Activity 11.5

Completing Your Project Plan

Step 1: Finalizing Your Project Ideas

Use the following questions to help you develop ideas for the procedural section of your Project Plan. These directions will help guide your implementation plans for any project that uses an online thinking tool. 

1. What activities will introduce the project to learners? How will learners develop the knowledge-level understanding they will need for the higher-order thinking in the project? What activities will help learners draw upon prior knowledge and skills for the project?

2. Based on the reflections in the previous modules, which thinking tools best target the learning objectives in your Project? Which tools will you actually use in this project? How does the tool (or tools) specifically support learning and higher-order thinking in this project?

3. When using the thinking tools, thinking becomes not only visible, but discussible. Think about the best configuration for your learners to ensure each group member is actively involved in discussions and contributing to the decision making process. How will you organize and monitor groups? What ground rules will you establish? What roles will be established?

4. How will you ensure that Student Teams will have sufficient time and access to work on their rankings, maps, and/or cases and conduct Internet research? How will you schedule computer time? How will you ensure equal access?

5. Think about the overall scope and sequence of your project. Where will the use of the thinking tools be most beneficial? What will the cycle of revision and reflection look like? How many opportunities will learners have to revise their ideas? What reflection activities will be built into the project? How long will learners be given for research activities? What resources will they use?

6. Will you include any outside participation in this project? Describe how you could incorporate participation from others outside the classroom, including guest speakers, mentors, other learners/classrooms, community members, parents, and so forth.

7. The end result of this project is for learners to be able to communicate their conclusions and analysis of a problem or system, which will be based—in part— on their use of the thinking tool(s). How will learners develop and present answers to the other significant questions and issues of the project? What will be the final project / outcome / presentation that your learners will be required to complete?

8. How are the Curriculum-Framing Questions answered by the end of the project?

9. How will you accommodate the different learners in your classroom? What accommodations will you need to make so that all learners can be successful?

    

Next: Proceed to Step 2 of Activity 11.5