Activity 9.3

Step 2: Understanding What Makes a Good Showing Evidence Project

The Showing Evidence Tool is most beneficial when learners need to develop arguments supported by evidence or facts. Developing these arguments often involves analyzing conflicting information, sorting through complex ideas, or evaluating controversial topics. Showing Evidence can be used in a variety of projects to:

• Analyze an experiment and come to a conclusion
• Research hypotheses
• Look at different perspectives
• Investigate social issues
• Analyze characters or plots
• Evaluate credibility
• Apply knowledge
• Create a cost-benefit analysis
• Organize ideas for projects or essays
• Debate a controversial issue

Characteristics of a project that integrates the Showing Evidence Tool:

• Contains elements of a controversial issue, debatable topic, moral or ethical dilemma, social issue, or challenge to an existing opinion
• Questions of the project are engaging, thought-provoking, and open-ended
• Answers to the project are not readily attainable or evident
• Conflicting evidence exists, with multiple perspectives or methods of evaluation

Plan for Opportunities to Reflect and Revise

To maximize learning, build time into your project for learners to reflect on their thinking process, as well as time for learners to go back to their cases to reflect and build upon their initial ideas. The Showing Evidence Tool supports investigation that occurs in cycles of evidence gathering, working with the Showing Evidence Tool, and reflecting. After building an initial case, learners experiment or research to gather more data and evidence, and then return to revise and adjust their cases. Consider using journal reflections and peer review from within the tool to help learners focus and refine their work. Learners also need time away from the computers to plan and carry out the next cycle of data gathering.

Plan for Student Teams

Although learners could use the Showing Evidence Tool individually, the power of the tool becomes evident when it is used by teams of learners. Learners are able to share their opinions and actively think through not only what evidence to use, but why the evidence is important. Learners are more engaged in learning when they share their opinions about particular evidence or try to convince their teammate to change the quality ranking of a piece of evidence. Such discussions help learners further clarify their ideas. Working as a team, learners will need to make decisions, prioritize, negotiate, and seek consensus. Student Teams can also be assigned to be peer reviewers where they can leave comments and ask questions directly within the workspace.

Consider Assigning Reviewing Teams

The Showing Evidence Tool allows teams to be set up to review one another. Including reviewing teams can help your learners to become more thoughtful and express their ideas more clearly. Providing work for review gives learners the opportunity to tighten up their argument as their evidence and explanations are seen in a different light. Writing for an audience and knowing that another team will be reviewing their work may also improve the quality of their cases. Provide guidelines on content and structure, so that feedback will be constructive. Teams can be paired together because they have differing
opinions, or teams can be paired if they share the same views on an issue.

Next: Proceed to Step 3 of Activity 9.3