2.4 Higher Order Thinking Skills
Candidates model and facilitate the use of digital tools and resources to engage students in authentic learning experiences. (PSC 2.3/ISTE 2c)
Artifact: Engaged Learning Project
Candidates model and facilitate the use of digital tools and resources to engage students in authentic learning experiences. (PSC 2.3/ISTE 2c)
Artifact: Engaged Learning Project
Reflection:
The Engaged Learning Project was completed my first semester of this program in 21st Century Learning ITEC 7400. I created this as I was just beginning this program and just learning about project-based learning. Collaborating to solve real-life problems was new to me. Watching the videos of the Khan Academy and the projects those students were doing so seamlessly was a new phenomenon for me. I was someone who was pretty comfortable with computers and thought I was pretty knowledgeable. I realized that in this class that I may know a lot about how to use a computer but adding technology to enhance lessons in this format was a new concept for me.
This artifact demonstrates mastery of Standard 2.4, Higher Order Thinking Skills. This project sets up a scenario that affects the students of Timber Ridge, something near and dear to them, their desserts with their lunches bought in the cafeteria. Two years ago, it started all of a sudden; the desserts were gone from their lunches. The desserts were replaced with a selection of fresh fruit. That did not go over well with our students. I decided to use that “real-life” problem as my engaged learning project. The necessary components to include for the lower grades making this lesson plan a higher order thinking project included: collaborating with a partner to create a survey that they could have the K-5 students at Timber Ridge complete. Another group of students collaborated to create a survey for the parents of Timber Ridge, who knew nothing about the disappearing desserts as the 2012-2013 school year began. Another group of students were in charge of compiling the data from the student surveys and another group was to compile the data from the parent survey. This data was going to be recorded in two graphs and results were to be posted around the school for all to see. The final step was to use the data and include it in a persuasive paper to the school board so that they could hear about the missing desserts that were taken away without any notification. Last, the children were going to vote to select the five best persuasive papers and have them taken to the next school board meeting to be read aloud there.
The students used technology to create the surveys, using www.polldaddy.com. They used excel to graph the results of the two surveys and they used Microsoft Word to interpret the surveys and type their persuasive letters Finally, they filled out their rubric, grading themselves on how well they thought they had done overall. This rubric was filled out online as well.
I learned a lot creating this project. I learned that the younger ones get frustrated easily when having to think with the end in mind. I learned that this grade level works very well in collaborative groups. This was a challenging activity between the survey questions and preparing for the persuasive paper. This was the writing genre that their grade had been working on so persuasive writing was familiar to them. It was a real-life problem that affected them and that they were passionate about. This project supplied higher order thinking for these second graders along with work that needed to be completed through use of the computer.
This impacted our school because it was the first time the second grade teachers had really completed a project-based learning activity. It gave way to higher order thinking in terms of project-based learning. These students were given opportunities that most of the other students at Timber Ridge have not experienced. This will only be the beginning as our principal, Mr. Hill is turning our school around and we are headed to more authentic type of learning that will include higher order thinking opportunities with the use of technology. By the time I finished this first semester, I was anxious to start my second one as ways to integrate technology into lessons with my first graders had just gone to a higher level
The Engaged Learning Project was completed my first semester of this program in 21st Century Learning ITEC 7400. I created this as I was just beginning this program and just learning about project-based learning. Collaborating to solve real-life problems was new to me. Watching the videos of the Khan Academy and the projects those students were doing so seamlessly was a new phenomenon for me. I was someone who was pretty comfortable with computers and thought I was pretty knowledgeable. I realized that in this class that I may know a lot about how to use a computer but adding technology to enhance lessons in this format was a new concept for me.
This artifact demonstrates mastery of Standard 2.4, Higher Order Thinking Skills. This project sets up a scenario that affects the students of Timber Ridge, something near and dear to them, their desserts with their lunches bought in the cafeteria. Two years ago, it started all of a sudden; the desserts were gone from their lunches. The desserts were replaced with a selection of fresh fruit. That did not go over well with our students. I decided to use that “real-life” problem as my engaged learning project. The necessary components to include for the lower grades making this lesson plan a higher order thinking project included: collaborating with a partner to create a survey that they could have the K-5 students at Timber Ridge complete. Another group of students collaborated to create a survey for the parents of Timber Ridge, who knew nothing about the disappearing desserts as the 2012-2013 school year began. Another group of students were in charge of compiling the data from the student surveys and another group was to compile the data from the parent survey. This data was going to be recorded in two graphs and results were to be posted around the school for all to see. The final step was to use the data and include it in a persuasive paper to the school board so that they could hear about the missing desserts that were taken away without any notification. Last, the children were going to vote to select the five best persuasive papers and have them taken to the next school board meeting to be read aloud there.
The students used technology to create the surveys, using www.polldaddy.com. They used excel to graph the results of the two surveys and they used Microsoft Word to interpret the surveys and type their persuasive letters Finally, they filled out their rubric, grading themselves on how well they thought they had done overall. This rubric was filled out online as well.
I learned a lot creating this project. I learned that the younger ones get frustrated easily when having to think with the end in mind. I learned that this grade level works very well in collaborative groups. This was a challenging activity between the survey questions and preparing for the persuasive paper. This was the writing genre that their grade had been working on so persuasive writing was familiar to them. It was a real-life problem that affected them and that they were passionate about. This project supplied higher order thinking for these second graders along with work that needed to be completed through use of the computer.
This impacted our school because it was the first time the second grade teachers had really completed a project-based learning activity. It gave way to higher order thinking in terms of project-based learning. These students were given opportunities that most of the other students at Timber Ridge have not experienced. This will only be the beginning as our principal, Mr. Hill is turning our school around and we are headed to more authentic type of learning that will include higher order thinking opportunities with the use of technology. By the time I finished this first semester, I was anxious to start my second one as ways to integrate technology into lessons with my first graders had just gone to a higher level