EVOKing in the Classroom

This (work in progress) will become a curriculum package for teachers who want to play EVOKE in the classroom, with or without the EVOKE Ning. Once it's drafted, it will be prepared in an easy-to-use format and distributed as a PDF document, free of charge, to anyone who might like to use it.

Authors

(if you work on this, please list yourself here!):

• Rachel Smith (Ninmah on EVOKE)
• Gilad rosenabum

Ways to Help

Interested? Dive on in! Here are some ideas if you're not sure how to get started:

Got five minutes? List an idea or two in the Brainstorming sections -- we need lots of ideas!

Got twenty minutes? Pick your favorite topic and add a resource, including a link and a brief annotation that tells us what kind of resource it is. We need lots!

Got an hour? Review the curriculum and add whatever is missing. Imagine you're a teacher who wants to run this in your class. What would you need to know?

Whatever you do, please add yourself to the Authors list above so we can credit you in the final publication!

License

I (Rachel) propose that this work be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike (by-nc-sa) license (this link goes to the US version, but we can generate versions for any country at Creative Commons ). Essentially, this license gives all of us -- and anyone else -- the right to use, copy, modify, share, and distribute this curriculum, provided (1) attribution to the original authors (us) is given; (2) the work is not used for commercial purposes or sold; and (3) any derivative works that are created from this guide are released under the same licensing terms.

Important: Authors, please indicate below whether you agree or not. If not, please explain why, if you don't mind, so we can understand the issues at play.

I agree to the license as proposed.

• Rachel Smith

I do not agree to the license as proposed, and I state my reason(s) below.

Overview

We should develop 3 versions of this curriculum: one for teachers whose students have access to computers and the Internet; one for teachers whose students can only access the library; and one for teachers who don't have access to many resources at all. That way, the greatest number of teachers can make use of the curriculum.

All Versions

This curriculum guide will help teachers plan and prepare a challenge-based learning activity in which students will work in groups to:

• develop appropriate research questions;

• research a problem of global significance;
• brainstorm actions they can take locally to solve the problem (or make it less of a problem) in their community;
• select and develop a single solution;
• present their solution to their community;
• organize, plan, and carry out the solution they have proposed;
• take measurements before and after implementing their solution
• compare the results of the measurements; and
• evaluate the effects of their actions.

The guide will contain a description of the process, specific tips to help teachers who are using it for the first time, and suggestions for guiding students as they work on their issues. The process is very student-centered. The teacher kicks off the project and then serves as a mentor or guide as each group of students works through the process of finding solutions.

Version 1 (Internet-Capable)

This version of the curriculum is designed for teachers whose classes have access to the Internet. Teachers may choose to use the EVOKE site in their classes, but the curriculum is also designed so that the site is not necessary -- so that teachers can still use the curriculum after EVOKE is over.

Version 2 (LIbrary Only)

This version of the curriculum is designed for teachers whose classes do not have reliable access to the Internet. This version is adapted to use library and human resources only.

Version 3 (Resource-Poor)

This version of the curriculum is designed for teachers with little or no access to research materials of any kind. This version is adapted to use human resources only.

Learning Objectives

All Versions

1. Students will collaborate to develop a local solution to a problem of global significance.
2. Students will write research questions that will lead to an understanding of an issue of global significance, including designing and taking a local survey or measurements.
3. Students will perform research on their chosen topic.
4. Students will brainstorm several potential solutions to the problem that could be carried out locally.
5. Students will select and develop a single solution per group.
6. Students will present their solutions to their community.
7. Students will carry out their proposed solutions.
8. Students will perform a second survey or measurement and compare the results to the first.
9. Students will reflect on the effectiveness of their actions in written, oral, or other form.

Version 1 (Internet-Capable)

1. Students will be exposed to the EVOKE site.
2. Students will use a variety of resources, including the Internet, the library, and human resources (experts), to research a topic of global significance.

Version 2 (Library Only)

1. Students will use the library and human resources (experts) to research a topic of global significance.

Version 3 (Resource-Poor)

1. Students will find local sources of information (experts or other knowledgeable people) on a topic of global significance (where possible).

Materials

Teacher Preparation

Student Preparation

Procedure

The arc of the lesson looks like this:

The teacher introduces the Issue that the students will be working on, using an optional Hook. He or she also poses the Challenge -- the Evokation -- that will be addressed. After that, the teacher steps back and serves as a resource and a guide.

The students work in groups. First, they brainstorm research questions that will help them understand the issue. (The teacher reviews the questions and offers suggestions to make sure the questions will lead to discovery of enough information.) Next, the student groups carry out the research, finding out the answers to the questions they have designed.

Getting Started

Student Activities

Evaluation

(description of how to evaluate student work here)

Resources

• Challenge-Based Learning: An Approach for Our Time : This curriculum draws heavily on this paper.
• Urgent EVOKE : The game that started it all!