you, but about a question you have raised.   Remember that you asked the group to help you with this plan/issue.

Step 5: The point of this time period is not for the presenter to give a “blow by blow” response to the group’s conversation, nor is it to defend or further explain.    Rather, this is a time for the presenter to talk about what were, for him/her, the most significant comments, ideas and questions s/he heard.   The presenter can also share any new thoughts or questions s/he had while listening to the consultancy group.

Step 6: Debriefing the process is key.   Don’t short-change this step.

Collegiate Alumni Inside Info

Stop Motion Animation Project

Gallery Walk and Cornell Notes

To Be Discussed

Internship Presentations of Learning Protocols

Internship and IPOL Information

Sample Internship Intro:

Good Afternoon,

Our school internship program has several exceptional candidates that are interested in developing a community service internship project with your company.  This would be an incredible learning/outreach project for everyone involved and we would enjoy the opportunity to speak with you more about the possibilities.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions at: edtech@mdjda.org

Our students, families and staff appreciate your support and we look forward to working with you.

Sincerely,

Steve Smith

CTE / Entrepreneurship and Technology Instructor

Mater Dei Catholic High School

Temecula 24 Hour Urgent Care

Phone - (951) 795-4923
Fax - (951) 506-0992 41715 Winchester Road - Suite 101
Temecula, California 92590

Internship Project Description

This form is designed for students and mentors to work together to create a meaningful project that contributes to the internship site. Some sites might choose to have the students complete a few smaller projects and some might focus on one larger one. Either way is fine as long as each intern ends their internship experience with a tangible product(s) that they developed or helped to create. It is important that the project drive the student’s experience rather than the site itself. It is the work that is done at their internship sites that will make the time spent there meaningful and therefore projects/activities must be planned out according to the intern’s interests and abilities. Each intern will be required to present their project at their work site. Interns will present to their mentor, their colleagues, a MDCHS staff member, and a small group of MDCHS students. Two sample projects are described at the end of this packet.

Intern Name_____________________________________

Site Name_______________________________________

Mentor__________________________________________

Mentor Signature________________________________

I. With your mentor, answer the following questions in order to begin

brain-storming ideas for your internship project:

1. What skills (academic, creative, technical) would your intern like to

develop while at your site? (Be specific)

2. What interests do you have in regards to the work that is done at your

internship site?

3. What needs of the internship site/mentor can you address based on your skills and interests?

II. When designing project ideas with your mentor it is important to answer “yes”to the

following questions:

1. Will this project/projects take 3 weeks to complete?

2. Will you be required to use academic, creative, and/or technical skills?

3. Will you be required to learn something new?

4. Will the final product benefit the organization?

5. Will you be able to present your project to your colleagues at the end of your internship?

III. Site Project Description:

Use the information above to develop a project idea.

Internship site:____________________________________________

Department:______________________________________________

Project Description:

Title:___________________________

General Description:

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Estimated time for completion:_____________________

Creative, Academic, and/or technical skills that will be utilized:

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Learning objective: (What will be learned?)

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Organization benefits: (How will this benefit your site?)

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Intern Presentation of Learning:

Sit down with your mentor to create a plan for presenting and demonstrating your successes and projects this semester. You will need to present in a professional setting with your colleagues and/or other professionals at the end of your internship. The date for this presentation is _________.

Plan/ideas for presentation:

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

1. San Diego Ocean Foundation

Interns at San Diego Ocean Foundation will spend time learning about the White Sea Bass Restocking Project, Canyon Watch, and Storm Drain Stenciling programs (training provided), as well as assist with multiple aspects of our Coastal Cleanup Day and our annual Oceans Benefit Gala. After interns become familiar with the programs and the foundation,

the project will be to research, plan, prepare and host a volunteer event to promote ocean stewardship. Interns will choose the topic and type of project. Past interns planned, fundraised and advertised for a Storm Drain Stenciling Day for students at RDVD. Interns also researched and produced a public service announcement on the effects of Storm Drain Pollution.

2. San Diego State Communication Lab

Interns at the San Diego State Communication Lab will research the location and accessibility of fiber-optic infrastructure around the San Diego Harbor and help design a network that would enable ultra-high bandwidth applications such as digital cinema, immersive virtual realities, common operating pictures for humanitarian

assistance and disaster response globally, and collaborative interaction with other groups locally (SDSU, UCSD, Port of San Diego, County of EOC, and others) and international connections to places such as Indonesia, China, Mexico, Canada, and Africa. A professional presentation of the results of the research and demonstrations of possible capabilities will be part of the deliverables for the project.

iPOLs Internship Expectations

(General Expectations)

Presentations should take place last day of internship.

Presentations should be in front of your mentor, a panel of their choosing and the MDCHS visitors.

Dress professionally. Even if you are in a casual environment, please dress appropriately for your presentation.

Maintain proper volume and eye contact.

Provide artifacts (photographs, material objects, or digital examples) that reflect the work and projects completed during the internship.

Your presentation should last 10 minutes. There will be a 10-minute question and answer period to follow.

Topics students should address during presentation:

Describe the activities, responsibilities and duties you completed during your internship.

Describe your project, discuss the steps you took to complete it and explain the project’s usefulness for your organization.

Describe what you learned in general about experiencing the professional working world.

Describe the skill sets that you possessed prior to your internship that were helpful to your site. How did you use them at your internship?

Describe skill sets that you acquired during your internship.

Provide an example of the importance of workplace communication. How did communicating with your mentor and coworkers help your performance?

Provide an example demonstrating the importance of mentorship. How did working closely with your mentor help your understanding of work, school, or your future?

Question and Answer topics to address during presentation:

Be prepared to answer questions about your site’s organization and purpose.

Consider the learning you accomplished during your internship, the role of school in preparing you for work and choices you will make later in life.

See the Suggested iPOL Questions on back.

Suggested iPOL Questions

Site Knowledge / Work & Project

What can you tell us about your work site? What organization does it have? What is the purpose of your site?

What did you learn from completing this internship?

How did you make a meaningful contribution to your workplace?

How did your project go from an idea or inspiration to a final product?

What did you learn about the quality and quantity of your own work?

What qualities or characteristics did you see in your coworkers that you would like to develop in yourself?

Work & School Reflection

How well did school prepare you for your internship experience? What helpful skills and knowledge did you bring?

In what areas could school have better prepared you for your internship? What could you have done better?

How was your work as an intern meaningful to your education? What did it tell you about school?

How was your work significant or meaningful to the world beyond school and your specific internship site?

Work & Life Reflection

What new appreciations did you develop while working as an intern? How so?

How did interpersonal relationships or collaboration influence your views?

How did your view of life beyond high school change or develop during your time as an intern?

What new questions has your internship inspired you to ask about our world?

How might internship influence the direction of your life?

School-to-Work Reflection

In 1994, the U.S. Congress passed the School-to-Work Opportunities Act in an effort to re-establish the benefit that high school students have in learning that comes from being situated in an adult workplace environment. Research has found that these experiences offer students a chance to reflect on the role of work in their life and in society. It also has been found to increase students’ interest in attending and completing college. 

How did the School-to-Work Opportunities Act benefit you this semester?

“6 A’s of Project Based Learning”

Authenticity

Does the project emanate from a problem that has meaning to the student?

Is it a problem or question that might actually be tackled by an adult at work or in the community?

Do students create or produce something that has personal and/or social value, beyond the school setting?

Academic Rigor

Does the project lead students to acquire and apply knowledge central to one or more discipline or content areas?

Does it challenge students to use methods of inquiry central to one or more disciplines? (e.g., to think like a scientist)

Do students develop higher order thinking skills and habits of mind? (e.g., searching for evidence, taking different perspectives)? 

Applied Learning

Does the learning take place in the context of a semi-structured problem, grounded in life and work in the world beyond school?

Does the project lead students to acquire and use competencies expected in high performance work organizations (e.g., teamwork, appropriate use of technology, problem solving and communication)?

Does the work require students to develop organizational and self-management skills?

Active Exploration

Do students spend significant amounts of time doing field-based work?

Does the project require students to engage in real investigations, using a variety of methods, media, and sources?

Are students expected to communicate what they are learning through presentation and/or performance? 

Adult Relationships

Do students meet and observe adults with relevant expertise and experience?

Do students have an opportunity to work closely with at least one adult?

Do adults collaborate on the design and assessment of student work?

Assessment

Do students reflect regularly on their learning using clear project criteria that they have helped to set?

Do adults from outside the classroom help students develop a sense of real world standards for this type of work?

Will there be opportunities for regular assessment of student work through a range of methods, including exhibitions and portfolios

Presentation of Learning What is a POL? This is a 7-10 minute presentation given to your peers on a project that you have completed over the past few weeks. Can we use technology? You can use technology in your presentation and try to use 3 mediums during your presentation. Check with your teacher about the appropriate use of media if you are unsure about the content. When do we work on this? We will give you a portion of the class period to present. During this time you should work on putting together a POL OUTLINE for the project you are presenting to your peers. You can present your POL on a Tri-fold board or some other type of visual display. We encourage students to bring in visual aids to help explain their project. Here is what should be included in your POL OUTLINE. 1.   Introduction ·      Name ·      Grade ·      Class Period 2.   Project description - this should be a general and broad synopsis of your project. Using as few words as possible to describe what you did.         (This must be less than 3 sentences with no bullet points) 3.   Requirements - more specific. What did you have to do? What did you have to turn in? What was required to complete the project? Use bullet points. 4.   Steps- this is the most specific. Go in order of what steps you needed to take to complete each requirement. Use bullets. Use words like: first, next, after, then, eventually, finally, etc. 5.   Skills you learned - do some soul searching. If you did something that you haven’t done before, chances are that you learned something. What was it? Try to put it into words. Use bullets. 6.   Reflection - Use bullet points to list challenges, successes, surprises, etc. 7.   Interactive Activity – create an activity/lesson/game that will engage your audience. This could be a quiz on your POL, or a small lesson. For example, last year I had a student in a Sign Language POL and she had us all learn our names in Sign language.