TEACHER
NOTES:
¨
OBJECTIVES:
Ø
Students
will utilize graphic organizers to aid critical thinking skills and to
organize information.
Ø
Students
will participate in group meetings and discussions to achieve the group’s
goals.
Ø
Students
will begin to develop positive cooperative learning behaviors and skills.
¨
DURATION:
2
Class Sessions
¨
TECHNOLOGY:
Internet
Access
¨
SOFTWARE:
INSPIRATION
Software (brainstorming,
note-taking, graphic organizers, …), MS Word, MS Excel
¨
TEACHER’S
ROLE:
The teacher is both an instructor, when teaching a specific software/program (INSPIRATIION
Software, MS Word), a role model, who demonstrates how to act and behave, and
a facilitator, who provides guidance to groups and individual students. While
the students are brainstorming about possible destinations, circulate around
the groups. You might have to guide some groups in their brainstorming
activity. You will probably have to demonstrate and remind students of how to
act and behave in cooperative learning groups.
¨
TASK:
Introduce
the project. State the task clearly and clarify if necessary.
¨
DIRECT
INSTRUCTION: Teach
students to create graphic organizers or on use of INSPIRATION Software.
¨
ORGANIZING
GROUPS:
Ø
Explain
the purpose of group work and acceptable behavior for both individuals and
groups.
Ø
Discuss
the importance of keeping deadlines and the responsibility of each member to
the group. Each group will determine its own guidelines, framework, and
deadlines.
Ø
Introduce
the 3Rs for group members:
·
Reasonable:
q
Demonstrates
self-control during disagreements.
·
Respectful:
q
Listens
carefully and politely when other group members talk. Does not interrupt;
awaits her/his turn.
·
Responsible:
q
Works
with group members; realizes that he/she is an essential part of the group.
q
Fulfills
designated tasks.
q
Meets
deadlines.
q
Recognizes
that her/his behavior reflects on not only her/him but on the group.
Ø
All
groups will choose a recorder to record notes. Then each group will brainstorm
about possible destinations. Individual group members will use the Internet to
research possible destinations and the value of the USD as compared to the
national currency or the Euro. Finally each group will meet to discuss its
findings and to determine the group's destination.
¨
MATH
JOURNAL: Explain
the purpose of a math journal and that they are required to write in their
math journals at least three times a week. In the math journal, they may write
about issues that concern them such as the progress of the project, ask
questions, make suggestions, offer insights, reflections, and voice opinions.
Additionally, when the project is finished, they are to thoroughly respond to
the following:
Ø
What
math skills did you use in this project?
Ø
How
did math influence your decision-making?
Ø
Was
it difficult to include the criteria and stay within the budget?
Ø
How
does this project relate to real-life events?
Ø
Can
the knowledge, which was acquired in this project, be applied in other
situations? How?
Ø
Think
about your experiences as a group member.
·
What
did you learn about yourself?
·
What
did you learn about your group skills?
·
What
did you do well?
·
What
do you need to improve?