FORMAT

Based on trying to design project-based learning experiences, the activities were developed according to the format suggested in Project Based Learning: A Handbook for Middle and High School Teachers, Buck Institute for Education, 1999. Each learning activity is organized around: Content, Driving Questions, Components, Strategies, and Assessment. Teachers may choose to add or delete tasks, depending on their students.

Content: Activities and the projects focus on ideas that are central to concepts within or across subject-matter areas. The activities are constructed to incorporate the Hawaii Content and Performance Standards and related life skills.

Driving Questions: These questions focus student efforts on investigations and other critical learning experiences. The students are challenged to gather information, investigate, or solve a situation. Many of the driving questions have pre-questions that students need to answer (or learn about) before they can get to the main question.

Components: Each activity attempts to have at least three parts. One is the inclusion of generative, constructive tasks. That is, the students need to focus on transforming, creating, and constructing ideas and information. They gather information, solve problems, overcome obstacles, look for resources, and make decisions.

Second, the activity is seldom straight forward. They may take a lot of time, and almost always has many phases and a variety of activities.

Thirdly, the activity tries to involve an authentic task that is modeled after the work of professionals, or business or community organizations. Teachers can enhance the activity by adding to any of these parts.

Supportive Strategies: The activity may describe a variety of learning arrangements. That is, students may work alone, on their own time, or may work in a group. It is hoped that use of the activities will stimulate students working independently, as well as interacting with other students in order to carry out their projects.

Most instruction is not planned as "lectures," but rather occurs as support in the context of other activities. For example, teachers may support student learning by conducting on-the-job training, providing written handouts to accompany a task, and organizing consultations with or talks by experts.

Feedback is an important supportive strategy. The activities provide students the opportunities to learn by doing, but they benefit most by receiving feedback about their accomplishments from both peers and members of the community.

Assessment: Assessment is integral to each activity and emphasizes realistic products. The outcomes are valuable and often reflected in professional activities related to the topic. There are multiple outcomes, including knowledge and skills central to the problem or situation, as well as skills and habits that are essential for success in the world.

Assessment is built in, together with the opportunity to be engaged, to produce meaningful products, and to be successful. Students are made responsible for their own assessments; as such, they are encouraged to coach each other and provide feedback.

Traditional assessment modes are not included since they are common-place in classrooms. What are included are sample rubrics (descriptions of three levels of performance for a given standard) that support the performance tasks in the activities and parallel the Marzano's Dimensions of Learning Model. The rubrics are based on recommendations in Assessing Student Outcomes by Robert J. Marzano, Debra Pickering, and Jay McTighe, 1993.