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The Issues Project: Begin with Catcher in the Rye and end with TED Talks

Deeth Ellis & Jeff Mikalaitis�Boston Latin School

May 8, 2017

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In groups of 5, research one of the following aspects of American teenage life in the early 50’s:

music, movies, literature, fashion, and careers

You will present your information to the class. You must have a PowerPoint presentation that contains at least 10 slides.

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Our Students need to do real research..research that originates with a question or a problem,

research that requires the collection and interpretation of data in an attempt to resolve the problem or answer the questions that initiated the research. And far too often students are not being required to do this kind of work.

Our Students also need to know how to present data and the conclusions they have drawn from it. They need to know to hook an audience, establish relevance, make their point and have it stick. And far too often these are not the type of presentations taking place in the classrooms at our school.

Our students need these skills, skills that will serve them long after they leave our schools. And often times teachers avoid assigning this kind of work because they think it will be overwhelming or take up too much class time.

I’m Jeff Mikalaitis, an English teacher at Boston Latin school, and I’m Deeth Ellis, the head librarian, and we would like to talk to you about this problem; a simple solution we developed, that is easily replicable across academic disciplines; and the results of our efforts.

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The Problem: Student Learning Need

From Boston Latin School, 2012 Strategic Plan

“Make learning exciting through active engagement and discovery.”

Shifting Academic Expectations

Students will research and present their findings;
Students will read, write, and speak frequently, broadly and deeply.

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The Problem: School Need

Model self-directed learning (inquiry driven by curiosity, personal interest & student-generated questions)
Researched-based professional development
Instructional Leadership Team and school wide rubric design
Research Task Force to begin to vertically align student research skills and presentation skills (Scope & Sequence)
Interdisciplinary learning

Image Licensed under Creative Commons. www.wikimedia.com

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Solution: Researched Based Approach

Making Thinking Visible by R. Ritchhart, M. Church & K. Morrison

Make Just One Change: Teach Students to Ask Their Own Questions by Dan Rothstein and Luz Santana

Guided Inquiry Design: A Framework for Inquiry in Your School by C. Kuhlthau, L. Maniotes and A. Caspari

“Stripling Inquiry Research Model.” Empire State Information Fluency Continuum

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Solution: Professional Development

Essential Question: How do teachers create a learning environment where student-generated questions demonstrate deep understanding that drives inquiry?

Librarian led
10 teachers across grade level and discipline
Summer 2015 through 2016 school year

Key Texts

Making Thinking Visible by R. Ritchhart, M. Church & K. Morrison
Make Just One Change: Teach Students to Ask Their Own Questions by D. Rothstein and L. Santana

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Result: The Issues Project-English, 9th Grade

Holden Caulfield spends the bulk of the novel bemoaning the many flaws he sees in society and planning his escape from a world he no longer wants to be a part of. However,

change could not or would not occur if people always threw up their hands and walked away from the complicated problems we are faced within the world.

4 years ago I started the senior capstone course at BLS with my colleague Judi Freeman.

The course allows seniors to propose a project on a topic of their choice. The create an essential question and a primary research question that narrows the essential question and addresses what the student will do and produce in their research project.

The course culminates in a final product and an 18 minute TEDx style presentation given to the school community (700 people).

The first two years we did this course, I was struck by how little the students knew about conducting real research and when surveyed, they revealed a lack of any meaningful presentation experience- other than declamation- or finding info- putting on slides – and reading slides for their classmates.

I quickly realized students needed exposure to this type of work before senior year- and the seeds were planted this project.

Here’s what I wanted-

Student choice of a topic

Student generated questions about the topic

Students find, evaluate and read and reflect on a wide array of sources in an attempt to find answers to their questions

Students present their topic and their conclusions in a presentation that is engaging and impactful

I joined the schools RTF and created the project.

I start it with my unit on Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye-

Why?

Holden Caulfield, like many young people, is dissatisfied with his world- His solution? To remove himself from it. Problems don’t get solved this way.

I challenged students to think of an issue in our world that concerns them, expand their knowledge on the subject and advocate for a solutions they believe will affect a positive change.

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Overview: The Issues Project

Part 1 Choose a Topic

Students identify a local, national, or global issue faced by people or groups of people in our society they feel strongly about.

Public Domain Image. Licensed under Creative Commons.

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Examples of Topics

Cultural appropriation

Police brutality

Importance of living presently

LGBTQ Rights

Terrorism

Criminal justice reform

Water & Air pollution

Voter apathy

Elephant poaching

Income inequality

Rethinking the gender binary

Wage Gap

Gender Equality

Political correctness

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Overview: The Issues Project

Part 2- The Initial Research Activity: Gathering Background Information

Students find 3 sources and must:

Evaluate - Read - Respond

“Research” by Nick Youngson. Nyphotographic.com. Licensed under Creative Commons.

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Overview: The Issues Project

Part 2: The Annotated Bibliography

“

“Citation Needed” by Mahonga. Flickr.com. Licensed under Creative Commons.

MLA formatted Citations (using Noodle Tools)
Evaluation with C.R.A.A.P. Test (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose)
Reflection (Connect-Extend-Challenge from Making Thinking Visible)
Evidence/Quotes from source

When creating the senior capstone course we realized that we needed students to not only document the sources they were reading, but we needed them to evaluate the source, read it carefully, critically and gain perspective on what is being said their topics.

By reading and responding to a variety of sources on a topic we hoped they would see what the issues are, what people are arguing about, and be able to sharpen their own point of view.

To meet this goal we created an annotated bibliography template.

Go through slide

Reflection

a) How are the ideas and information presented connected to what you already knew?

b) -What new ideas did you get that extended or broadened your thinking in new directions?

c) -What challenges or puzzles have come up in your mind from the ideas and information presented? This is important as it helps students realize what they don’t know and may need to find out.

d)Provide evidence- can you provide at least two quotations and/or statistical information from your source that you think might prove helpful and/or relevant to your presentation?

English 9 students are told to find 3 sources about their chosen topic. They are taken into the library for an introduction to the library resources. (Deeth)

At this point they are reading broadly. Their goal is to simply “learn more” about their topic.

They fill out a copy of this template for each one of their three sources.

Rubric-

Assessing of this work

This is not hard to assess (Citation, CRAAP, reflection).

Don’t correct grammar, spelling but looking for how the student is thinking of subject in new way.

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Tools Used Throughout Project

NoodleTools
Massachusetts Gale Databases
Google Docs & Google Classroom

Project handouts and templates

CRAAP Test (California State University at Chico’s Meriam Library)
LibGuides
Turnitin

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Student #1 Work: Annotated Bibliography

Currency

Relevance

Authority

Accuracy

Purpose

Test

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Student #1 Work: Annotated Bibliography

Connect-Extend-Challenge

routine from

Making Thinking Visible

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Overview: The Issues Project

The Right Question Institute’s Question Formulation Technique (QFT).

1 Question Focus (statement) per student

Part 3: Generating Questions

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The Results: Looking at Student Work

Student #1

Rape is an immoral wrong that needs to be addressed immediately.

Student #2

A small fraction of high income households become excessively wealthy from economic growth while the average family income for the bottom 90 percent has remained flat since 1980.

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Set Up: Groups of 4 Supplies: 4 large sheets of paper, markers

Question Focus Protocol:

Read the question focus.
Ask as many questions as you can.
Do not stop to discuss, judge, or answer the questions.
Write down every question exactly as it is stated.
Change any statement into a question.
Categorize the questions as closed-or open-ended:

Close ended questions can be answered with yes or no or with one word. Mark with a “c”
Open ended questions require an explanation. Mark with an “o”.
Change one open ended to close ended and vice versa.

Prioritize the questions by choosing the three most important questions.

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Student #2 Work: Question Focus Protocol

From Make Just One Change

Generate Questions
Open vs. Closed
Rewrite
Choose Three

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Student #2 Work: Final Questions

Research Questions to Guide Inquiry

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Student Work: Feedback on QFP

Student #1

Student #2

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Overview: The Issues Project

Part 4: Research and Reflect

“Metallic Balls.” Public Domain image. Courtesy of Creative Commons.

Research 3 questions from QFP
6 additional annotated bibliography entries
Reflect “I Used to Think, Now I Think” from Making Thinking Visible - Write 1 paragraph reflection

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Overview: The Issues Project

Part 5: The Proposal for Change

Public Domain image. Courtesy of Creative Commons.

Two typed pages with evidence from research and address the following:

What should be done to bring about change?
If your proposal for change has been previously suggested or attempted, why does the issue/problem persist?
What resources would need to be secured/mobilized for your proposal to be effective?
What roadblocks are likely to be encountered? How can they be overcome?

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Overview: The Issues Project

Part 7: Creating Your Presentation

Attended the Capstone Consortium in California and saw a speaker who gave me this book. It shaped the way I thought about presentations.

Content: Clarity starts with content. Their narrative-architecture tool can be applied in any speaking situation to ensure your message is clear, relevant and focused.

Delivery: Even a good message is powerless without a strong delivery. People remember how you say something long after they recall what you've said. Work to make body, voice and eyes are congruent with words – to ensure your point sticks.

I also do a series of workshops on

Delivery - Vocal Variety- Volume - Pitch- Tempo-

Delivery - Body

The techniques I teach the students come from As We Speak and from Stand and Deliver Workshops

State: State of mind is the most neglected component of high-stakes communication. It's also the most important. Strong content and delivery cannot overcome a poor state.

Moving- Breathing- Focusing on the Audience- Flipping the often negative questions we ask ourselves before presenting-

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Overview: The Issues Project

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Overview: The Issues Project

The Communication Blueprint

Who’s listening?
What do I want out of them?
What three things do they need to know in order for me to achieve my goal?
What do I need them to feel in order to achieve my goal?
Why should they care about my topic?
What is my point?

Ramp

Bucket 1 with evidence
Bucket 2 with evidence
Bucket 3 with evidence

Dessert

Public domain image. Courtesy of Creative Commons.

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STUDENT FEEDBACK

On

Annotated Bib

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STUDENT FEEDBACK

On

Presentation

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Student #1 Work: TedX Talk

Stand and Deliver

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Student #2 Work: TedX Talk

Stand and Deliver

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Works Cited

Kuhlthau, Carol C., et al. Guided Inquiry Design: A Framework for Inquiry in Your School. Libraries Unlimited, 2012.

Meyers, Peter, and Shann Nix. As We Speak: How to Make Your Point and Have It Stick. Atria, 2011.

New York City School Library Association, New York City Department of Education. Empire State Information Literacy Continuum, 2012, http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/1A931D4E-1620-4672-ABEF-460A273D0D5F/0/EmpireStateIFC.pdf

Ritchhart, Ron, et al. Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners. Wiley, 2011.

Rothstein, Dan, and Luz Santana. Make Just One Change: Teach Students to Ask Their Own Questions Harvard Education Press, 2011.