Group 4 Project. Some Philosophy We must foster a conception of excellence which may be applied to...
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Transcript of Group 4 Project. Some Philosophy We must foster a conception of excellence which may be applied to...
Group 4 Project
Some PhilosophyWe must foster a conception
of excellence which may be applied to every degree of ability and to every socially acceptable activity….We need excellent physicists and excellent mechanics. We need excellent cabinet members and excellent first grade teachers.
Some Philosophy
The tone and fiber of our society depend upon a pervasive and almost universal striving for good performance.
John W. Gardner 1962
Some Philosophy
Scientific investigations of today involve teamwork which , like the Group 4 Project, is interdisciplinary.
The underpinnings of teamwork are:
communication andrespect for each other
Nature of the Project
Collaborative experience Interdisciplinary co-operation ‘Real Science’ activity Processes, not Products
Choosing a Topic
Students choose topic Teachers propose several topics
from which Students choose one
Teachers select topic
Participation All the students investigate the
same topic Split into smaller groups for 2 or 3
topics IB students or IB + non-IB
Students Inter-school (internationalism!)
Only one IB Science Offered /
Very Few Students Alternate years
(juniors & seniors) work together
Work with non-IB students
Work with Group 3 Co-operate with
another school
When to carry out the ProjectMiddle of first year
end of first year
start of second year
During the school day
on a weekend
on a field trip
Four Phases
Planning 2 - 3 hoursDefinition of ActivitiesAction 5 - 6 hoursEvaluation 2 - 3 hours
Planning Definition Action Evaluation
(6 - 9)
Planning (2 – 3 hours) Mixed-subject sessions:
brainstorm the topic Develop a hypothesis Suggest data collection Sharing of information & ideas
Definition of Activities
Develop subject-specific questions to answer and A subject specific hypothesis
Define specific tasks
Action (6 - 9 hours)
Separate subject investigations As individuals or groups During ‘Normal’ lessons or a
special day / week /weekend 2 science subjects do 2 action
phases
Evaluation (2 – 3 hours) Sharing findings
(successes, failures and progress)
Format decided by teachers & / or students, e.g., science fair, posters, school presentation…
Assessment Teachers may choose:
Not to assess the project To assess it against one or more of
the IB IA criteria To assess it according to the criteria
for the school’s local or national requirements
Evidence of participation
There is no set reporting method. Some options are:
a statement written by the student about his/her own individual contributions- (an abstract ?)
a self-evaluation form or a peer-evaluation form an individual laboratory report or complete
Project report rough work or a record of data collected photographs, e.g. of a final poster produced by
the group that includes the participation of the candidate whose work is being sent
Example of Process to Identify a group 4 Project:
Step 1: Identify major topics: e.g., body, pollution, water, recycling, air, energy, nutrition, waste, agriculture.
Step 2: concentrate on a few topics: Pollution, Agriculture, nutrition.
Step 3: Narrow topic down to one: e.g., Agriculture
Example of Process to Identify a group 4 Project (cont.):
Step 4: Narrow it down to a focused question, e.g., How can agriculture help reduce pollution?
Step 5: Students in each subject come up with issues in their own areas.
and create a hypothesis Step 6: Students in each subject narrow these
down to what they can collect in terms of data and investigations.
Broad Topic: Sick Building Syndrome
Focused Question: How do the environmental conditions in a given building cause illness?
• Biology issues: Survey of symptoms, research into existing medical data: studies of respiratory illnesses, research on organisms --cause/effect
• Chemistry Issues: Call Health Department to find out tests for sick building e.g. in humidity studies, harmful gases,, etc. CO, CO2, particulates, water analysis, investigations of Brownian motion; Rn detection, condensation patterns
• Physics Issues: measurement of electromagnetic fields, air flow patterns, R factors, temperature of the buildings
Examples of Group 4 Projects
Natural & Synthetic Fibers The 400 m Running Race A study of an Estuary The School Swimming Pool Exercise Paper Recycling The effect of Caffeine on the Human Body Petroleum and the Automobile The Classroom Environment Transport to School
Group 4 Projects (cont.)
School Garbage Agriculture How healthy is our School? Pollution in City X Alternate Energy Sources for the School Beer / Wine Driving Ice Storm The Weather The Science of Toys / Thrill Ride
Evaluation of Personal Skills: Evaluate yourself (student 1) and each of
the other members of your group on each of the skills listed in the table below:
Use the following evaluation scale: 1 = did not display the skill at all
2 = displayed the skill to some extent3 = did all that could be expected in this respectN = I did not have an opportunity to observe this skill
Evaluation of Personal Skills:Personal Skills Accepted responsibility to contribute to
team Encouraged the contributions of others Recognized the contributions of others Showed self-motivation and
perseverance Showed ethical behavior in personal
relations and reporting results Paid due attention to environmental
impacts
Evaluation of Personal Skills:
Please answer the following questions. (use the back of this page or attach additional pages if needed.)
What did you do well as a group? What problems did you encounter in
working as a member of your group? What suggestions can you make for
improving the functioning of a group in the future?
Thank you. Please return this form to the faculty advisor for your group by…