Amanda DuBois

Introduction/Purpose

The purpose of a PBL is to ask "How can we plan effective projects for our students?" In order for us to do this we need to figure out what makes a project meaningful? What is project based learning? Where do we get our ideas from? Once we have an idea, how do we make meaning out of it?

Building Culture:

In many schools the building culture can be the main determinate of how well or poorly a school runs, the outcome of student test scores and whether a school is a school of choice or not.
Does the determinate whether it be positive, negative or neutral have any exterior influences or trends that we may follow over a long period of time? i.e. Are their times when a building may require more oversight than other times.

The word lunacy means insanity which comes form the Latin word meaning moon. Is it possible for "The Lunar Effect/lunacy to have an impact on living creatures on Earth?"

PBL: Do phases of the moon have any effect on living creatures?

Needs Assessment

Why problem based learning? Problem based learning has recently become a more popular approach to learning for students. In a problem based learning environment students learning focus is changed to being able to do or perform skills while applying or using that knowledge. In this method of learning, students are not simply memorizing an idea or a skill without seeing the real world connection to the project. Students are also the center of the classroom in this type of learning as opposed to the teacher centered classroom. Teachers in this context of learning are facilitators or guide a student to resources but they are not the center.

Instructional Problem: As the teaching profession becomes more difficult certain trends need to be looked at. Can educators and students anticipate the school climate based on the lunar cycle?

Building Culture Problem: In many schools the building culture can be the main determinate of how well or how poorly a school runs. Does this determinate have an exterior influences that we may seek a trend and follow over a long period of time. In following this trend the learner may see times when the building culture will require more supervision vs other times where a minimal amount of supervision is okay.

Gathering Information: Gathering of information will be made over a period of several months. The data included will indicate the date of the infraction, type of infraction and outcome. As we gather this information we will cross reference the phase of the moon in which these infractions occur in. In gathering this data over a longer period of time, in a range of greater than six months we should be able to find trends and act proactively rather than reactively.

What types of content area's can use this type of learning? This data can be collected and used at any grade level. All schools have ebbs and flows of removals, fights and general referrals. Through the use of this data upon analysis possibly school activities could be planned to minimize negative interaction among students. Whether it be a dance or a movie or a walk outside.

Learners would be our teachers, administration and outside community. If trends are indeed found within the school then we could possibly extend the information out to the neighborhoods in which our students live. Many people have watched the news as the winter turns to spring and to summer. At that time, we generally see an uptick in violence. Is it the seasonal change in which people are able to finally go outside or is it again the outside force of the moon and its relationship to earth.

Students will be the primary information gatherers. They will work in groups of 3-4 and be responsible to meet with administration and find out the results of the day's school climate. They may choose to do this by grade level or a school as a whole. Currently, I recommend speaking to the administration and gathering information by grade level. Breaking down trends may be easier when it is done in a smaller context.

Target audience: Our target audience upon gathering and analying our data will be the students and the administration. In looking at the data over a period of months and seeing trends students could be empowered to follow the moon, follow the trends and help to create an action plan to cut down on the number of classroom removals or suspensions.

Performance Objectives

1. To take a realistic problem or project and empower students to find skills to learn and clearly define content analysis (e.g. using rubrics, or exemplars from local professionals and students.
2. Students will do structured group work. This will include groups of three to four students. Students will have diverse skill levels and based on those levels will assume interdependent roles which will have individual accountability
3. Multi-faceted assessment~Throughout the four month period students wil have multiple opportunities to receive feedback. Based on this feedback students will revise their work in the form of data collection. In receiving feedback and adjusting data collection they may be many learning outcomes. This many include problem-solving, content, and learning about collaboration with other students, teachers, administration and the community at large.
4. presentations that encourage participation and signal social value (e.g. exhibitions, portfolios, performances, reports)5.
5. Students will learn to what it looks like to participate in a professional learning network, collaborating and reflecting upon PBL experiences in the classroom with other student collagues.

Analysis of the Learner and Context

Learners Gathering Information:

Students will be the primary information gatherers
Students will work in a minium of 3 students maximum of 4
Students will determine on which grade level they will focus

We will pick a specific grade level and compare and contrast data both vertically and horizontally in regard to the phases of the moon.

In this study we will determine the difference between a PBL and just doing a project with a cookie cutter preprescribed set of directions to follow.

This investigation will provide students opportunitites to practice 21st century learning along with gaining knowledge into significant content

Course-level objectives

Participants will investigate lunar cycle vs living creatures and the behavior cycle
Participants will compare and contrast whether these outcomes are positive, negative or neutral
Participants will determine whether these findings can be useful in planning activities or if changes can or need to be made to a affect a different outcome
Gathering of information will be made over a period of several months
Data studied daily or weekly may include but not be limited to~infractions, the level of the infractions, the redundancy of the infrations, and the outcome, compare and contrast daily/weekly infractions
This data will be cross referenced with lunar cycle over a period of not less than 3 months with a maximum of 6 months and compared and contrasted with the same previous and going forward lunar cycles

Task Analysis

1.What are the phases of the moon?

Students will read a phases of the moon chapter in their textbook.
Students will understand the phases as they change over the month, how long each phase occurs for and in what order they occur
Students will use a worksheet that will go along with the phases of the moon, to be sure the phases the student follows they have occurring in the correct order.
Students will watch the Video on moon phases
students will gather information based on phases of the moon using a moon phases calendar

2. How will students apply the phases of the moon to their data collection?

Students will have a graphic organizer with each phase of the moon labeled
Students will be assigned a phase in each group
Students will be responsible for collecting the data for their particular phase within one day of that phase
Students will speak with building administration for their grade level
Students will speak with small student groups within the building and define any issues or behaviors they noticed during that phase
Students will then report their data collection to their group

3. What will we do with our information once we have gathered it?

Students will meet at the end of each month for one period and compare the data for each phase
Students will transfer this data by phase to a graph stating the phase, number of removals, number of fights, number of ISS and number of OSS and the length of each
Students will then write a presentation in a powerpoint or research paper written form and present their findings to the administration and the general public at large
Students will then meet with administration upon completion of data gathered and discuss change that could be implemented to help change the climate of a building if it is necessary or supported by the data

File:C:\Users\Amanda64\Documents\Phases of the moon venn diagram.docx

Moon phases diagram

Curriculum Map

Lesson 1 objective:

http://www.sciencechannel.com/video-topics/space-videos/space-school-moon.htm

Break the lunar cycle down into phases

 Students will watch the video link above for basic facts in regard to the moon

Lesson 2 objective:

Apply the phases of the moon to data collection
Determine any lateral or vertical common threads

Lesson 3 objective:

Upon completion of fact gathering and graphic organizer completed data will be then be organized into a power point and presented to the intended audience of BOE and bldg adiminstration

References and Resources

PBL Workshop

http://www.moonconnection.com/moon_facts.phtml [[http://www.moonconnection.com/moon_facts.phtm

Washington.edu/chudler/moon.html

http://skepdic.com/fullmoon.html

Edutopia, Project Based Learning Review (December 14, 2014), reviewed December 14, 2014, http://www.edutopia.org/pbl-research-learning-outcomes#outcomes