REMC for YOU and Me (We do, We do, They do)
By:  John Hann

Project at a Glance :

This project is for a middle school Science class  to collaboratively investigate current technologies available at REMC 7. The end project is to share one group of student’s learnings (7-8) with a younger group (6). The project will also focus on written communication and reading skills, as well as reaching out to REMC 7 and other teachers for advice.

Driving Question:

How can we utilize REMC 7 resources to teach our classmates a new skill?             

Standards:

• ​2-CS-02 Design projects that combine hardware and software components to collect and exchange data. Subconcept: Hardware & Software; Practice 5.
• S4S: Collaboration and Global Thinking, Communication, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, Personal Accountability
• EE.W.6.2.a: Write to share information supported by details: A. Introduce a topic and write to convey ideas and information about it including visual, tactual, or multimedia information as appropriate
• MITECS: Creative Communicator Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a variety of purposes using the platforms, tools, styles, formats and digital media appropriate to their goals.   

Team / Culture Building:

• The group will likely be whole-class/pair share. Culture is developed through classroom inclusion activities beginning each class period. 
• Hopes, Fears, & Norms Protocol

Entry Event:

• The kick off event was a visit from Dr. Anne Thorpe from REMC 7 with introductory coding material and a literacy connection around community.

Stakeholders:

• Students
• Teachers
• Families
• Other School and Community Members 

Empathy Building:

• Stakeholder Map
• Empathy Maps:  How does a 6th grade student like to learn?

Inquiry / Need to Knows:

• Know how to make a phone call or draft an email.
• Know about a chosen technology.
• Know about basic, “I do, we do, you do.’
• Understand how to examine where our teaching apply to “systems and cycles”
• Speed Boat​​

• Become familiar with resource library.

• Practice presentation skills.
• Interviews: Science teachers and REMC 7 Director Anne Thorp
• Draw the problem (including communication barriers?).

Incubation:

• Three minute “brain dump” activity
• Share a prompt with images
• Create a concept mapping

• Idea Quota protocol
• 3-12-3 
• Mind Mapping
• Pitch ideas to 6th grade Science Teacher asking for feedback in the form of Yes, and . . .​

​Checking in:

• Students will use The Maitre’d (Table for 2) protocol as a check in system.
• Teacher will check in daily for review.

• Mind Mapping 
• Utilize the Anti-Problem/Think of the opposite to flush out ideas.
• Analyzing Analogies: “Teaching is like ______”

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Solution Building:

• Dot Voting and creating lesson plan(s)
• Poster Session with Dot Voting
• Story Boarding Lesson Plan

Critique and Revision: ​

• Story Boarding 
  
• Yes… and protocol​

Dr. Anne Thorpe, Ottawa Area Intermediate School Media Specialist, was a huge help during our project.

Authentic Audience:

• 6th grade Science students

Final Presentation:

• 7th and 8th grade “teacher group” delivers instruction to 6th grade classmates on navigating a new technology tool.

Click here for teacher's full plan.
Reflection and Feedback:

• 6th Grade students complete the NUF test after 7th and 8th graders present their lesson.
• Students will answer the following question:   How might we do this differently next time?
• Mrs. Huizenga gave us feedback using the NUF test.
  

Click here for the teacher's Journey through PBL on Padlet . . .

Meet the Educator:
Teacher Background:
John Hann teaches 6-8th grade Special Education at Cityside Middle School in Zeeland, MI.

     "PBL reminds me to slow down and trust the process. The results of PBL in my class are rarely what I expect and often far beyond my hopes."