Projects, Critical Thinking, and Student Involvement
From LiteracyTentWiki
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 2219] Re: What do we mean by studentinvolvement and critical thinking?
From: VALUE, Inc. info at valueusa.org
Date: Tue Jul 8 22:25:09 EDT 2008
To Kim Bosworth/Natasha Worthington
My name is Marty Finsterbusch. I would like to share with you some secrets
to successful student involvement that include critical thinking skills,
organizing skills and diversity training.
To start, think about a project. For projects to succeed, they must have
these parts: there must be a need/want for the project and the group or
person sponsoring the project must get some kind of return. Your project
will not succeed or last long without these elements. For example, students
have identified childcare as a need for them to participate in a literacy
program; therefore, childcare is the need. The literacy council will benefit
by providing child care in that more people can participate in adult
literacy classes because they know that their children will be cared for
during their class; therefore, the program also benefits. It really does not
matter what the project is, as long as it meets the needs of the two groups.
The critical thinking is not taught while doing the project, it is in the
pre-planning. What does the group want to accomplish? Who do you need to
talk to, to make this project work? How long will this project take? Who
would be responsible for each part of the project? This is a good
opportunity to teach time lines, program structure, assigning of various
tasks and goal setting. It doesn't really matter what the various reading
levels are, most of this can be done through group discussion and visual
aids.
I would like to give an example of a project, but remember it can be any
issue: healthcare literacy, day care issues, community violence, or lack of
books in the programs or in the schools.
Both the students and the practitioners of a literacy program have agreed
that a newsletter is needed. After your preplanning and discussion sessions,
you have identified the various tasks to be completed. If the students are
the reporters and the topics of the newsletter are picked during your
planning session, the students will learn about your program, the program
will learn about the students, and writing skills can be improved; we all
know the positive benefits to students when they see their writing in print.
Editing, layout, proofreading, computer skills are all tools used to make
the newsletter a success. What about printing? Is the letter going to be
printed in house? Now the students have the opportunity to learn about
printing and what is involved in putting together a newsletter. The adult
learners have learned critical thinking skills, organizing skills and have
the opportunity to interact with other people they may have never interacted
with before; hence, diversity issues are being addressed. All of these
skills are transferable skills to be taken into the workforce and all other
areas of the adult learners' life. The program gets a newsletter, PR, and it
frees up the literacy council staff from having to do the entire newsletter.
I would like to hear from others who have done projects that have made a
difference to the students and what difference have these projects made to
your program.
Marty
Marty Finsterbusch
Executive Director
VALUE, Inc.
www.valueusa.org
strengthening adult literacy efforts in the USA
through learner involvement and leadership
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 2241] Project-based learning and empowerment
From: Taylor, Jackie jataylor at utk.edu
Date: Thu Jul 10 00:05:25 EDT 2008
Hi Marty,
I have a couple of things to share on your request re: projects. Last
fall, Heide Spruck Wrigley and a team of teachers joined the PD List to
share their experiences on Project-Based Learning as Professional
Development. Both ESL and ABE teachers shared their classes projects,
what worked, what the challenges were, etc. I am compiling these project
posts into one document in my spare time. But the good news is that many
rich resources that Heide recommended are linked on the NIFL Web site
and can be found by visiting:
http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/professionaldevelopment/07projectb ased.html
Heide pulled together a fantastic list of resources and coded them based
on:
- Project-based learning as PD
- Practical ideas
- Research to Practice
I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion and I can't thank Heide and the
teachers enough for sharing their experiences. Check it out and see what
you think.
Secondly, here is a link to some action research projects from Tennessee
(working with learners on public assistance mandated to attend adult
education), many of which have a project-based focus:
http://www.cls.utk.edu/2000_idea_book.html
In it contains a collection of lesson plans for adult basic educators
that were developed through that action research in collaboration with
the UT Center for Literacy Studies. Projects included opening a printing
shop in the classroom (Micki Hendrix) and another included opening a
photography studio (some teacher named Jackie...).
In the photo studio instance, the students decided that was what they
wanted to do. However, they didn't exactly feel confident that they
could do it. So I started each day by listing sample small tasks on the
board that needed to be accomplished (go through paper for the most
affordable places to rent; call electric company and find out how to
turn on the power, etc.). I told them that if they wanted to work on the
project here are some things that could be done; just check them off if
you do it. Or add your own ideas to the list and do them instead.
Over time, they started adding to the list and eventually they
completely took it over. When we opened, we took Easter portraits with
families, starting with their own. For women on welfare who were
camera-shy, I was amazed at the turn around in their confidence and
self-esteem. It launched our classroom to a whole new level of
interacting and they were more inclined to volunteer for roles in the
classroom (post-project) when something needed to be done (answering the
phone, searching for in-kind community donations for the class, etc). It
was an empowering experience for me as a teacher. I imagine it was
empowering for them as well.
I wonder if others have a story they would like to share?
Jackie Taylor
jataylor at utk.edu
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 2245] Re: Project-based learning andempowerment
From: VALUE, Inc. info at valueusa.org
Date: Thu Jul 10 10:50:52 EDT 2008
Jackie,
Thank you for this information. I will definitely take a look at it. As my
experience as an adult learner leader, a lot of critical thinking happens
when adult learners are expose to new ideas and situations. They then
internalize it for their own use. So I'm back to wondering how many people
on this list serve are exposing their adult learners to situations that go
beyond classroom, teacher, and student settings.
Marty
Marty Finsterbusch
Executive Director
VALUE, Inc.
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 2248] Re: Project-based learning andempowerment
From: Greg Smith smithg at floridaliteracy.org
Date: Thu Jul 10 12:55:58 EDT 2008
I'm a big fan of project-based learning. In addition to promoting literacy
and language development, we find that it often helps foster creativity,
teamwork, and organizational and critical thinking skills. It also seems to
tie in particularly well with theme-based instruction.
My favorite example is a student project that was done while I was working
for a community-based program in Northern Virginia. The family literacy
ESOL class was focusing on civics/government and community that semester
when we received word that our partner pre-school (where the program was
located) was being asked to relocate because the church that owed the
building needed the space for other purposes.
The teachers and students in the class got organized, did their research and
went to the city council to request a building for the pre-school and family
literacy program. They did a wonderful job presenting their case at a city
council meeting, and thanks in large part to their efforts, were provided
with free space by the city. What an empowering experience.
I wanted to share a link to a publication that we developed a few years back
which highlights a number of classroom projects tied to Equipped for the
Future.
http://www.floridaliteracy.org/literacy_resources__teacher_tutor__esl-projec
t.html Early next week we'll also be posting (on www.floridaliteracy.org
<http://www.floridaliteracy.org/> ) several health literacy related student
projects that were recently completed by the pilot programs which field
tested a new ESOL health literacy curriculum.
Thanks for the additional resources Jackie.
Greg Smith
________________________________________
Gregory Smith
Executive Director
Florida Literacy Coalition, Inc.
Florida's Adult and Family Literacy Resource Center
(407) 246-7110
Fax: (407) 246-7104
www.floridaliteracy.org
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 2203] Critical thinking, leadership, technology, and project-based learning
From: David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net
Date: Tue Jul 8 07:35:15 EDT 2008
Colleagues,
Here is an example of using technology in the classroom -- and
outside -- that involves adult learner leadership and critical
thinking. Wendy Quinones, a GED teacher in Massachusetts, working
with young adults who were not particularly excited about American
history -- knowledge that is needed for the GED social studies test
-- suggested a field trip to an interactive 19th century mill museum
in nearby Lowell. She also suggested that the actual visit be made
into a "virtual visit" web site, although at the time she had no idea
how to make a web site. One of her students stepped forward with some
web site design skills. Other students, after having experienced a
simulated production line in the museum, thought about, discussed,
and added as content to their virtual visit issues of 19th century
economic exploitation of workers. The web page was made several years
ago (as you will see by the student web designer's choice of
graphics) and, especially for the time, was innovative. http://
hub1.worlded.org/docs/lowell/home.htm
This is one example of constructivist, or project-based learning,
This kind of learning invites critical thinking of all kinds:
political, social and economic; creative; technical; media literacy;
and other kinds. It also provides opportunities for learner
leadership and teamwork in the production of a print or multimedia
product. For ESOL students, project-based learning engages students
-- in teams -- in language learning, and provides leadership
opportunities. The learning -- using technology to accomplish
teaching/learning purposes -- takes place both inside and outside the
classroom.
There are many good examples of constructivist teaching/learning that
also integrates technology in the classroom, from the Captured Wisdom
Project and from the OTAN Video Library. You will find links to
these at
http://mlots.org/Other_video.html .
Another example of project-based learning, from Boston area ESOL
teacher, Lee Hewitt, is a community health project that resulted in
the booklet How to Feel Good: Dealing with Stress and Relaxation. It
will be found at
http://www.alri.org/feelgood/feelgood.html
This project's use of electronic technology included only a photocopy
machine to make copies of the booklet the students wrote.* It
engaged English language learners in community health and critical
thinking about the causes of their own stress and what to do about
it. Projects such as these require decisions that must be weighed and
also use teamwork and leadership skills.
What other examples of project-based learning do you know where
learners are engaged in critical thinking and have opportunities for
leadership? (They don't have to use technology.)
I made the booklet into a web page later and included a part where
readers could add their own strategies for reducing stress. Adult
learners from around the world have found this page and sent me their
ideas to add.
David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net
