I still can't seem to get past assigning those "go find out" types of assignments. In my experiences, my students are best at those specific tasks. I've given assignments where student have to find specific information about a topic. But rarely do these projects require synthesis. I have tried to include a synthesizing conclusion paragraph to an essay. But I don't get many great products. Sometimes I get something like "I think it's good/bad..."
I definitely see the value in essential questions. All my formal educations schooling has been around essential questions. But I feel like many of my students lack basic knowledge or find it hard to think about bigger ideas and then break it down. It's hard to get at an essential question when lots of minor building block facts are forgotten regularly.
I find myself teaching and reteaching basic facts. So the essential questions often get lost. I want to make an effort to reclaim essential questions, and weave them into my coursework, even while spiraling back to basic facts.
I tend to include specific questions for the students to answer, but do try to get them to think "outside" the box a bit when completing their Webquests. It is probably the hardest thing for them to do. I agree that the "go find out" projects can be difficult for students. When I first created my Social Studies Webquest, it was very "open-ended" and my students had a significant amount of difficulty following it. I changed it so they had specific items to research, and they have definitely been more successful with the entire journey.
ReplyDeleteI completely related to your comments. I am working on a 4th Grade Vermont History project right now and I know it is the completely wrong type of research assignment. It is basically a fact finding assignment about Vermont to create a brochure and I need to fix this lesson by adding meaning for the students. Of course the students could come up with great essential questions about the history of their own state and culture! I need to help them focus on essential questions because they are missing the meaning of why they are learning about Vermont history. I agree that it is hard to get students to think about bigger ideas when they don't have the building block facts.
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