teacher

Rationale of Project:

Proposing 'real world' problems for students to research and solve, makes learning authentic and makes the curriculum meaningful for learners.

Learning Objectives:

I want my students to understand the chemistry and biology behind dangerous chemical and biological agents. Why are they so dangerous and why is it important to have an effective defensive strategy to protect Canadian's from this threat? How do chemical and biological weapons pose a threat to living things? Is the environment effected as well? Are there long-term effects?

Students should be able to demonstrate the interrelationships among science, technology and society by:

explaining the role of concentration in risk/benefit analysis and the significance of biological magnification in increasing the concentration of substances within ecosystems in terms of protecting the environment from harm to ensure quality of life for future generations

assessing, qualitatively, the risks and benefits of transporting acidic and caustic substances in populated areas in terms of the need to protect the environment to ensure society’s safety and quality of life for future generations

Derived from Alberta Learning Science Curriculum Technology Outcomes:

The effective use of digital technologies helps students think in broad and deep ways (C3, C7) about the topic they are investigating by:

* requiring them to access, use, critique and communicate information from a variety of sources, and in a variety of ways (C1, C2, C3);
* enabling them to seek and negotiate alternative viewpoints (C2, C3);
* requiring them to critically assess information as they build their understanding (C3, C7);
* permitting them to pose and test solutions, make inferences and model thinking (C3, C6, C7); and
* empowering them to create, present and defend their own understandings (C1, C3, C7).

Digital technologies can help raise and solve problems (C6, C7) fundamental to worthwhile investigations by:
* putting students in touch with world-class expertise and up-to-the-minute developments in their area of study (C1, C2, C3);
* permitting a wide range of perspectives on a single issue (C2, C3)

Technology can help students conduct and manage complex inquiries (C4) and communicate their growing understandings in meaningful ways (C1, C7) by:
* facilitating the organization of information from more than one source (C1, C2);
* permitting ongoing revisions and rethinking;
* creating knowledge building communities that aid rich collaboration (C5);
* permitting file sharing, email and real-time conferencing (C5)

Technology can play legitimate roles at any stage of an inquiry (C6), not just in the final presentation. It can be a vital component of:
* searching for information (C1);
* posing worthwhile questions (C6);
* collaborating with others (C5);
* organizing ideas and people (C4);
* communicating understanding through images, sound and movement as well as text (C1, C6, C7); and
* creating wide and authentic audiences for student work (C1, C6, C7)

Recommended Technology Resources:

Internet
Students: To research background information and access discussion forums in online communities to share and seek diverse perspectives and opinions.
Teacher: To access experts in the field via web searches and discussion forums.
E-mail
Students: To share information with group members, and to ask the teacher questions when face-to-face interaction is unavailable.
Teacher: To contact experts in the field and arrange field trips for the class, to answer questions, and to send assessment summaries.
Web Page Software
Students: To create a web page showcasing their research and presenting their thoughts to the government.
Teacher: To create a web page outlining the project tasks, assessment criteria and supplementary resources for the project ensuring that it is available for student access anytime and promotes parental involvement.
Multimedia Presentation Software
Students: To create a presentation showcasing their research and presenting their thoughts to the government.

Instructional Methods & Strategies:

Discussion Group discussion promotes active, participatory learning and encourages learners to analyze alternative ways of thinking.

Collaborative Multimedia Project Using projects in a learning activity makes the learning more authentic to the learners. Projects can be shared with others - and provide the learner with a sense of ownership and accomplishment.

Learning from Experts Involving chemical and biological weapons experts and taking students to a chemical and biological agent protection research facility promotes the authenticity of the project tasks.

Implementation Process:

Planning:

* Current event news presented the conflict between Iraq and the United States involving chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons. This fits into the chemistry, biology, and social studies curriculum and relates a real world issue to classroom learning.

* I located speakers to come and talk to students about these weapons and the societal implications of possessing weapons of mass destruction. The speakers were Nancy Pearson-Mackie from University of Calgary’s Department of Military and Strategic Studies and Helen Spencer from the CRTI Initiative in Ottawa.

* I organized a field trip to CFB Suffield’s Biological and Chemical Protection Center to provide the students’ access to research scientists.

* I contacted the Department of National Defense to locate an authentic audience for the students to send their proposals

Student Tasks:

As I created the tasks for this project I considered the following checklist from the Galileo Educational Network.

* Does the task require students to design, build, construct and/or create a real product?

* Is the task open-ended and does it allow for a range of solutions and possibilities?

* Does the task require meaningful collaboration that requires and values the contributions of each group member?

* Is there a playful element to the task that allows students to mess around and try things out?

* Will the task require an extended period of time to complete?

* Does the task reflect an important understanding about a particular discipline or subject area?

* Have students been given a genuine voice in the construction of the task and have they been provided with opportunities to create their own approach to the task?

* Is the task authentic in that students encounter real problems and issues?

* Has the task been designed to cultivate habits of the mind?

* Does the task allow students to do things at a level of complexity and sophistication impossible without a computer?

* Has technology been used in a way that develops the intellect of students?

Assessment:

I discussed the assessment rubric with the students and asked for feedback. The feedback resulted in alterations to the original rubric. The students’ final assessment will be determined by combining a teacher assessment and a self assessment accompanied with rationalization of their choices.

Implications/Impact on Student Learning:

What did they learn?

I wanted my students to understand the chemistry behind different types of chemical weapons. Why are they so dangerous and why is it important to have an effective defensive strategy to protect Canadian's from this threat? How do chemical and biological agents pose a threat to living things? Is the environment effected as well? Are there long-term effects? This is a global concern and student's need to understand that their input is important and valid.

Quotes from kids.

“We know what’s going on in the world.”

“We’ll know what to do if something happens.”

“We know the effects of the different weapons.”

“We get to talk to experts and visit a military base, CFB Suffield…it’s more hands on.”

“We could be interested in a new career.”

Resources:

Bento, Regina F. & Bento, Alberto M. (2000). Using the web to extend and support classroom learning. College Student Journal, 34(4), 603-609.

Chickering, Arthur and Stephen C. Ehrmann (1996, October), Implementing the seven principles: Technology as lever. AAHE Bulletin, pp. 3-6. [Online]. Available:

http://www.tltgroup.org/programs/seven.html

Jonassen, D.H. & Howland, J. (2003). Learning to solve problems with technology: A constructivist perspective. Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.

Norton, P. and Wilburg, K. (2003). Teaching with technology: Designing opportunities to learn. Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. Belmont, CA.

Paloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2001). Lessons from the cyberspace classroom: The realities of online teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Defence Research and Development Canada - Suffield

How Stuff Works – Chemical and Biological Warfare