Group 4 Project

Some PhilosophyWe must foster a conception

of excellence which may be applied to every degree of ability and to every socially acceptable activity….We need excellent physicists and excellent mechanics. We need excellent cabinet members and excellent first grade teachers.

Some Philosophy

The tone and fiber of our society depend upon a pervasive and almost universal striving for good performance.

John W. Gardner 1962

Some Philosophy

Scientific investigations of today involve teamwork which , like the Group 4 Project, is interdisciplinary.

The underpinnings of teamwork are:

communication andrespect for each other

Nature of the Project

Collaborative experience Interdisciplinary co-operation ‘Real Science’ activity Processes, not Products

Choosing a Topic

Students choose topic Teachers propose several topics

from which Students choose one

Teachers select topic

Participation All the students investigate the

same topic Split into smaller groups for 2 or 3

topics IB students or IB + non-IB

Students Inter-school (internationalism!)

Only one IB Science Offered /

Very Few Students Alternate years

(juniors & seniors) work together

Work with non-IB students

Work with Group 3 Co-operate with

another school

When to carry out the ProjectMiddle of first year

end of first year

start of second year

During the school day

on a weekend

on a field trip

Four Phases

Planning 2 - 3 hoursDefinition of ActivitiesAction 5 - 6 hoursEvaluation 2 - 3 hours

Planning Definition Action Evaluation

(6 - 9)

Planning (2 – 3 hours) Mixed-subject sessions:

brainstorm the topic Develop a hypothesis Suggest data collection Sharing of information & ideas

Definition of Activities

Develop subject-specific questions to answer and A subject specific hypothesis

Define specific tasks

Action (6 - 9 hours)

Separate subject investigations As individuals or groups During ‘Normal’ lessons or a

special day / week /weekend 2 science subjects do 2 action

phases

Evaluation (2 – 3 hours) Sharing findings

(successes, failures and progress)

Format decided by teachers & / or students, e.g., science fair, posters, school presentation…

Assessment Teachers may choose:

Not to assess the project To assess it against one or more of

the IB IA criteria To assess it according to the criteria

for the school’s local or national requirements

Evidence of participation

There is no set reporting method. Some options are:

a statement written by the student about his/her own individual contributions- (an abstract ?)

a self-evaluation form or a peer-evaluation form an individual laboratory report or complete

Project report rough work or a record of data collected photographs, e.g. of a final poster produced by

the group that includes the participation of the candidate whose work is being sent

Example of Process to Identify a group 4 Project:

Step 1: Identify major topics: e.g., body, pollution, water, recycling, air, energy, nutrition, waste, agriculture.

Step 2: concentrate on a few topics: Pollution, Agriculture, nutrition.

Step 3: Narrow topic down to one: e.g., Agriculture

Example of Process to Identify a group 4 Project (cont.):

Step 4: Narrow it down to a focused question, e.g., How can agriculture help reduce pollution?

Step 5: Students in each subject come up with issues in their own areas.

and create a hypothesis Step 6: Students in each subject narrow these

down to what they can collect in terms of data and investigations.

Broad Topic: Sick Building Syndrome

Focused Question: How do the environmental conditions in a given building cause illness?

• Biology issues: Survey of symptoms, research into existing medical data: studies of respiratory illnesses, research on organisms --cause/effect

• Chemistry Issues: Call Health Department to find out tests for sick building e.g. in humidity studies, harmful gases,, etc. CO, CO2, particulates, water analysis, investigations of Brownian motion; Rn detection, condensation patterns

• Physics Issues: measurement of electromagnetic fields, air flow patterns, R factors, temperature of the buildings

Examples of Group 4 Projects

Natural & Synthetic Fibers The 400 m Running Race A study of an Estuary The School Swimming Pool Exercise Paper Recycling The effect of Caffeine on the Human Body Petroleum and the Automobile The Classroom Environment Transport to School

Group 4 Projects (cont.)

School Garbage Agriculture How healthy is our School? Pollution in City X Alternate Energy Sources for the School Beer / Wine Driving Ice Storm The Weather The Science of Toys / Thrill Ride

Evaluation of Personal Skills: Evaluate yourself (student 1) and each of

the other members of your group on each of the skills listed in the table below:

Use the following evaluation scale: 1 = did not display the skill at all

2 = displayed the skill to some extent3 = did all that could be expected in this respectN = I did not have an opportunity to observe this skill

Evaluation of Personal Skills:Personal Skills Accepted responsibility to contribute to

team Encouraged the contributions of others Recognized the contributions of others Showed self-motivation and

perseverance Showed ethical behavior in personal

relations and reporting results Paid due attention to environmental

impacts

Evaluation of Personal Skills:

Please answer the following questions. (use the back of this page or attach additional pages if needed.)

What did you do well as a group? What problems did you encounter in

working as a member of your group? What suggestions can you make for

improving the functioning of a group in the future?

Thank you. Please return this form to the faculty advisor for your group by…