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"Mid-Course" (Unit) Corrections and UpdatesI find that as I go along in a unit, it is important to make changes. The initial story or essential question presupposses that the student has some prior knowledge and understanding of the concepts about to be covered. As the unit/ study unfolds, it becomes clearer to me what the kids do know and what misconceptions they may have. Consequently, in planning curriculum, I try to think about "the when and where" I need to add degrees of difficulty (challenges) and/ or supportive pieces that may include a short topic lecture (for some or all), a reading for background, or a quick "hands-on" skill building practice session.One anecedotal example from a field problem that I give my tropical ecology kids while in the field (Mexico): Essential Question: Can bromeliads be used as an eco-indicator of environmental stress? (Bromeliads are epiphytic plants related to the pineapple and are home to many invertebrates and some vertebrates living in and on them.) The students, already knowing how to use a species diversity index as a tool for eco-indicators, quickly devise an experiment to test this. They collected bromeliads from several different habitat....detailing the abiotic conditions in which they found that bromeliad. They dissected each bromeliad and identified by taxon the organisms they found and mathematically determined the species diversity index. Once they completed this and presented their findings at our end of the day field symposia (just before dinner) they were feeling quite smug about their work. Indeed, they had done a very good job and "concluded" they knew everything there is to know about epiphytic bromeliads. They were in need of a challenge....not so much about the natural history of bromeliads but about good science and the ability to keep on searching for new meaning and understanding. I congratulated them on their work and then posed a challenge question to them: "Which came first, the trees that depend upon bromeliads or the bromeliads that depend upon trees?" That spurred on new discussion, inquiry, and arguementation. How does knowledge originate? I am convinced that it does not come about from giving students unproblematic givens but from questions, problems, and arguement. Knowledge is derived.
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When to call it quits...
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