E.J.J. Reflections
1. Based on the information about the class project provided in the story, list at least five important, worthwhile skills you believe the students in the class learned and/or applied within the project.
During the course of this project, two cohorts of 8th grade civics students had an opportunity to apply the knowledge they were learning in class to a historical, real-world legal situation. The students gained many skills regarding their civics lessons that are often taught and learned without any comprehension about the skills and time frames required to advance the work outside the classroom. In this case, the students learned how to research issues of local/personal importance. They learned how to use online search engines, databases, and perhaps local paper records to document the life of E.J.J. By working through the steps to advance a bill, the students had to learn what the correct legal steps were, to whom they needed to address their concerns within our governmental structure, and how to craft a well-written message that gets results. They also learned that it takes time to accomplish anything in our legal system. The process of petitioning for the exoneration of E.J.J. provided the participants with a lesson on the importance of active citizenship. When concerned citizens understand the laws and their rights, they can actively make changes to our legal system and that it is an evolving body of knowledge. They learned that by righting the wrongs of history we can change things in the present and add to positive social change which also affects the future.
2. Describe all the ways you believe technology (specifically, computer-based tools and resources) supported the successful implementation and completion of this project.
All the documentation they needed to perform in terms of research, letter-writing, etc. would need to utilize computer software like Word with all of its special functions like spell-checker and grammar hints. The students most likely did research online. They learned to dig into their local historical accounts through old newspaper article and legal databases. They were able to document the life of E.J.J. through her trials and subsequent petitions. During their efforts, the 2nd cohort of students needed to send letters and make phone calls. They would have needed to look up various politicians on the Judiciary Committee and find their contact information. They may have submitted their letters via those committee member’s website portals or via an email.
3. If you were to design and implement a project such as this in your current or future educational practice, what challenges might you expect in the implementation and evaluation of such an experience?
I would love to design a real-world project in which my students could participate. The first challenge I see would be the timeframe necessary to accomplish the project goals. In the example of the civics course, the project took at least 2 years to reach their goal. This length of time would make it hard for earlier students to feel as connected to the outcome as well as see that an outcome could occur. Another challenge would the development of an idea that engaged the students enough to put in more effort than just studying for a test. The evaluation of this effort would be difficult. How does the instructor keep track of hours spent, quality of work, individual contributions, etc. in order to assign grades to a project that took at least two academic years to complete.
During the course of this project, two cohorts of 8th grade civics students had an opportunity to apply the knowledge they were learning in class to a historical, real-world legal situation. The students gained many skills regarding their civics lessons that are often taught and learned without any comprehension about the skills and time frames required to advance the work outside the classroom. In this case, the students learned how to research issues of local/personal importance. They learned how to use online search engines, databases, and perhaps local paper records to document the life of E.J.J. By working through the steps to advance a bill, the students had to learn what the correct legal steps were, to whom they needed to address their concerns within our governmental structure, and how to craft a well-written message that gets results. They also learned that it takes time to accomplish anything in our legal system. The process of petitioning for the exoneration of E.J.J. provided the participants with a lesson on the importance of active citizenship. When concerned citizens understand the laws and their rights, they can actively make changes to our legal system and that it is an evolving body of knowledge. They learned that by righting the wrongs of history we can change things in the present and add to positive social change which also affects the future.
2. Describe all the ways you believe technology (specifically, computer-based tools and resources) supported the successful implementation and completion of this project.
All the documentation they needed to perform in terms of research, letter-writing, etc. would need to utilize computer software like Word with all of its special functions like spell-checker and grammar hints. The students most likely did research online. They learned to dig into their local historical accounts through old newspaper article and legal databases. They were able to document the life of E.J.J. through her trials and subsequent petitions. During their efforts, the 2nd cohort of students needed to send letters and make phone calls. They would have needed to look up various politicians on the Judiciary Committee and find their contact information. They may have submitted their letters via those committee member’s website portals or via an email.
3. If you were to design and implement a project such as this in your current or future educational practice, what challenges might you expect in the implementation and evaluation of such an experience?
I would love to design a real-world project in which my students could participate. The first challenge I see would be the timeframe necessary to accomplish the project goals. In the example of the civics course, the project took at least 2 years to reach their goal. This length of time would make it hard for earlier students to feel as connected to the outcome as well as see that an outcome could occur. Another challenge would the development of an idea that engaged the students enough to put in more effort than just studying for a test. The evaluation of this effort would be difficult. How does the instructor keep track of hours spent, quality of work, individual contributions, etc. in order to assign grades to a project that took at least two academic years to complete.