TLAT #3--The last one!

Problem-Based Learning and Critical Thinking (We didn't get to this on Wednesday)
Many of you may have grown up hearing about Jack and the Beanstalk. On the surface it seems a harmless fairytale, but there are many things one can consider from this story. Poverty, theft and murder are a few of the big ones. Argumentation and civics are two broad areas that can lend themselves to many classroom lessons.  Watch this video of Jack and the Beanstalk and consider what points of view can be argued as well as how one can learn about the court system by using this story as a launching point.

Problem-based learning is a method of teaching centered (obviously) around a real-world problem. Students are given a complex problem, and must work in groups, often with guidance from the teacher, to solve it. It often involves several steps and many investigations into unknown content. A great deal of learning takes place, which is then applied in meaningful ways.

Consider a roller coaster. Many of you have ridden one before, although some of you may be very scared to, or haven’t yet had the chance. Let me tell you, Disney World has some of the best ones!!! But let’s take a look at this video for some new coasters at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Anyway, imagine a coaster – what it looks like, what it feels like, and all the things that had to go into the design, development and marketing of it. With a partner, brainstorm a list of ALL the issues and concerns involved with creating (designing and building) it, testing it, and advertising it to the public.  Which Georgia Standards (especially middle or high school) might align to some of the items on your list?


What does your book say about problem solving?
Here are a few takeaways:

“Students apply critical and creative thinking skills to prior knowledge during the problem solving process. The end result of problem solving is typically some kind of a decision: choosing a solution and then evaluating it.” (p 155)

“Problem-based learning (PBL) is a teaching approach that combines critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and inquiry as students explore real-world problems. It is based on unstructured, complex, and authentic problems that are often presented as part of a project.” (p 156)

A few characteristics of effective technology-enhanced problem-based learning tasks:

1. Give students control of their learning
2. Include communication and collaboration
3. Emphasize the process and the content
4. Lead to additional content learning
5. Have a measurable, although not necessarily correct, outcome

You all did some great brainstorming as we talked about designing and building roller coasters as an authentic, complex problem that required lots of information to solve.

We also talked a bit about critical thinking, but what is it? What does it involve? Let’s look at this Prezi to find out more.

WebQuests
WebQuests are a teaching tool that use web-based resources and other sources to support students as they work through an inquiry or problem-based activity. They are web-based lesson plans written for the students that support and scaffold student understanding of a set of curriculum standards. Generally, students are asked to work collaboratively to answer a question or solve a problem and then present the answer or solution in a technology-supported format.

You can find many examples of WebQuests at the WebQuest page maintained by Dr. Bernie Dodge from San Diego State University. Dr. Dodge is the creator of WebQuests and WebQuests have been around for over 10 years. We’ll spend some time looking at example WebQuests by searching the QuestGarden. Here are a couple I found by trying the different search options. Primary mathematics; Middle school interdisciplinary unit; High school economics. Take a couple of minutes and find a WebQuest in an area of interest. Share your findings with someone nearby.

Problem-Solving Software
Tom Snyder Software is a well-known software company that creates many K12 software based activities that promote critical thinking and problem solving. You’ll likely find that the various software packages also support content learning, communication, collaboration, and creativity. Monday we looked at a software activity called “Science Court” and we looked at how this tool can support critical thinking and problem solving. Here’s some additional software for 5th-8th graders that looks really interesting for science lessons.

TLAT #3
We won’t have time to get very far, but it’s time to begin the last TLAT. I’ve been grading your last ones, and some of them are very good. Just remember to explain your thoughts clearly and in detail and you will do well.

Here’s our schedule on this one:

• Friday, November 12 – TLAT Section 1
• Monday, November 15 – TLAT Section 2 and 3 (HW)
• Wednesday, November 17 – TLAT Section 4
• Friday, November 19 – TLAT Section 5 (we'll try to finish it in class; it's due by 11:59 p.m.)

And here’s our schedule for the rest of the semester:

• Monday, November 29 – Nadine Cohen from the library will talk about K-12 resources
• Wednesday, December 1 – Case Study #2
• Friday, December 3 – Prep for Showcase and Course Evaluation
• Monday, December 6 – Final Showcase