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Anne Farmer is in her third
year of teaching. She has two working computers in
her classroom, and students use laptops twice a week. Her
students also go to the computer lab one period a week..
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Modifications
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My
goal was to enable my students to solve conflicts on their
own. So often when problems arose in school, I found
that my kids had few resources for fixing them peacefully. Therefore,
most of my adaptations focused the unit to that goal. Instead
of spending a lot of time on outreach, we worked on how we
can make our classroom a peaceful place. I altered some of
the worksheets used, and had the kids explore different websites
than those listed. The students also made posters about
solving conflicts peacefully which we displayed in school. Finally,
the students researched children world-wide who are working
to create peace in their communities. This last piece
was designed to help my students see how they can use what
they have learned to benefit others. The projects completed
in this unit were all done in partnerships or groups, in order
to foster peace and teamwork within the classroom. |
Instructional
Objectives
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Students will:
- develop strong conflict resolution techniques
- create a peaceful classroom environment that promotes
learning
- teach others in the community about how to create peace
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Technology Integration
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My
students used laptops for Internet research for almost every
part of this unit. They explored various websites to gain
information, and played conflict resolution games online.
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Assessment
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I
assessed student performance in two different ways. First,
I looked at their written work and assessed the thoroughness,
accuracy, and overall presentation of their responses or products. Second,
I observed students as they worked in partnerships and groups
to gauge whether they were using some of their newly acquired
conflict resolution skills as problems inevitably arose. I
looked for change in their peace-making skills throughout the
project.
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Tips
for Teachers
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There is so
much information on the Internet about conflict resolution
and peace, and much of it is accessible to kids. I used
the following websites extensively:
I have found that kids at this age have a strong sense of
right and wrong, and they feel passionate about things they
feel are “unfair”. It is important to discuss
the concept of fairness, and how they can change the things
that are truly unfair. Kids want to help others, and
once they have the skills, they will take the lead on a project
like this.
I also encourage teachers to use the TeachNet site (www.teachersnetwork.org/TeachNet)
as often as possible, as it is a great resource. I
have learned so much this year about how to work with kids
and technology. I was at a school for two years with
no computers, and now that I am at a school with laptop carts
and an extensive computer lab I am amazed by the opportunities. Although
I was a bit intimidated at first, I now feel much more confident. I
expect that this is just the start of my learning in this
area, and I look forward to using my new ideas and knowledge
next year.
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Teacher-Created
Worksheet |
Download
the worksheet (PDF file) |
Student Work Samples
Click on each thumbnail to see a full-screen version.
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