Facilitation Strategies
Specific plan with complete examples of the facilitation and questioning strategies that we will use during the unit.
The teacher will use guiding questions to create scientific inquiry and promote learning. Teachers will ask questions throughout the various labs, investigations, and activities. The types of questions that teachers will ask are found at: http://www.pbs.org/teachers/_files/pdf/Microsoft%20Word%20_FINALScienceTipDoc.pdf
Examples of how we will collaborate with students and offer assistance without giving them answers.
The teacher will respond to the students' questions with a format that will make the student think about the answer. The teacher should not give direct answers to the student question. The student should formulate and investigate answers. The questioning strategies are located at http://ed.fnal.gov/trc_new/tutorial/taxonomy.html
Detailed description of how we will facilitate student self-questioning.
Students will be able to use self-questioning during exit tickets & bell ringer exercises. The exit tickets will require students to self-reflect & self-question the content materials for the days.
Detailed description of how students will be grouped, including examples of how roles will be assigned, to facilitate student collaboration.
Before the PBL unit, students will practice a team building activity. The teacher will lead a quick discussion of what it takes to be a good team player. During group work, the teacher may remind students of being a good team player. Teachers will group the students for collaboration by various grouping strategies.
Carbon Crisis - We prefer the method of putting colored jolly ranchers in a bowl. Then students can gather a jolly rancher, whatever color they get, the coordinating people with similar colors will be in their group. Grouping for the debate - Students will be grouped by the teacher. There will be 4 members in each group. Within each group, 2 will be for, 2 will be against & they will debate against each other. Grouping will be assigned by the teacher and based on personality. A quiet student will be paired with a loud student. The teacher will need to take the time before grouping to address personality issues where students shouldn't work together.
Roles will be assigned through teacher strategies located here. We prefer for the student groups to assign roles among themselves. If a group struggles to assign roles, the teacher will randomly assign the roles for that group.
Sample map of the classroom showing seating arrangement.
Map of our proposed classroom setup. We chose the horseshoe type setup because it will offer great facilitation setup for our classroom debate. Kids can sit on opposing sides to present their topics, while the facilitators lead at the front of the classroom. Non-participating debate groups will be able to watch at the back of the horseshoe.
Plan for helping groups set and agree upon goals.
The plan for helping students set and agree upon goals is held within our team contract. Our team contract is held as a document at the bottom of this webpage. We plan on having a timeline as part of the team contract. Students will have to refer to their timeline to track their progress. During the project, we will use formative assessment to discuss group goals, setting, and developing better goals to meet better results with the final project.
Plan for ensuring effective group work (using class time efficiently, ensuring equal participation among group members) - include copy of prompts or activities designed to assist students
We plan on ensuring effective group work through the use of a team contract. The team contract is located at the bottom of this page. The contract focuses on the effective use of time as it proposed a timeline and strategies for engagement. To assist in proper time use, our entire PBL unit is setup in a series of events which creates short-time frame pieces of work to be turned in at specific points. For example: the carbon crisis requires students to research one day, then present the next. With this development in time, students will have to utilize their time efficiently to meet the assignment deadline. In addition we will provide a peer assessment at the end of the unit to evaluate the equal participation among group members. This student_participation_rubric is located at the bottom of this page.
Detailed description, with examples, of how you will promote inquiry and ensure student engagement and direction of conversation.
We will promote inquiry through the use of our activities. All of the activities are setup with an interest approach. This is something that will captivate the audience; for example the beginning of this unit it is a youtube clip about the world's energy problem. An interest approach for our debate is a Mad Max video. After the interest approach, our activities are setup to bring in discussion. This discussion piece is designed to gain student background information. By gaining this, student relevance increases which makes them more engaged. Throughout the entire process of teaching this unit, we will be using a series of questioning strategies that increase student engagement and will guide the conversation. Possible questions would be:
1. How did you arrive to that conclusion?
2. Have you considered _______?
3. What would happen if you did ________?
4. Where could I find this answer?
Example tools and techniques you could use to ensure student engagement.
We will be using a variety of techniques to ensure student engagement. These activities are embedded in our project, but to be more specific:
1. Discuss through think, pair, share after the initial entry event
2. Gallery walk after carbon crisis activity
3. Carbon cycle lab
4. Debate on futures of biofuels
5. Biodiesel lab
6. And many more before and after major activities. Here is our main plan for engaging students in the discussions portion of the activities.
Detailed plan, with examples, for how will help students reflect on and debrief on each of the following: 1. Their progress with the project, 2. Group process and peer roles, 3. Content being learned.
1. Progress on the project - We will daily refer back to the student goals and the contract that they signed. This will help us lead reflection on their progress in this project. We will also conduct formative assessment daily for the teacher to monitor student progress on the project. Directive questioning will be used to guide students to more efficient progress if needed. There is a debrief time period scheduled in the timeline portion of this class, at this time we would be able to give "you should be here" guidance.
2. Group process and peer roles: - Formative evaluation with guiding questions will help direct the group process.We will use exit tickets and debriefing period for students to reflect on their roles and the group process. Once again, students will be completing a student participation rubric, which is located at the bottom of this page, to evaluate peer roles and participation in the group.
3. Content being learned - Each activity will have a part that will be submitted for grading. This is a great way for students to get feedback on their learning process. We will also be using exit tickets and debriefing strategies (thumbs up/thumbs down) for students to self-reflect on their knowledge gained. Students will have exit questions and/or formative questions on several days of the project as checkpoints to measure content being learned as well as progress. These are asked to evaluate what was learned and to promote student inquiry as well.
Examples Include:
-Formative questioning; 5 minute discussion- Is there a crisis involving carbon? Why?
-Formative questions; 5 minute discussion - What do you think is the future of this carbon crisis?
-Exit Question; How much lye would be used to convert 50 liters of new oil?
-Exit Question; For a given quantity of new oil, what variables could be changed to effect the reaction?
Detailed plan for how you will help students develop and reflect on their skills as team players and problem solvers. Include copies of prompts or activities used.
The student participation rubric allows students to reflect on their skills as team players and problem solvers. Below is the the rubric.
The teacher will use guiding questions to create scientific inquiry and promote learning. Teachers will ask questions throughout the various labs, investigations, and activities. The types of questions that teachers will ask are found at: http://www.pbs.org/teachers/_files/pdf/Microsoft%20Word%20_FINALScienceTipDoc.pdf
Examples of how we will collaborate with students and offer assistance without giving them answers.
The teacher will respond to the students' questions with a format that will make the student think about the answer. The teacher should not give direct answers to the student question. The student should formulate and investigate answers. The questioning strategies are located at http://ed.fnal.gov/trc_new/tutorial/taxonomy.html
Detailed description of how we will facilitate student self-questioning.
Students will be able to use self-questioning during exit tickets & bell ringer exercises. The exit tickets will require students to self-reflect & self-question the content materials for the days.
Detailed description of how students will be grouped, including examples of how roles will be assigned, to facilitate student collaboration.
Before the PBL unit, students will practice a team building activity. The teacher will lead a quick discussion of what it takes to be a good team player. During group work, the teacher may remind students of being a good team player. Teachers will group the students for collaboration by various grouping strategies.
Carbon Crisis - We prefer the method of putting colored jolly ranchers in a bowl. Then students can gather a jolly rancher, whatever color they get, the coordinating people with similar colors will be in their group. Grouping for the debate - Students will be grouped by the teacher. There will be 4 members in each group. Within each group, 2 will be for, 2 will be against & they will debate against each other. Grouping will be assigned by the teacher and based on personality. A quiet student will be paired with a loud student. The teacher will need to take the time before grouping to address personality issues where students shouldn't work together.
Roles will be assigned through teacher strategies located here. We prefer for the student groups to assign roles among themselves. If a group struggles to assign roles, the teacher will randomly assign the roles for that group.
Sample map of the classroom showing seating arrangement.
Map of our proposed classroom setup. We chose the horseshoe type setup because it will offer great facilitation setup for our classroom debate. Kids can sit on opposing sides to present their topics, while the facilitators lead at the front of the classroom. Non-participating debate groups will be able to watch at the back of the horseshoe.
Plan for helping groups set and agree upon goals.
The plan for helping students set and agree upon goals is held within our team contract. Our team contract is held as a document at the bottom of this webpage. We plan on having a timeline as part of the team contract. Students will have to refer to their timeline to track their progress. During the project, we will use formative assessment to discuss group goals, setting, and developing better goals to meet better results with the final project.
Plan for ensuring effective group work (using class time efficiently, ensuring equal participation among group members) - include copy of prompts or activities designed to assist students
We plan on ensuring effective group work through the use of a team contract. The team contract is located at the bottom of this page. The contract focuses on the effective use of time as it proposed a timeline and strategies for engagement. To assist in proper time use, our entire PBL unit is setup in a series of events which creates short-time frame pieces of work to be turned in at specific points. For example: the carbon crisis requires students to research one day, then present the next. With this development in time, students will have to utilize their time efficiently to meet the assignment deadline. In addition we will provide a peer assessment at the end of the unit to evaluate the equal participation among group members. This student_participation_rubric is located at the bottom of this page.
Detailed description, with examples, of how you will promote inquiry and ensure student engagement and direction of conversation.
We will promote inquiry through the use of our activities. All of the activities are setup with an interest approach. This is something that will captivate the audience; for example the beginning of this unit it is a youtube clip about the world's energy problem. An interest approach for our debate is a Mad Max video. After the interest approach, our activities are setup to bring in discussion. This discussion piece is designed to gain student background information. By gaining this, student relevance increases which makes them more engaged. Throughout the entire process of teaching this unit, we will be using a series of questioning strategies that increase student engagement and will guide the conversation. Possible questions would be:
1. How did you arrive to that conclusion?
2. Have you considered _______?
3. What would happen if you did ________?
4. Where could I find this answer?
Example tools and techniques you could use to ensure student engagement.
We will be using a variety of techniques to ensure student engagement. These activities are embedded in our project, but to be more specific:
1. Discuss through think, pair, share after the initial entry event
2. Gallery walk after carbon crisis activity
3. Carbon cycle lab
4. Debate on futures of biofuels
5. Biodiesel lab
6. And many more before and after major activities. Here is our main plan for engaging students in the discussions portion of the activities.
Detailed plan, with examples, for how will help students reflect on and debrief on each of the following: 1. Their progress with the project, 2. Group process and peer roles, 3. Content being learned.
1. Progress on the project - We will daily refer back to the student goals and the contract that they signed. This will help us lead reflection on their progress in this project. We will also conduct formative assessment daily for the teacher to monitor student progress on the project. Directive questioning will be used to guide students to more efficient progress if needed. There is a debrief time period scheduled in the timeline portion of this class, at this time we would be able to give "you should be here" guidance.
2. Group process and peer roles: - Formative evaluation with guiding questions will help direct the group process.We will use exit tickets and debriefing period for students to reflect on their roles and the group process. Once again, students will be completing a student participation rubric, which is located at the bottom of this page, to evaluate peer roles and participation in the group.
3. Content being learned - Each activity will have a part that will be submitted for grading. This is a great way for students to get feedback on their learning process. We will also be using exit tickets and debriefing strategies (thumbs up/thumbs down) for students to self-reflect on their knowledge gained. Students will have exit questions and/or formative questions on several days of the project as checkpoints to measure content being learned as well as progress. These are asked to evaluate what was learned and to promote student inquiry as well.
Examples Include:
-Formative questioning; 5 minute discussion- Is there a crisis involving carbon? Why?
-Formative questions; 5 minute discussion - What do you think is the future of this carbon crisis?
-Exit Question; How much lye would be used to convert 50 liters of new oil?
-Exit Question; For a given quantity of new oil, what variables could be changed to effect the reaction?
Detailed plan for how you will help students develop and reflect on their skills as team players and problem solvers. Include copies of prompts or activities used.
The student participation rubric allows students to reflect on their skills as team players and problem solvers. Below is the the rubric.
student_participation_rubric.pdf | |
File Size: | 83 kb |
File Type: |
teamcontract2.docx | |
File Size: | 14 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Picture from: http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/biofuels-compete-food-1.jpg