GROUP MEMBERS: CHRISTOPHER WILSON, CHUNYA YANG, MATTHEW GABOR, KENNETH SEE

How can we make housing more sustainable and Eco-conscious?

OVERVIEW

w/ Christopher Wilson

It is no coincidence that many effective teaching strategies and techniques require 21st Century skills. Project-based learning (PBL) is a holistic instructional strategy that brings students as close to real world applications as possible in an educational context. It requires learners to use 21st Century skills at discrete points and for specific processes and procedures of the activity.

Projects give students the freedom to explore various connections between concepts outside of the prescribed mode of instruction and allows them to be cross-curricular learning moments. Projects also allow students to personalize work and be creative in their interpretations and delivery mechanisms.

Well-designed projects can lead to deeper learning experiences for students. In your teaching, you need to identify and define how 21st Century skills are actually realized and used in your activities and how you can design and implement strategies so that learners maximize their meaningful use of these target skills.

One way to do this is to design a cross-curricular STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) project.

Goal 1:

Students will be able to explain using their own words at least five ways current housing methods/materials or practices in their home country can be improved to make them more ecofriendly

Students will be able to independently conduct research and make a weighted list of 5 pros and cons for a method related to sustainable housing.

Goal 2:

Students will be able to make a detailed argument for a change to make with regard to housing in their home country to improve sustainability answering the following:

What is the change? How would we implement the change? Why is the change necessary or important? Where should the change take place or focus?

Goal 3:

Students will be able to make a demonstration or model depicting a selected ecofriendly change with modern housing plans.

Goal 4:

Students will be able to make a detailed explanation and presentation to their peers using a mixture of three of the following media: model, tangible graphic, documentary style video, poster board including photo representations, website, and/or sales pitch

Goal 5:

Students will be able to give feedback to at least three separate peers including an assessment of their peers idea based on creativity, presentation, and validity of the idea.

Cross-Curricular Goals

w/ Matthew Gabor

  • By the end of the project, students - will be able to state the four basic needs of plants (water, air, soil, sunlight) with 75% accuracy. - should know how to grip and use a paintbrush - count how many seeds they have planted with 90% accuracy.

    Pre-Kindergarten

  • By the end of the project, students - will know how to maintain a compost to turn waste into usable soil - will be able to clean and recycle waste paper into usable arts and craft paper. - will be able to reuse common household waste products.

    Grades 1-3

  • By the end of the project, students - will be able to recognize the concepts of sustainable housing with 80% accuracy. - will be able to state eco-friendly building materials and methods with 80% accuracy. - will be able to construct a model house that includes sustainable housing concepts.

    Grades 4-6

  • By the end of the project, students - will have built a simple circuit powered by a sustainable energy generation option. - will have built a built a drip irrigation system or other kind of water saving option. - will have built an insulated box with eco-friendly materials that maintains a liveable temperature.

    Grades 7-9

  • By the end of the project, students will have built a prototype sustainable home that is retrofitted in a way that conserves resources, optimizes energy and water use that will last longer with quality systems.

    Grades 10-12

S.T.E.A.M

W/ CHUNYA YANG

  • Traditional Course: Students will research the purpose of sustainable housing and the materials needed. They will then use their scientific knowledge to assess the quality and environmental impact of the materials used to create art projects.

    Virtual Lesson: Students will use interactive simulations to explore and build their favorite sustainable housing and analyze the benefits of sustainable housing. Understand the impact sustainable housing can have on nature in all its ways. Such as water resources, atmospheric environment, etc.

  • Traditional Curriculum: Students in grades 3-5 will use technology to conduct research, make statistical forecasts, take videos, take photos, create electronic demos of sustainable homes, and create a collaborative website to showcase their work.

    In grades K-2, models of sustainable housing can be built through drawing or manual activities such as clay and recycled cardboard boxes.

    Virtual classroom: Teachers will use Nearpods to provide project instructions to students. Afterwards, students will brainstorm how to build sustainable housing using a virtual whiteboard called Explain Everything. They will also use Trello to track their project actions. They need to shoot video at home, take photos and use Wix or Google Sites to complete their final product. Students will also meet with team members via phone or Zoom meeting

  • Traditional class and Virtual class: Students’ understanding and application of engineering will be integral in the art project where they are asked to choose among the traditional equipment as well as construct new tools customized for their project.

    When designing a product, students will research what is circular packaging and how recyclable material can be used to create new products.

  • Traditional and Virtual Classes: Students will create a work of art and display it on campus with the goal of reaching a broad audience within the community and raising awareness of the impact of protecting the environment.

    They will also develop a marketing strategy, including logo design, exhibition poster design.

  • Traditional and Virtual Classes: Students will use different tools to research, formulate, and analyze recycled materials and dimensions for sustainable housing.

    As a result, students will be able to take various actions to design a sustainable home, including using environmentally friendly materials and reducing waste of resources by taking actions of their choice.

    When creating artwork, students will rely on their mathematical knowledge to draw shapes and calculate proportions.

P21’s Frameworks for 21st Century Learning were developed with input from teachers, education experts, and business leaders to define and illustrate the skills and knowledge students need to succeed in work and life, as well as the support systems necessary for 21st century learning outcomes. They have been used by thousands of educators and hundreds of schools in the U.S. and abroad to put 21st century skills at the center of learning.

— Battelleforkids.org (Sourced by Kenneth See)

  • The ability to solve problems in both conventional and innovative ways.

    Special emphasis given to the ability to ask significant clarifying questions that lead to better solutions.

  • The ability to consistently know when it’s the right time to speak up and when it’s the right time to stay quiet.

    The development of the kind of flexibility that responds open-mindedly to ideas and values different of your home culture.

    The synthesis of new ideas and concepts through working hard alongside others of different worldviews.

  • The ability to clearly articulate thoughts and ideas through verbal, non-verbal, and written mediums.

    Effective listening to decipher meaning from various people of various backgrounds and various languages.

  • Effectively analyze and evaluate evidence, arguments, claims, and beliefs.

    Objectively analyze alternative points of view.

    Make reasoned but quick judgements and decisions.

    Synthesizing new information from existing information.

  • Familiarity with and the ability to use various idea-creation techniques.

    Honestly evaluate your own ideas to improve and maximize efforts.

    Act on creative ideas to make tangible and meaningful contributions to the group.

  • Information Literacy: Evaluate truth claims of information critically and in a timely fashion. Use that information in a correct and contextual manner.

    Media Literacy: Examine ways to interpret messages from differing view points and worldviews. Understand how media can influence decisions and beliefs.

    Media Creation: Fully understand and utilize media creation tools to communicate with others.

  • Health Literacy: Understand preventative physical and mental health measures to increase sustainability.

    Financial Literacy: Understand basic economic frameworks and how economies at different levels influence human behavior.

    Project Management: Effectively prioritize, plan, and manage work flow to reach the intended results of your effort.

  • Career Skills: Development of a resilience to work in an ever changing environment that grows and retracts with the introduction of new information.

    Relational Flexibility: The ability to deal positively with praise, setbacks, and criticism in both professional and personal settings.

    Goal Setting: The creation, implementation, and completion of SMART Goals.