Students from around the world will be examining weekly themes focused on waste management to explore how they can play a role in making the world a better place for all living things who are impacted by the tidal wave of trash and garbage on our planet. Additionally, students will be working with partners from around the world to make real change that will clean up our habits and waste.
We have talked long enough about expanding learning in school to go beyond knowledge acquisition, memorization and assessment. With amazing technology that is free and low cost, there is no longer any reason for there to be little interaction between students from different classrooms. We live in a world where we need to connect and grow together regardless of where we live. All of our decisions have impacts not just locally, but globally. Our goal with this project to promote learning opportunities that go beyond knowledge creation, but enhancing skill development, global awareness and instilling empathy into our classrooms.
In this project we break down our classroom walls and connect students from all over. The project is student-centered and so the students have to do the research, brainstorming and discussion. They share their findings via weekly videos or presentations. The students are using the LAUNCH cycle to help provide a framework to guide them in this learning journey. As educators, we that you support the learning space and culture to allow students to be driven outside their comfort zones. Your role as an educator will be to become a discussion leader and mentorspointing their students in the right direction and making sure the students verify their sources. All participating countries' students will learn in very different ways (collaborative, by expressing and creating, by doing research, by discussing, by connecting to experts on social media, etc) and will have very different outcomes (composing songs, dancing, creating, using Lego, Minecraft, stop motion videos, interviewing, etc). This project covers several subjects: Science, Math, History, Biology, Literature, etc. Students will learn to use certain tools without being instructed how to use them. Teachers will discover new approaches and tools. They will make global connection and... learning will be fun!
This project is student-centered and a global collaboration between schools. We embrace the 21st Century Learning Skills and Sustainable Development Goals through a project based learning structure using the LAUNCH Cycle Framework. The students also use technology in their classroom to find and structure content, present and share their findings.
Students investigate, propose, and take actions on develop solutions to eliminate/reduce the amount of waste and trash created by us. They will communicate their findings and work with professionals in the field doing work to help our waste as well as the workers who work hard to take care of our garbage.
Task: Build a prototype or create a solution(locally or globally) that demonstrates how we can help reduce waste or tackle one of the issues shared by the workers in our waste management site.
The United Nations has identified problems and goals for waste whether it is focusing on water, sanitation, infrastructure, animals, or clean energy. While there are many problems that need solutions, we will be focusing primarily on this target based on pollution, trash, and waste.
Literacy
Social Studies
Science
STEM
Sustainable Development Goals
Digital Citizen
2b Students engage in positive, safe, legal and ethical behavior when using technology, including social interactions online or when using networked devices.
Knowledge Constructor
3a Students plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other resources for their intellectual or creative pursuits.
Creative Communicator
6d Students publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for their intended audiences.
Global Collaborator
7c Students contribute constructively to project teams, assuming various roles and responsibilities to
1. Find evidence from literary or informational texts to support thoughts and research.
2. Use technology to produce writing and cite sources as well as work with others.
3. Include multimedia parts and visual displays in presentations to clarify claims and findings and emphasize important points.
4. Produce clear writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to the purpose and the audience.
5. With some help from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, and focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.
6. Write opinions to support ideas with clear reasons and proof.
7. Complete short research projects to answer a question, using several sources and thinking of additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation.
8. Brainstorm, gather, and organize information about a topic to create an informative piece of writing.
9. Gather appropriate information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the usefulness and accuracy of each source; quote or paraphrase the information and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and using citations.