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20% time:

projects in the classroom

Aida Awad

authorized Google Education Trainer

aawad6@gmail.com

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please complete this short survey:

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right now …

  • there’s a pre-service teacher and an in-service teacher writing a 10 page research paper on an educational theorist who’s been dead for years

AND

  • there’s a student sitting in a class disengaged & wondering what this learning task has to do with what they will do in their life

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where’s the …

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overview:

  • what can we learn from the survey?
  • why 20% time projects?
  • the 20% time process - phase-by-phase
  • getting the idea right
  • what to watch out for
  • exemplars
  • moving forward

http://goo.gl/nJQZfF

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why 20% time projects?

  • What can we learn from the survey data?

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  • Are your students motivated by getting involved in projects that make a difference? Have societal implications & impact?

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http://goo.gl/nJQZfF

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Why 20% time projects?

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  • describe a classroom scene that inspires you
  • go on a classroom learning walk … what do you see?
  • what characteristics does a student with a growth mindset have?
  • does the learning stop when a student demonstrates they can mimic us in solving a problem?
  • bribes don’t work!

http://goo.gl/nJQZfF

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one more thought:

“If you are working on something exciting that you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed. The vision pulls you.” Steve Jobs

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20% time process:

getting started ….

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20% time process:

  1. designated day each week - keep it sacred
  2. students may work alone or with a partner
  3. students should always choose something new and something they are passionate about
  4. produce a product or achieve a goal - DO something
  5. create a proposal template (maybe send out w/ Google Classroom?)
  6. choose a mentor (not the teacher)
  7. reflect regularly on blog, video-blog, or website
  8. students should brainstorm with the teacher when they get stuck & once each work period
  9. share what’s been learned (not what was done)
  10. failure IS an option

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20% time process:

the ultimate 20% time project?

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  • your first 20% project with students!
  • so much to learn along the way

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Jen Ward’s classroom

http://goo.gl/nJQZfF

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20% time process:

setting the stage for success …. getting buy-in

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communication

  • administration
  • other teachers
  • parents
  • community
  • possible mentors

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20% time process:

Ideas … problem solvers needed!

  • “wicked problems” wanted
    • often disguised as symptoms
    • intertwined, evolving, hard to measure
  • functional fixedness
    • unlikely path
    • transform the impossible

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20% time process:

some activities to get students ready for an idea generation activity:

  • how do you make a PBJ?

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  • 30 circles

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20% time process:

idea brainstorming … a couple of different approaches

  • Kevin Brookhouser’s “bad idea factory”
  • ideas focusing on an identified problem area
  • adapting the QFT process

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20% time process:

  • consider the problem your brainstorming will focus on
  • timed idea generation period
  • record ideas exactly as stated
  • don’t stop to discuss them
  • categorize & prioritize ideas
  • share out
  • reflect on the process

… what might students learn through this process?

Let’s try it out!

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20% time process:

creative process can lead to …. identifying wicked problems … which can lead to … disruptive solutions & innovation

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20% time process:

  • encourage students to take such a wide view of the problem they choose that they can see themselves on the edges of it
  • audience & user centered projects work best

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20% time process:

the proposal process …

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  • students convince teacher & classmates by making their vision real
  • provide a template
  • formal & graded assignment & presentation

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http://goo.gl/dDMYzH

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20% time process:

quick check …

  • What are the opportunities for skill development so far?

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20% time process:

  • students map out / unpack the components of their project timeline & stakeholders
  • roadmap for success
  • translate “pie in the sky” ideas into real-life plans

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  • infographics are great here!

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20% time process:

  • using Google Scholar
  • refine proposal
  • deeper background research
  • identify possible mentors
  • build literacy skills!

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20% time process:

  • handle with care … mentors
  • each project needs at least one
  • provide guidance to mentors
  • require minimum of 2 contacts with mentor
  • Google Hangouts are great for this!

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20% time process:

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  • skill builder - workshop on writing a professional email
  • invite mentor collaboration
  • formal & graded

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20% time process:

ongoing work …

  • document progress after each session - blog
  • text & visual - formats flexible
  • accomplishments this week
  • challenges
  • what’s next?
  • formal & graded

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20% time process:

  • formal & graded
  • short!
  • problem statement
  • implications

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  • ideas for solutions
  • why you can solve it
  • how things change afterward

elevator

pitch

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20% time process:

  • TED Talks as a model
  • 5 minutes
  • workshop / unpacking TED format
  • this is the final exam!

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  • professional poster session as a model
  • from memory
  • pageantry - invite an audience

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20% time process:

quick check …

  • What skill development opportunities can we add to our list?

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20% time process:

keep these in mind …

  • KIS!
  • stay focused
  • praise persistence & careful attention

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  • build on the foundation of previous success & failures during project
  • baby steps & patience

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20% time process:

logistical concerns & common pushback ...

  • when should the 20% be? same day each week?
  • how / what to grade
  • how will it be graded?
  • how will students meet their educational standards

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epilogue:

  • what wicked problems will your students tackle?

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Thanks for joining in the discussion!

Please contact me if you have questions or ideas. I'd love to hear from you!

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Aida Awad, authorized Google Education Trainer

aawad6@gmail.com

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resources:

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