Scaled Down Independent Learning Project

REVISED EDITION May 9, 2016

Independent Learning Project (55 points total)

Wesley 4AP 2016

Assignment:  Take a week or so and learn about something you are truly interested in, and then share your learning with the rest of the class in 4-5 minute presentation (40 points).  For topic ideas, see “Brainstorming” section below. 

Presentation due date: Presentations begin May 16 and go through May 19. Daily journals are due May 16.

Proposal Due-date: May 9: I want to learn______________because____________: A half-page to one page typed proposal explaining what you would like to learn about and why? (5 points) Why are you interested in this? What questions do you have? Who, if anyone, can help you?  Do you have a target goal, a sense for how much you can learn in the next seven days?  Will you continue to learn (or practice this skill) after the end of this unit?

5/9 Independent Project Proposal due (5 points) In-class time for Research and Daily Journal entry HW: 30 mins of research/practice	5/10 In-class time for Research and Daily Journal entry HW: 30 mins of research/practice	5/11 Project Support Meetings In-class time for Research and Daily Journal entry HW: 30 mins of research/practice	5/12 In-class time for Research and Daily Journal entry HW: 30 mins of research/practice	5/13 In-class time for Research and Daily Journal entry Project Support Meeting: Begin planning your presentation HW: Plan/organize your presentation
5/16 Presentations (six) Daily Journals Due	5/17 Presentations	5/18 Late Start Day Presentations	5/19 Presentations	5/20

Don’t recycle something lame school project, or present on something you already know.  Do something truly new. Go on a journey of learning.  Spend about an hour a day (between school and home) day for 5 days and see what you can learn.  You just might trip into doing something you really enjoy doing, not just for this week, but for a long time. Inspire yourself!

Homework: Plan on about 30 minutes a night.  We don’t have any DC or lab time available, so you will need to do some of your research outside of school.  Print things at home or before class begins, and then bring something to class to work on each day: something to read on your topic, an instrument that you can practice with, a phone that you can research on, a piece of paper to draw or to plan your presentation.  This will be quick…one week… so jump in and use each class period productively. 

Topics to Possibly Consider (brainstorming):

Study the physics of flight or learn what it takes to fly. Learn how to play an instrument or a new song(s) and perform a short recital. Study a poet and write a collection of poems, research environmental problems and develop a solution to pending problems, write and direct a short film, create an SNL style skit or even a music video. Study a playwright and write a scene to a play or even act it out. Go to a museum or art gallery and reproduce an artist’s style or a famous painting. Begin writing the book you always wanted to read and write the first chapter, plan a road trip and design a guided tour for yourself as to what you should see, where you should go, and what you will learn. Learn wilderness survival skills and master how to light a fire without human made objects or how to navigate using only the stars on the opposite side of the world. Go to a concert and design a stage set, band tee-shirt logo design or sales promotion for the next great show. Learn how to skydive, go spelunking, scuba diving, spearfishing, fly-fishing or how to fly a hot air balloon. Visit the Brookfield Zoo and learn what zoologists or marine biologists do on a daily basis. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper to fix a problem in your city, Illinois or the United States in general. Ask people working at interesting jobs if you can “shadow” them for a day and report explore what there is to learn about their career. Take photos and make a creative portfolio of your work or shoot and edit a short video about something that interests you. Learn about ham radio broadcasting, make a blog or website, plan a shopping spree for a famous Hollywood actor. Make jewelry or another craft, start a garden or make a plan to create an organic farming business. Fix your car or some other machine and discuss the process. Learn computer-coding or how to make a video game. Collect something or learn more about a hobby. Practice a foreign language and make a plan to travel to that country. Whatever it is, you MUST be invested in the topic! 

Group Collaboration:

There will be two group check-ins (May 11 & 13) or think tanks where you will give support, push each other, provide constructive criticism, give praise, share resources, be creative and ask questions to help move this process along.

Teacher Facilitator:

I will serve as an advisor, mentor or coach per say and you will help you focus or expand upon your ideas. That being said, this is your opportunity to learn something new or to develop a skill further so I will try to play devil’s advocate instead of steering you in one direction or another. If you need an alternate setting to accomplish your goals, please ask for help and I will try my best to set something up.

Artifacts and Written Reflection:

Because projects will vary widely so will your creations whether it is something more concrete or something more abstract. Nevertheless, you will need to be prepared to discuss the manner in which your concept or learning plan evolved, how and where you sought out knowledge, whether or not you collaborated with other people along the way, and ultimately what you learned and how you know.

Final Products

1.      Daily Project Journal (10 points): At the end of each day, write a half-page reflection on what you did, what you learned, any questions that came up, road-blocks you encountered, progress made. At the end of each journal entry, make a plan for the following day’s research and learning goals/activities.  (5 entries from May 9 through May 13 for a total of 10 points)

2.      Presentation (40 points): Each presentation will be unique, but in one way or another you should demonstrate or convey what you learned and talk a little bit about how you learned.

Some things you might include in your presentation/demonstration of your learning:

·         Tell your classmates why you chose this topic/skill for your experience.

·         Talk about and/or demonstrate what you learned. 

·         Discuss how you learned what you learned (or practiced what you practice); describe the steps you took to learn something or practice a skill that you are trying to develop.

·         Explain your personal reaction to the learning experience: What feelings/thoughts did you have about what happened?

·         Articulate ideas that derive from the learning experience: What main ideas, concepts or skills did you learn? What did you read during your research that you agreed or disagreed with? What assumptions did you make about this topic that possibly turned out to be wrong?

·         Consider changes in personal behavior that result from this learning experience: How has this learning experience changed you? How has it changed the way you view someone/something in your life?

Grading Criteria for Presentation:  (40 points)

Since topics and projects will widely vary, you will be graded holistically based on your effort, explanation of learning and growth, as well as a certain level of a mastery of skills or knowledge gained. Below is the rubric which I will use to evaluate how well the student learned and conveyed their information.

A note to introverts: You don’t have to be outgoing and crazy to do a strong presentation.  Be organized, speak clearly and straightforwardly, and articulately and thoroughly share what you learned. Use visual aids or other sources to help you (perhaps even a co-presenter if that helps you feel more comfortable).

Two Part Rubric: Presentation and daily journals

Student Name: _____________________________________Total Points ___________

Independent Learning Presentation (40 points)	Invigorating A-B+	Solid:   B-C	Severe Senioritis D-F
Effectively Conveys  Knowledge or Skill (approximately 40%)	-Your information offers an appropriate amount of knowledge to the class. -It is clear that you chose the information carefully, and that you had a clear plan.	-Your information is a bit scattered and is either goes on too long or is too short. -You chose some of your information carefully—kind of had a plan.	-To quote the movie Billy Madison, “We are all a bit dumber for having sat through your presentation.” -You chose to get up and improvise your knowledge, and now we’re depressed.
Length of presentation and effective use of time (approximately 20%)	-Your presentation is a productive and meaningful FOUR TO FIVE minutes. -If it is longer, it is because you had a meaningful activity, or your passion for your I-Search topic was inspirational. -No time feels wasted.	-Presentation feels either too long or too short. -If you went over the FIVE minutes, it felt like you were rambling and should have stopped sooner. -Some of the time used consciously.	-Here you did one of two things: you either stood up in front of the class for thirty seconds then sat down, or you rambled on and on and on and on and on, ad infinitum.  -Time was used recklessly.
Presentation skills (approximately 20%)	-During your presentation you made eye contact with the class, had appropriate volume of voice, spoke at an appropriate speed, and kept us engaged with your passion.	-Presentation included some eye contact, some appropriate volume of voice and speed, and somewhat engaged us with your passion.	-During your presentation you stared at the wall, spoke at a whisper really fast, and your passion registered 0.0% on the Passion-O-Meter.
Effective choice of  presentation mode/style (approximately 20%)	-You chose a meaningful way of presenting your learning experience.   Whether demonstrating a skill or sharing what you learned, you kept us engaged and informed. -You prepared something that went beyond simply reading some facts off a Keynote presentation.	-You attempted a form of presentations that was somewhat meaningful and fitting for your topic.  -You could have spent more time in the planning stages in order to make your presentation better suited to your topic and the time available.	-Despite the emphasis on creating a meaningful mode of presentation, you made a Keynote presentation that listed off facts that neither you, nor the class cared much about.
Daily Journals (10 points)	Five Daily Journals are at least ½ page, legible and clearly summarize the day’s activities, learning, questions that arose, challenges encountered, progress made, and plans for the following day.	Five Daily Journals are at least ½ page, legible and clearly summarize the day’s activities but perhaps do contain limited information on what was learned that day, questions that arose, challenges encountered, progress made, and plans for the following day.	Daily journals are deficient in length and reflection, or number, revealing little in the way of meaningful learning or reflection on learning and planning.