Christopher Stevens Youth Network: Global Connections 2.0

iEARN -Jordan Workshop

Khitam Al-UtaibiiEARN-Jordan Representative

February 23rd, 2013Amman, Jordan

My Name Exercise

International Education and Resource NetworkLearning with the world, not just

about it

Learning with the world, not just about it…

2 million Students 40,000 Educators 130 Countries

300 Projects 30 Languages

Since 1988, a global network of 130 country programs has emerged…

global project model: meets educational objectives, addresses issues, topics and

challenges that young people care about

Millennium Development Goals Project

Solar Cooker ProjectTwo Rivers, One World Project

Global Art Project

Projects in all Curriculum AreasArts & Literature

Social Studies

Math & Science

Languages & ESL

Adaptable to meet national (state) standards

Collaboration Centre for communication and sharing

iEARN is…

The largest project-based K-12 network in the world!

25,000 schools and youth organizations in 130 countries.www.iearn.org

Collaboration in Education Works!

iEARN-Jordan• Started in Jordan in 1999 and was coordinated by different administrations on

small scale.• In Sep 2009, iEARN –Jordan was approved by the iEARN International Assembly

and now is coordinated by Ms. Khitam Al-Utaibi.

Achievements:– Video Conference Seminar between Department of Education -US and

Jordan Ministry of Education for high school students to talk about Global Warming . Ten Students from public schools in Directorate of Education -Amman 1st. (Dec 2009)

– Workshop for 11 teachers from private schools in Amman. (Dec 2010)– Workshop for youth specialized in IT. (Feb 2011). – Workshop for Al-Hassad Private School teachers (March 2012)– Presentation in the ALC Conference

Where you can find us:You may find us on our Facebook iEARN-Jordan. Visit, like and share! Thanks!

Navigating the iEARN Collaboration Center

Examples of iEARN Online Projects

• Beauty of the Beasts• Future Citizen Project• My City and Me• To Dam or Not to Dam (Rivers), That is the Qu

estion

Online Course• Mechanisms

– Six weeks course with instructions, papers to read and assignments

– Participating teachers follow the instructors guidelines and can send emails for any inquiry

• Where? – On iEARN professional Development Center

• How? – Teachers submit their completed assignments on

weekly basis– Teachers who complete the course will take certificates

Online Course

Teachers who will participate in the Online Course , iEARN-Jordan Representative will provide necessary support as

needed.

Coffee Break

Research on the Role of Student Characteristics in Project-Based Learning

• There is a frequently voiced claim that Project-Based Learning is an effective method for prompting heretofore reluctant and disengaged students (e.g., low-achieving students) to become motivated and engaged learners (Jones et al., 1997).

Challenges and frustrations! Where do they come from?

• The formal education system:– Human: Teacher, Supervisor, Principal, student– Facility: classrooms, computer labs, science

labs, library, other (gym, music room,)– Curriculum: standards, textbooks, e-content– Technology and applications: internet?,

intranet?, video conferencing, online courses, distance collaboration

• Home, neighborhood, self, etc!

How can we bridge the gap?الفجوة؟ جسر يمكننا كيف

An Introduction to Project –Based Learning

Introduction to Collaborative Project Based Learning through iEARNHandout 9.1 Steps to Planning Successful Online Projects

• Project Planning

a. Be familiar with the topic you will teach; consult textbooks and other resources for teachers

b. Establish a working environment with co-teachers

c. Brainstorm ideas•  Project Design

a. Define the goal of the project - It is very important that the student goals you specify for the activity are:

– Tied directly to the curriculum– Could not be accomplished at all, or as well, using more traditional learning

tools. The collaboration must bring added value either in content or process.

b.Think about the project activities. If this is your first attempt at bringing collaboration into your class, aim for creating a short activity.

c. Choose the final report format – Writings– Art project (wall chart, poster, mural)– Electronic (slide presentation, website, audio, video)– Performance (debates, games, interviews, panel discussions, plays, songs)

d. Choose appropriate assessment methods

e. Construct appropriate assessment tools– Assessment rubrics– Peer evaluation forms– Self evaluation forms

f. Describe teacher and student roles

g. Decide on student groupings

Introduction to Collaborative Project Based Learning through iEARNHandout 9.1 Steps to Planning Successful Online Projects

h. Create student support materials, such as: • Handouts containing instructions• Project submission forms• Sample student work

i. Look into resource or technology availability

j. Map out the time line for the project and specify time frame for each task

k. Consider balance between homework vs. schoolwork

l. Create a group action plan

m. Create a personal action plan

Introduction to Collaborative Project Based Learning through iEARNHandout 9.1 Steps to Planning Successful Online Projects

3. Call for Collaboration – Find teachers who are willing to get their students to participate in your project– Write an invitation that describes who you are, where you are located, why you

are doing this project (as part of your curriculum), what the project is about, when the project will start and how long it will last.

– Be prepared to answer inquiries from other teachers.

 

4. Implementation– Start the project with an opening activity– Initiate communications– Communicate regularly– Keep communications alive – Have students write progress reports– End with a final, tangible product such as a report, a video, a list of “winners”,

shared results, content analysis or a web page. – Schedule a closure date and make sure all class contributions are received in a

timely fashion.

Introduction to Collaborative Project Based Learning through iEARNHandout 9.1 Steps to Planning Successful Online Projects

5. Facilitation and Collaborationa. Revisit group and personal action plans

b. Adjust schedules and activities, as needed

6. Evaluationa. Assemble outputs into a portfolio

b. Reflect on experiences

c. Assess student learning

7. Disseminationa. Share experiences with colleagues through publications and

presentations

b. Update the Project Website

Introduction to Collaborative Project Based Learning through iEARNHandout 9.1 Steps to Planning Successful Online Projects

Is PBL Worth's Doing?It Really, Actually Changed My Life

Jordan Education Reform for Knowledge Economy

• Knowledge Economy

• 21st century Skills

• Ways of Thinking

Education Trends in 21st century

http://www.p21.org/

1. Planning2. Design

1. Goals and objectives2. Activities (collaboration)3. Final product4. Assessment methods and tools5. Roles (teacher & student)6. Grouping strategies7. Support material8. Resources and technology availability9. Timeline and timeframe 10. Balance between homework vs. schoolwork11. Group action plan12. Personal action plan

Project Based Learning Life Cycle

3. Call for collaboration 4. Implementation5. Facilitation and collaboration6. Evaluation7. Dissemination

Project Based Learning Life Cycle

The Coming to California Project

A twelve-week interdisciplinary United States history and English project for 11th and 12th graders. The project focused on immigration into California and included a class mosaic as a product.

Source: The Project Based Learning Handbook, Buck Institute for Education. The Arabic version of the Handbook will be issued by March 2013.

The Coming to California Project

Driving Questions

How can we answer the Driving Question?

The Coming to Amman Project

The Coming to California ProjectPROJECT OUTCOMESContent Standards

• Students read and respond to historically or culturally significant works of literature.• Students write coherent and focused texts that convey a well-defined perspective and tightly

reasoned argument.• Students deliver polished formal and extemporaneous presentations that combine traditional

rhetorical strategies of narration, exposition, persuasion, and description.• Students analyze the relationship among the rise of industrialization, large-scale rural to

urban migration, and massive immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe.• Students analyze the major political, social, economic, technological, and cultural

developments of the 1920s.Skills• Students will be able to set goals and carry out a project plan.• Students will be able to deliver an oral presentation in front of a large group.• Students will be able to generate an interview plan: who, what, where, when, how.• Students will be able to work effectively in a group and be more disposed to cooperate with

peers.Habits of Mind• Students will be more tolerant and understanding of immigrant groups.

Using Bloom’s Taxonomy to Write AssessmentsLEVEL EMPHASIS GOAL VERBS TO USE

1Knowledge

recognition and recall -- ability to remember facts in the way they were first presented

Show that you know list, tell, define, identify, label, locate, recognize

2Comprehension

grasp the meaning and intent of information -- the ability to tell or translate into your own words

Show that you understand explain, illustrate, describe, summarize, interpret, expand, convert, measure

3Application

use of information -- ability to apply learning to new situations and real-life circumstances

Show that you can use what has been learned

demonstrate, apply, use, construct, find solutions, collect information, perform, solve, choose appropriate procedures

4Analysis

reasoning -- ability to break down information into component parts and to detect relationships of one part to another and to the whole

Show that you perceive and can pick out the most important points in material presented

analyze, debate, differentiate, generalize, conclude, organize, determine, distinguish

5Synthesis

originality and creativity -- ability to assemble separate parts to form a new whole

Show that you can combine concepts to create an original or new idea

create, design, plan, produce, compile, develop, invent

6Evaluation

Ability to use criteria or standards for evaluation and judgment

Show that you can judge and evaluate ideas, information, procedures, and solutions

compare, decide, evaluate, conclude, contrast, develop criteria, assess, appraise

AssessmentThe Central Features of Effective RubricsRubrics recommended for use in the classroom are analytic rubrics, which break down the tasks in an assignment into separate categories for assessment. For example, an analytic rubric for a research paper might contain criteria for five categories: (1) content; (2) Organization;(3) depth of research; (4) use of primary resources; and (5) Writing mechanics.

This breakdown allows teachers to facilitate student learning during the project by giving students more specific feedback. Analytic rubrics do not combine independent tasks in one criteria.

AssessmentELEMENTS*Any performance or product can be broken down into a set of elements,or individual components. These elements describe variousaspects of a product and become the framework for the rubric. Forexample, the elements below describe five different ways to evaluate apresentation of an idea or a product. These five elements can be listedon the rubric to provide a comprehensive description of performance:• Impact of performance. The success of performance,given the purposes, goals, and desired result.• Work quality and craftsmanship. The overall polish,organization, and rigor of the work.• Adequacy of methods and behaviors. The quality of theprocedures and manner of presentation, prior to and duringperformance.• Validity of content. The correctness of the ideas, skills,or materials used.• Sophistication of knowledge employed. The complexityor maturity of the knowledge displayed.

The Coming to California ProjectPROJECT EVALUATION1.Planned as a 10-week project, the Coming to California

Project was completed in 12 weeks, with successful presentations and a strong a sense of student accomplishment.

2.A test for content knowledge showed that a majority of students had mastered test and lecture materials on immigration and key historical events, such as the Depression, the New Deal, and the Japanese internments.

3.In presentations, students demonstrated passion, tolerance, and understanding as they related the journey and migration stories of the ethnic group they had chosen to investigate.

The Coming to California Project…PROJECT EVALUATION4. Many students were motivated to research their own

family history in California and relate their findings to immigration topics.

5. As part of the project planning, the teaching team scheduled one 90-minute period with students to reflect on the project and evaluate the learning that had come from the project.

6. The evaluation was conducted in a community fashion, with students and teachers in a large circle. Students facilitated the debriefing and recorded the discussion.

The Coming to California ProjectThree management strategies helped make the project successful. • First, teachers closely monitored the pace and direction of

project activities using weekly progress reports that included teacher observations, weekly student progress logs, and Friday debriefings.

• Second, as the teachers mapped out the project, they used five different grouping strategies to ensure greater productivity and accountability.

• Third, different learning contexts helped students stay enthused during a long project. In addition to working in class and at home, students conducted research in the library and in the community, presented to other classrooms and to the community in an all-school assembly, and worked on the mosaic in a studio near the school.

Thank You To know more about iEARN-Jordan, you may contact me

through email:iearnjordan@aol.com