WebQuests

Initially my thoughts about the WebQuests is that it had to do with the web when I saw the word web, but after this topic, I have realized it is beyond just using websites. I have started to discover it's power in leading to meaningful learning. I like it's stages of how to go through the whole topic. And when it addresses the introduction part of a topic, it makes me pause a bit and ponder on the way I have been introducing my topics to the learners. Has my introduction always caused the learners interest to arise or?

Now what is WebQuest?
Is an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the Internet. (Dodge, 1995)

A real WebQuest is a scaffolded learning structure that uses links to essential resources on the World Wide Web and an authentic task to motivate students’ investigation of an open-ended question, development of individual expertise, and participation in a group process that transforms newly acquired information into a more sophisticated understanding. The best WebQuests inspire students to see richer thematic relationships, to contribute to the real world of learning, and to reflect on their own meta-cognitive processes. Let us examine these powerful strategies more closely.

All WebQuests, however, have the following attributes:

Web Quest do they promote the 21st century skills? Oh yes,  In that sense, use of web Quests  leads to  a systematic teaching and learning model that engages students in learning knowledge and skills from a series of complex tasks including: design and planning, problem solving, decision making, product and artifact creation, and the communication of results.

Initial Project Idea.

Project Idea: How Well Do Different Materials Create Static Electricity?
S.4 W Class.

Background : When we wear polyester, static cling is a major household issue! But when we wear cotton, which does not get static cling nearly as much. So why are some materials more susceptible to static cling than others? Investigate how well different materials produce static electricity by making a homemade electroscope and testing it out in this physics project.

Make an electroscope to test several objects made out of different materials to see which ones produce, or conduct, the most static electricity.
The things needed can all be found at house which include:
1) plastic or glass jar or cup that are transparent.(must be transparent)
2) aluminium foil small piece is enough.
3) 1 paper clip.
4) cardboard piece small one.
5) a scissor
6) insulative tape or any tape .

Project learning goals include;
1. Identify materials that can produce static electricity.

2. Explain why some materials conduct static electricity than others.

3. Write down a list of safety precautions and record a short video about precautions, and share it with the community sensitizing about materials that should be handled with care to avoid electrical shock and lightening.

3. collaborate and design a gold leaf electroscope.

21^st Century Skills.

 Collaboration

Learners will work as a team and share ideas about the project.

Creativity and Innovation .

L   Learners will creatively come up with an original product of their project. 

    Critical Thinking and Problem solving.

   Learners will be expected to think critically about the challenges before them.

Higher Order Thinking Skills.

Designing  the gold leaf electroscope.

Analyzing    the different materials.

 Evaluating  by commenting on each others work. 

PROJECT - BASED LEARNING.

 It’s no longer enough just to “know stuff” or to master the fundamental skills of reading and writing. Of course, that’s still vitally important. But of equal importance is owning a set of complex skills that go beyond straight facts – skills that are necessary to succeed in today’s world – teamwork, critical thinking, communication, decision-making, etc. That’s the primary benefit of project-based learning. It combines traditional classroom knowledge with real-world expertise and skills to better prepare students for success.

Benefits of project-based learning.

• PBL promotes self-motivation and self-responsibility to learn
• PBL facilitates more enjoyable and more effective learning
• PBL encourages learning from experience, allowing students to use and organise what has been learnt to understand problems
• PBL integrates knowledge with practice
• PBL nurtures the ability to analyse problems and to identify and acquire knowledge and skills needed to deal with real-life situations
• PBL develops teamwork and communication skills
• PBL trains students to be reflective and assess their own and others’ work
• PBL cultivates independence, curiosity, and skills for self-directed, life-long learning

However we shouldn't be  unaware of the challenges of PBL. As the old military adage has it, failure to prepare is preparation to fail, so here is a list of what I consider to be the main issues you need to be aware of. 

Coming up a rich problem

This is a key issue and it is what makes PBL benefial. If the project is not well chosen then it can't make learners gain skills that you are targeting. 

Monitoring who is doing what

I mean this in two senses. First, you need to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to develop the same skills.  Second, if one is not careful, it is very easy to allow some pupils to get away with doing very little. However I think one needs to be both pragmatic and perceptive.

Perceptive

Some pupils look like they are not doing any work at all. But just because you can’t see their brain whirring doesn’t mean that nothing is going on. 

Assessing accurately

If 5 people are involved in a project, how do you assess each of them on the quality of the outcome? You could decide to simply give them all the same mark. I think that is unfair, or potentially so. I preferred to do three things in this regard:

Monitoring progress

This is related to assessment, but is not quite the same. What I am referring to is the fact that you need to ensure that each pupil is improving, which entails being challenged. 

Acess To Techology. 

While implementing Project -based Learning , we need to ensure that students have acess to technology , which sometimes is not easy because it involves money which some students may not afford. 

However PBL is the way to go.