Entry # 21: Students Lost at Sea --
But Not Their Teacher!
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St. Louis Public School Students Lost at Sea!
St. Louis (AP)---An entire sixth grade class from Turner MEGA Magnet Middle
School is believed to be missing in the South Pacific after their ship lost
radio contact late last night. Officials say contact was lost after the
captain radioed an emergency distress signal in the midst of a sudden storm
that swept the area. Repeated attempts to locate the missing ship have been
unsuccessful and the worst is feared.
The students were headed for Bora Bora from Tahiti on a research trip to
study the plants, animals, and geography of the islands. Rescue efforts
will continue throughout the week. . . .
I am getting ready to shipwreck my students in small teams on a fictional
island off the coast of Bora Bora. They'll have to research, keep diaries
of their experiences, and explain how they solved problems presented to
them from action cards I'll pass to them a couple times a week. In addition
they will have to name their island, set up community rules, and make a
model of their living area.
Sounds cool, right? But the big question is, why am I doing this? What do
I hope to accomplish?
It's cute, but does it count?
I have seen a lot of cute, high-interest projects over the years on the
Internet, in books, and at workshops. It is easy to get lost in the cuteness
of it all and forget that the main reason we are using and creating these
projects is to help students learn and to demonstrate and apply that learning.
Unfortunately, many of those same projects fail to deliver much more than
a pleasant diversion -- a bit of fluff -- instead of the real learning experience
we were seeking.
I, like many others, have created such projects, and I have borrowed those
projects. I got caught up in the excitement of the moment and forgot the
goals I had set forth originally.
So, when I was telling my colleague about my intentions to strand my students
in places unknown, I was a little surprised by her question.
"Why?"
I was taken aback. I thought I had a pretty cool idea, and now this person
with less experience than I had was asking a stupid question, deflating
my enthusiasm. However, as I had to articulate my reasons for the project,
I realized it was not such a stupid question. In fact, it is probably the
best question I have ever been asked about any assignment I have created.
How many times have I created an assignment and then figured out what standards
and skills fit it? Granted, I usually had a few ideas about what I wanted
to accomplish with a project, but it was not the kind deliberate, conscious
planning that is necessary for student achievement and mastery of the state
standards. Fortunately, the longer I teach, the more conscious I have become
in my planning. However, I still need more work in that area.
The way to move forward is backwards design
In Turning Points 2000, the
authors discuss using backwards design to develop curriculum from academic
standards. According to the authors, educators who use backwards design
"start with the academic standards to define what students should know
and be able to do, then decide on the assessments that will allow students
to demonstrate their mastery of their knowledge and skills, and finally
develop the instructional experiences that will prepare students to show
what they have learned."
Another way to phrase it is starting with the end in mind, as one of the
members of the Middleweb booklist explained it in our recent discussion
with the Turning Point 2000 authors about the book.
It makes sense when you think about it. How are we to address all the standards
unless we consciously do so? I know I do (I checked my lesson plans from
last year), but how well do I do it? If I am not consciously thinking of
the standards and skills I want them to master, how can I be sure they are
mastering or even understanding the standards? I can't.
I am happy my colleague asked me why I was doing this project. I am now
sitting with the standards beside me, matching them with the skills I have
been concentrating on so I can be more deliberate with this project. I will
have a clear vision of what I am assessing as well as a full idea of the
support that is necessary from me during this unit. In the end, my students
will benefit.
As this unit takes shape I promise to share my answers to "why"
along with "what" I am doing. It will keep me honest, and I will
be less likely to be shipwrecked along the way.
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