Let's analyse an educational project!

Hi inno-teachers!

In this post I am going to analyse an open educational project from EDIA-CLIL Projects, a set of CLIL projects for high schools created by the INTEF (Instituto Nacional de Tecnologías Educativas y de Fromación del Profesorado). The different units aim to foster language learning among young students while they deal with relevant topics such as their daily life, the digital world or important cities in the world. 

Recovered from: http://blog.educalab.es/intef/

I have decided to center my analysis in a particular project: Designing an advert. 

Designing an advert is an English project for 1st graders of Secondary Education in which the pupils will have to design a multimedia advertising campaign for an invented product. The project is organized in five lessons (or missions) and a final task; and, it is designed to be able to work in groups. According to the INTEF, the two main aims of the project are the following ones:

• To practice and learn the English language.
• To improve digital skills.

First of all, in order to analyse the project, I read the whole unit so as to know the main characteristics of it. Once I knew its distinctive features, I started to evaluate it in depth. I decided to follow a checklist; and, thanks to it, I have been provided with all the elements that should be taken into account.

Here below, I will deal with all the criteria that I have considered important when analysing the online project. I will examine them in depth (aided by some screenshots that will make the analysis more visible and understandable) and then, I will include two presentations that will summarize the main points.

• KEY KNOWLEDGE, UNDERSTANDING AND SUCCESS SKILLS

This project aims to teach students how an advert is organized and how it is written. For this reason, it can be implemented in Language subject (English). As I have said before, the two main objectives that the INTEF has proposed for this unit are the following ones: 

1. To practice and learn the English language. 
2. To improve digital skills. 

But, after analysing it in depth, I can affirm that it also fosters other skills (not just language skills) that make the unit more complex. Some of these abilities are: problem solving, critical thinking, group work, innovation and creativity. As 21st century teachers, our didactic units must move beyond the contents that children will acquire when finishing the project, we must ensure other important competences that will benefit them. We can see a clear example on the picture below:

Retrieved from: http://cedec.ite.educacion.es

• CHALLENGING PROBLEM OR QUESTION

This project is based on a meaningful problem to solve, that is why children will be motivated to accomplish the final task: creating an advert. Moreover, I would like to add that all the activities that are included in the unit, facilitate the acquisition of the contents that will lead students to create their own ad. 

These screenshots show the final task (a relevant and motivating activity for Secondary students) and the missions (lessons) that are stablished:

Retrieved from: http://cedec.ite.educacion.es

• SUSTAINED INQUIRY

Furthermore, this is a student-centered project, which means that the student is the key factor in the teaching-learning process. The teacher is just a guide who facilitates the knowledge. Moreover, the pupils are free to generate questions and develop their own answers. It does not exist a closed educational pattern in which the students answer their teacher's questions. It is just the opposite, the teacher provides students with examples and ideas and they are the ones who have to look for the resources that enable them to continue with the next step (or mission).

A clear example of this can be observed in mission number two. Here, the student has to decide the main features of his/her product. The teacher has not the solution of the problem, the students are the main managers of their learning process.

Retrieved from: http://cedec.ite.educacion.es

In addition, I would like to add that some HOTS (High Order Thinking Skills) questions are asked to the students. Here are some examples: 

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Retrieved from: http://cedec.ite.educacion.es

• AUTHENTICITY

Definitely, the project has a real-world context which will have a real impact in society (because the ad will be available in digital platforms). It is focused in the advertising world, a topic that always motivates the students and makes them free if they want to add their own interests to their work. Moreover, in order to create the final outcome (the advert), children will use some online tools such as YouTube, list.ly, Canva, Poster My Wall, Picktochart and so on. This shows that, as I have already said, the project has a meaningful and real context. 

In addition, it is important to add that, at the same time, pupils will interact with the world by Twitter and Blogger. This makes the project more authentic.

Retrieved from: http://cedec.ite.educacion.es

• STUDENT VOICE AND CHOICE

The project do not close the doors to the possibility that the students create their own products, they are the ones that will decide on the best product to advertise, the best way to broadcast it and so on. As it is stated above, the teacher is just a guide who will facilitate the work. The students are the ones who will take the final decisions concerning their outcome. Here is an example:

Retrieved from: http://cedec.ite.educacion.es

• REFLECTION

It is seen that the project provides opportunities for students to reflect on what and how they are learning. We can classify the reflecition in three main points: students's self reflection, peer evaluation and teacher evaluation.

Concerning students' self reflection, they will reflect on the progress they have made on their own blogs (learning diaries):

Retrieved from: http://cedec.ite.educacion.es

Moreover, they will assess their peers' work in mission 4. When they have decided which product are they going to advertise, they have the mission to compare it with the ones that the other teams in the class have chosen. Each group will defend why they believe their product is the best one.

Retrieved from: http://cedec.ite.educacion.es

Finaly, the project provides teachers with a didactic guideline in which all the data related to the assessment can be observed. 

Retrieved from: http://cedec.ite.educacion.es

• CRITIQUE AND REVISION

While students are following the lessons, they are receiving feedback from their classmates and from their teacher (it can be observed on the bullet point above). But, it is true that while reading the whole project, it is not very clear if pupils can modify their final outcome after submitting it. I think that it would be a good idea to have the opportunity to make the necessary changes on the task if it does not achieve the stated aims. If I would implement this unit with my students, I will provide them with feedback and I will let them to change the advert until the objectives are accomplished. I think it would motivate the students to do their best.

• PUBLIC PRODUCT

The two visible products that the students will come up with are the following ones: the advert and the blog posts (in the learning diary). Both products are real products. This means that they can be offered to people beyond the classroom. As they will be published using online tools (YouTube, list.ly, Canva, Poster My Wall, Picktochart, Blogger and so on) everyone will be able to access them. As I have affirmed above, I strongly believe that this is motivating for the pupils, because they will see the utility of the work they have done.

Hereafter, I attach the presentation that I have created with Genial.ly regarding the main points that I have dealt with above. 

And these are all the screenshots that I have used during the analysis. I have created this presentation with Power Point and I have uploaded it to the online website, Slideshare. 

Designing an advert (analysis and screenshots) from Ana Márquez

FURTHER ANALYSIS

After analysing the main features of this project, I would like to add a few more thinks which have been brought on my attention while I was reading it.
First of all, I would add that the project, in spite of being created for 1st graders of Secondary Education, can be adapted for Primary levels. The lessons and the final task can be perfectly carried out by sixth graders of Primary Education. But, if we want to implement it with lower graders, we only have to adapt some activities (for instance, the ones which require more language knowledge).

Secondly, I have noticed that the project can be linked to other subjects. I mean, from this unit, we could create a cross-curricular one. For instance, we could link it with Arts & Crafts if we want our students to design and draw the product that they want to announce. Furthermore, it could be linked to Social Science since students will learn about the impact on media in society.

Finally, I would like to stress the way the project is organized. For me, it is very importat to promote learner's autonomy and to teach them how to work (and learn) by their own. This project is a clear example of this.A final task (or a problem to solve) is presented to the students and they have to walk independently in order to achieve the final goal. I strongly believe that this is the best way to encourage the "learning to learn" competence. In addition, the fact that HOTS questions and critical thinking are promoted, makes the task more complete for students.

And, before finishing the post, I would like to reflect on the learning that I have acquired thanks to this activity.
For me, this activity has required a lot of time in order to analyse the project in detail. Once I read the whole unit, I though that it was almost perfect for Secondary students. I could not imagine to judge the weaknesses of it; but, thanks to the checklist, I could center my analysis on the most relevant characteristics that could be observed. And, it sounds strange, but it made me feel like a pretty good teacher who was examining the more specific details of a project.
Taking into account the online tools that I have used, I have to say that I have discovered Genial.ly, I think it is a brilliant application to create great presentations. Moreover, it can be used with Primary students because it is very intuitive and easy to use.

To sum up, I would like to list some advantages I see if we decide to implement this didactic unit with our pupils (regardless if they are Primary or Secondary students):

• Real-context activities and final task.
• Opportunity to work with ICT.
• Cooperative learning, which always benefit pupils.
• Innovative activities that foster creativity. 
• Funny activities and funny final task (motivating).

See you soon, inno-teachers!