Project%20Creation

Each year, my twelfth grade, general preparatory students complete a persuasive research paper based on some "issue" that is of relevance to them. We go through the typical routine, making sure to meet content standards in reading, writing, and research. We go to the library, they find the required number of sources, they practice note-taking and outlining, and they complete a standard five-paragraph persuasive essay incorporating their research. They turn in the paper to me, I grade it and give it back, and they probably never look at it or think about it again. All that they have learned through reading and research, and all they have produced in writing is, in many ways, lost.
 * Project**

Given that many of these students do not continue on to post-secondary education, it is all the more important that I prepare them for the 21st century workforce. Surely, this typical approach to meeting my content standards does little to teach students 21st century skills that will help them after graduation. It also does little to engage them in the learning process. Challenge-based learning offers a new approach to meeting these standards for the research paper-- an approach that will allow students to gain the required skills in reading, writing, and research, but one that will also provide students with meaningful and relevant learning opportunities.

Students have great freedom in selecting their topic, which is one strength of the original assignment. However, the CBL approach allows students not only to select a topic of personal relevance, but also to challenge themselves to make an impact on their community through what they learn. During that challenge, students can extend their research beyond the library, connecting with experts in their community and all over the world. After critically reading their research, students can begin to formulate solutions to their challenge-- to use what they have learned to make an impact. Their final product goes beyond the traditional five paragraph essay because it has a real audience and therefore has the potential to effect change. Compared to the traditional approach to the persuasive essay, students are learning much more and preparing themselves what what lies ahead in their futures.

Using the CBL framework, here is one possible implementation schedule for this project. Given various restraints, though, it can be modified as necessary.
 * Implementation**

WEEK ONE (The Big Idea, Essential Question, The Challenge, Guiding Questions)
 * Introduce project and sample topics.
 * Create cooperative groups.
 * Groups brainstorm and select topics/ issues of relevance. (The Big Idea, //i.e. Underage drinking)//
 * Groups identify their essential questions that represent the heart of the issue. (//How does underage drinking impact our school community and larger society?)//
 * Groups create a challenge for themselves based on their selected topic. (//Increase awareness of the dangers of underage drinking and positively influence students' decisions)//
 * Groups identify several guiding questions that represent what they need to know about their topic in order to meet their challenge. (//What are the statistics in our area regarding underage drinking? What are the dangers? To what degree is it an issue in our own school? What leads to underage drinking? What could convince students not to do it? How do students at our school feel about drinking? Are they aware of the dangers? What resources does our school offer about drinking? How often do kids access these?)//
 * Reflection on progress: What have you accomplished so far? Where will you need to go next?

WEEK TWO (Refining Guiding Questions, Guiding Activities & Resources)
 * Groups continue to record guiding questions as they arise.
 * Groups set out to answer the questions they have posed to themselves and set goals for research.
 * Possible Guiding Activities/ Lessons (selected by the teacher OR identified by students as necessary):
 * Reading with a purpose
 * Locating relevant information
 * Note-taking
 * Avoiding plagiarism
 * Conducting an interview
 * Possible Guiding Resources/ Research options (selected by students based on appropriateness to topic):
 * Library's databases
 * Web sources
 * Interviews with students, teachers, administrators, or parents
 * Interviews with community members and others around the world (//Finding others who have been impacted in some way by underage drinking or finding people who are already involved in increasing awareness of this issue)//
 * Interviews with experts in the field (//doctors, counselors, etc.)//
 * Surveys
 * Groups synthesize and organize all they have learned through their research.
 * Reflection on progress: What have you accomplished so far? Where will you need to go next? What is the most helpful information you discovered? The least helpful? Which information will have the greatest impact on the solution you choose?

WEEK THREE (Brainstorming Solutions, Selecting a Solution, Begin Implementing Solution)
 * Based on what they discovered during Week 2, students begin brainstorming possible solutions that are realistic and promising. (//Based on the information we got from other students and experts, what are the solutions most likely to be successful? What will get our peers' attention and make an impact? What solutions are doable in the amount of time we have?)//
 * After brainstorming many possibilities, students select the solution they will enact. (//creating a school club dedicated to increasing awareness of underage drinking, submitting an article to the school newspaper about underage drinking, inviting an expert to speak to the student body, etc.)//
 * Then, students must begin taking action, first doing what is necessary to get approval for their plan.
 * Reflection on progress: What have you accomplished so far? Where will you need to go next? Why did you choose your specific solution? How effective has it been so far? How will you assess how effective your solution is?

WEEK FOUR (Finish Implementing Solution & Begin Assessment)
 * Students should continue to work on the implementation of their chosen solutions.
 * Groups should finalize their decision about how to assess the effectiveness of their plan and begin evaluating their efforts.
 * Reflection on progress, plan for final week of project

WEEK FIVE (Assessment, Publishing)
 * Students should complete a thorough assessment of their project using their criteria
 * Groups will finally find ways to share their work with the world, choosing those outlets that are most appropriate to their topic.
 * Videos
 * Blogs
 * Digital Stories
 * Podcasts
 * Photographs
 * Final Reflection: Students should reflect on their growth and learning throughout the project using some form of media.

The materials needed for this project will depend largely on the specific topics selected by students. Also, it will depend on the direction the students choose to take as they research their topics, plan their challenges, and implement their solutions. Most importantly, though, part of the "challenge" is for students themselves to locate resources, seek out information, and contact people. The project is led and directed by students themselves, so part of their responsibility will be to locate or create necessary materials. However, the teacher can provide access to students with materials including computers and web tools. Beyond that, teachers can work alongside students as they locate resources or learn to use different tools they find.
 * Materials and Resources**

Collection of Resources This site contains a variety of links to resources relating to the CBL approach, project exemplars, project management, and publication resources. These resources can help guide the teacher to use this approach in the classroom, but it can also help students understand the approach, look at examples, and discover tools they can use to publish their work.