Individual Projects

In just under a week, we will be seeing students for the seminar on "Individual Projects".  Here, we will be taking students through the steps in order to carry out research on a topic area of their choice.

I have sent out a letter to the schools requesting the following so please make sure students have the following information:

1.     Students should have an idea of something they would like to study for their individual project.  This should be a topic/person/historical event/concept they are interested in learning more about, or something they are passionate about. 

      

2.     If a student has an area of interest, he/she should begin to think about specific questions concerning their topic. 

3.     The student needs to bring in some primary sources for researching their project.  This can be books from the library, or on-line resources.  Although we have wireless internet in the classroom, we only have a few computers.  Therefore, students can bring in their own laptops, ipads, or computer devices whereby they can get online.  All items will be secured and locked up during recess and lunch, so there is no need to worry about items being lost or stolen.  

4.     WE will be learning about the following:

·      How to research using on line resources, primary resources, and how to take notes and put information into our own words.

·      How to put a project together in four days.

·      How to share and present learning to others in an original format.

·      How to create effective products of learning to demonstrate understanding.

·      It is hoped, by completing this seminar, that students are able to create their own projects in the future in a comprehensive format!

Thank you for sending your child/student to the challenge centre.  If you require more information, please feel free to contact me at Brock Elementary at 604-713-5766 or email me at:

mwiesinger@vsb.bc.ca

Book Club: Mysterious Benedict Society

Students brought in their projects for book club:  they read The Mysterious Benedict Society for their first book.  

The projects were very impressive and demonstrated the students knowledge about the book, and their understanding of 10 important events.

 I enjoyed how each of the students made their own meaning of the assignment.

 This was a very original way to display information; I used this student's project as a model for my astronomy adventures students, and one student was eager to use this format to present his learning!

Great ideas..
The next book we read was Magyk...and the students are writing articles about the book which I will share soon.

Book Club: Mysterious Benedict Society

Students brought in their projects for book club:  they read The Mysterious Benedict Society for their first book.  

The projects were very impressive and demonstrated the students knowledge about the book, and their understanding of 10 important events.

 I enjoyed how each of the students made their own meaning of the assignment.

 This was a very original way to display information; I used this student's project as a model for my astronomy adventures students, and one student was eager to use this format to present his learning!

Great ideas..
The next book we read was Magyk...and the students are writing articles about the book which I will share soon.

21st Century Learning is alive and well

The buzz word in education for the last two years has been "21st Century Learning".  What is it and what does it mean?


The idea of 21st Century learning as outlined in the Ministry of Education's website is a framework for how we teach and learn in our knowledge based society.  These ideas and principles in the document "A Vision for 21st Century Education"  are similar to the ideas that have guided our practice in gifted education: 

Here's what some of the document says about how to transform our current state of education - in other words, let's move in this direction:

A Flexible Educational Path: The transformed system would have a flexiblecurriculum that allows for more in depth study. Early in the student’s education the curriculum will remain structured and focus on the foundational skills. As the student progresses and gains more understanding and life experience they will, with the assistance of teachers and parents, take on more responsibility for choosing their educational path. The student would still have to achieve learning outcomes but focused on the student’s particular interests. This requires an “integrated”, “project-based” or “problem-based” approach to learning which will enable the student to understand how the skills they are learning are integral to their future life.
A Blended System: The system would have a mixture of face-to-face classroom and online learning. It would also incorporate the immense range of learning
opportunities outside the classroom. Some students would prefer a heavier emphasis on classroom learning while others may prefer the options of online learning. There has already been a strong uptake of online learning in BC.

Access to Learning Objects and Teaching Tools: Technology allows for better
access to learning objects, teaching tools, and information. This is important for
students, parents and teachers to collaborate in creating an individualised learning path that incorporates the information they need to know in more customised ways.

Open Access to Information Systems: Students need to be able to access
information. Unfettered (but not unguided) access will allow them to learn and to teach themselves as they go forward. Furthermore, access to information will allow students to make informed decisions about their interests and understand the implications of new information for potential career decisions.

Constant Feedback and Assessment: While the system will be more flexible, there is a need for assessment based standards that will be higher in the future than they are today. Technology can provide new options for assessment and improving learning outcomes. In particular it allows for timely assessment so that students, parents and teachers can be informed during, not after, learning and in ways that allow for correction and celebration.

The document goes on to state that as we move to a knowledge based society, we need to develop certain skills and attributes.

Skills and Attributes for a 21st Century:

• Functional Numeracy and Literacy  
• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
• Creativity and Innovation
• Technological Literacy
• Communications and Media Literacy
• Collaboration and Teamwork
• Personal Organisation
• Motivation, Self-Regulation and Adaptability
• Ethics, Civic Responsibility, Cross-Cultural Awareness 

What do we do in the Challenge centre that supports these ideas?  

We develop these skills and attributes on a daily basis:  critical thinking and problem solving; creativity, collaboration, motivation, and ethics! 

Furthermore, we support students in a flexible education path that is driven by their needs and desires as learners.


This is powerful information.  We are heading in an interesting and thought- provoking direction in terms of what education will look like 10-20 years from now.  It is very exciting and also very daunting...but the possibilities are endless...

What do you think of 21st Century learning?

21st Century Learning is alive and well

The buzz word in education for the last two years has been "21st Century Learning".  What is it and what does it mean?


The idea of 21st Century learning as outlined in the Ministry of Education's website is a framework for how we teach and learn in our knowledge based society.  These ideas and principles in the document "A Vision for 21st Century Education"  are similar to the ideas that have guided our practice in gifted education: 

Here's what some of the document says about how to transform our current state of education - in other words, let's move in this direction:

A Flexible Educational Path: The transformed system would have a flexiblecurriculum that allows for more in depth study. Early in the student’s education the curriculum will remain structured and focus on the foundational skills. As the student progresses and gains more understanding and life experience they will, with the assistance of teachers and parents, take on more responsibility for choosing their educational path. The student would still have to achieve learning outcomes but focused on the student’s particular interests. This requires an “integrated”, “project-based” or “problem-based” approach to learning which will enable the student to understand how the skills they are learning are integral to their future life.
A Blended System: The system would have a mixture of face-to-face classroom and online learning. It would also incorporate the immense range of learning
opportunities outside the classroom. Some students would prefer a heavier emphasis on classroom learning while others may prefer the options of online learning. There has already been a strong uptake of online learning in BC.

Access to Learning Objects and Teaching Tools: Technology allows for better
access to learning objects, teaching tools, and information. This is important for
students, parents and teachers to collaborate in creating an individualised learning path that incorporates the information they need to know in more customised ways.

Open Access to Information Systems: Students need to be able to access
information. Unfettered (but not unguided) access will allow them to learn and to teach themselves as they go forward. Furthermore, access to information will allow students to make informed decisions about their interests and understand the implications of new information for potential career decisions.

Constant Feedback and Assessment: While the system will be more flexible, there is a need for assessment based standards that will be higher in the future than they are today. Technology can provide new options for assessment and improving learning outcomes. In particular it allows for timely assessment so that students, parents and teachers can be informed during, not after, learning and in ways that allow for correction and celebration.

The document goes on to state that as we move to a knowledge based society, we need to develop certain skills and attributes.

Skills and Attributes for a 21st Century:

• Functional Numeracy and Literacy  
• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
• Creativity and Innovation
• Technological Literacy
• Communications and Media Literacy
• Collaboration and Teamwork
• Personal Organisation
• Motivation, Self-Regulation and Adaptability
• Ethics, Civic Responsibility, Cross-Cultural Awareness 

What do we do in the Challenge centre that supports these ideas?  

We develop these skills and attributes on a daily basis:  critical thinking and problem solving; creativity, collaboration, motivation, and ethics! 

Furthermore, we support students in a flexible education path that is driven by their needs and desires as learners.


This is powerful information.  We are heading in an interesting and thought- provoking direction in terms of what education will look like 10-20 years from now.  It is very exciting and also very daunting...but the possibilities are endless...

What do you think of 21st Century learning?

Personal Interest Projects: How successful are they?

 Just worked with grade 6 and 7 students on a project that I call Personal Interest Projects....or Individual Projects. This is where students choose their own topic to research and create products of learning that demonstrate their understanding and passion of their area of study.

 For teachers in gifted education, a Personal Interest study is a project idea that we encourage classroom teachers to use.  I often tell teachers that it is a great way to extend the learning of their students... and I give them strategies on how to create this process in their class.

 However, I am not really sold on the idea of just handing over this process to a student, and I really wanted to experiment with this project to see how it worked in a span of only four days.

 Although the process is interesting, I think to get a really detailed and stellar project from students, there needs to be a huge teacher directed component to this endeavour.  This includes lots of scaffolding, breaking down the steps, and providing detailed feedback for students. 

 Still, it was challenging.  Although students were able to easily choose their topics, it was more challenging to refine the topic and push for deeper understanding, detail, and a well researched project.

 The topics chosen were:  aliens, photography, the French Revolution, aerodynamics, coca-cola, Theodore Roosevelt, the Hunger Games series, Secretariat (the horse), Hip Hop dance, Mars Exploration, John Lennon, Apollo 13, and chocolate.

 Each student had an interesting take on their subject; most students created powerpoint or PREZI presentations.  It was great to see how versed they were in making presentations using the smart board, researching their topics on line, and comfortably presenting their ideas to each other.

 Yet, I think that my unit on Images of Greatness was much more successful; simply because the topic range was not so huge.....in Images, a student chose an eminent person and I gave specific criteria that each student had to have in their project. 

 However, in this unit, the range was huge....in trying to find out about their topic, many students did not know where to start or what to include.  I met with each individually to help provide the structure and the format. 

The process of researching and presenting a topic of this nature is challenging for students. Some have never done this before, and for others, it is part of their regular curriculum...

 Over the years I have managed this process and the most successful Interest Projects where ones where I had lots of time to work with students.  I required a written report as part of the criteria, and I would spend weeks on teaching students how to take effective notes, how to make an outline, how to write a rough draft, how to edit first drafts, and how to reference resources.  Students would create detailed and well written projects, and then, I would have them make their presentations from here - using powerpoint, etc.  This is so I would at least be guaranteed a well written and detailed document about their project.

However, with only 3 days of work ( needed the last day to do presentations), it was hard to get detailed drafts and I had to shorten the process.

Overall, it was a great experience and the projects were interesting and wonderful!  Thanks PIPer's! 

Teachers, have you done Personal Interest Projects in your class? Did it work for you and for the students?  Was there valuable learning as a result?


I am very interested to know how this process works in other learning environments!

Personal Interest Projects: How successful are they?

 Just worked with grade 6 and 7 students on a project that I call Personal Interest Projects....or Individual Projects. This is where students choose their own topic to research and create products of learning that demonstrate their understanding and passion of their area of study.

 For teachers in gifted education, a Personal Interest study is a project idea that we encourage classroom teachers to use.  I often tell teachers that it is a great way to extend the learning of their students... and I give them strategies on how to create this process in their class.

 However, I am not really sold on the idea of just handing over this process to a student, and I really wanted to experiment with this project to see how it worked in a span of only four days.

 Although the process is interesting, I think to get a really detailed and stellar project from students, there needs to be a huge teacher directed component to this endeavour.  This includes lots of scaffolding, breaking down the steps, and providing detailed feedback for students. 

 Still, it was challenging.  Although students were able to easily choose their topics, it was more challenging to refine the topic and push for deeper understanding, detail, and a well researched project.

 The topics chosen were:  aliens, photography, the French Revolution, aerodynamics, coca-cola, Theodore Roosevelt, the Hunger Games series, Secretariat (the horse), Hip Hop dance, Mars Exploration, John Lennon, Apollo 13, and chocolate.

 Each student had an interesting take on their subject; most students created powerpoint or PREZI presentations.  It was great to see how versed they were in making presentations using the smart board, researching their topics on line, and comfortably presenting their ideas to each other.

 Yet, I think that my unit on Images of Greatness was much more successful; simply because the topic range was not so huge.....in Images, a student chose an eminent person and I gave specific criteria that each student had to have in their project. 

 However, in this unit, the range was huge....in trying to find out about their topic, many students did not know where to start or what to include.  I met with each individually to help provide the structure and the format. 

The process of researching and presenting a topic of this nature is challenging for students. Some have never done this before, and for others, it is part of their regular curriculum...

 Over the years I have managed this process and the most successful Interest Projects where ones where I had lots of time to work with students.  I required a written report as part of the criteria, and I would spend weeks on teaching students how to take effective notes, how to make an outline, how to write a rough draft, how to edit first drafts, and how to reference resources.  Students would create detailed and well written projects, and then, I would have them make their presentations from here - using powerpoint, etc.  This is so I would at least be guaranteed a well written and detailed document about their project.

However, with only 3 days of work ( needed the last day to do presentations), it was hard to get detailed drafts and I had to shorten the process.

Overall, it was a great experience and the projects were interesting and wonderful!  Thanks PIPer's! 

Teachers, have you done Personal Interest Projects in your class? Did it work for you and for the students?  Was there valuable learning as a result?


I am very interested to know how this process works in other learning environments!