Authentic Tasks Authentic Tasks Characteristics of Authentic Tasks Types of Authentic Tasks Authentic Task: An assignment given to students designed to assess their ability to apply standard-driven knowledge and skills to real-world challenges In other words, a task we ask students to perform is considered authentic when 1) students are asked to construct their own responses rather than select from ones presented and 2) the task replicates challenges faced in the real world. (Of course, other definitions abound.) If I were teaching you how to play golf, I would not determine whether you had met my standards by giving you a multiple-choice test. However, these tasks are not just assessments. Another way that authentic assessment is commonly distinguished from traditional assessment is in terms of their defining attributes. Traditional ------------------------------------------- Authentic Selecting a Response ----------------------------------- Performing a Task Also, see
Creating a WebQuest | It's Easier Than You Think Always wanted to make a WebQuest but not sure where to start? Education World has all the answers and can make the process easy for you. WebQuests are probably the most talked-about and widely used Web-based activities in today's classrooms. "I hear and I forget. "A WebQuest," according to Bernie Dodge, the originator of the WebQuest concept, "is an inquiry-oriented activity in which most or all of the information used by learners is drawn from the Web. Education World asked two educators who have created their own WebQuests to share with us the benefits they bring to their classroom. WebQuests, which use the constructivist approach to learning, are a super learning tool, said Kenton Letkeman, creator of a number of excellent WebQuests. "With many research projects," Letkeman told Education World, "students feel that they are sucking up information and regurgitating it onto paper for no other reason than to get a good grade. Mim Faro, a gifted and talented enrichment teacher at Mt.
Solar System Webquest Introduction: You have been selected to help design a vacation package to one of the planets in Earth's solar system. You and your team will create a company that will put together a vacation package that can safely deliver your clients to your vacation destination. Your team consists of a rocket specialist, spacesuit designer, travel agent and astronomer. Task: Your company's goals include the following: Research the planet, identify the challenges it presents to living things, and create solutions to overcome the challenges. Process: Group Work 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Breakout Sessions 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. Resources Sites for General Solar System Information Sites for Astronomers Sites for Travel Agents Sites for Rocket Scientists Sites for Space Suit Designers Evaluation: Rubric for Student Assessment Conclusion: Congratulations, your company is now in business! 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Extensions: 1. 2. Teacher Notes: Grade Level: 5th - 8th Grade Students will be able to: Suggestions: Credits:
Framework - Authentic Task Design 10 design elements are suggested for the design of authentic tasks in web-based learning environments: Authentic tasks have real-world relevance Activities match as nearly as possible the real-world tasks of professionals in practice rather than decontextualised or classroom-based tasks. Authentic tasks are ill-defined, requiring students to define the tasks and sub-tasks needed to complete the activity Problems inherent in the tasks are ill-defined and open to multiple interpretations rather than easily solved by the application of existing algorithms. Learners must identify their own unique tasks and sub-tasks in order to complete the major task. Authentic tasks comprise complex tasks to be investigated by students over a sustained period of time Tasks are completed in days, weeks and months rather than minutes or hours, requiring significant investment of time and intellectual resources.
QuestGarden.com Tips for Online Forum Discussion Summaries Photo by Flnz Ask an online tutor what they like most about their job, and be prepared for a lengthy answer. They will probably wax lyrical about things like having contact with people from all over the world. The chance to share and learn alongside a great range of individuals. The cut and thrust of considered online debate with interesting and informed peers. The level of support that an online group can generate for each other. Ask your online tutor what they like least about the job, and you invariably get the same two-word answer: forum summaries! We all know that providing summaries of often complex and lengthy forum discussions on an online academic course is a Good Thing. a forum summary does just that — it summarises. Of course the downside of forum summaries is that they can be very time consuming to produce. Here are a few tips to help you with forum summaries: Tip 1: Do it! Make sure you summarise all discussions. Tip 2: Use students’ names Tip 3: Don’t use students’ names
WebQuest.Org: Home Six favourite teaching online activities A guest post from Lindsay Clandfield. Lindsay is a well-known ELT author, teacher and teacher trainer, and a person who never seems to run out of original and inspiring ideas! I’ve been lucky enough to work with him on a variety of projects over the years. He was one the first online moderators on our The Consultants-E online courses, and set the standards very high indeed. Photo by Flnz To celebrate the launch of our new book, Teaching Online (published by Delta Publishing), Nicky and I decided to invite each other for a guest post on our respective blogs. The following then, are my favourite six activities that I use regularly when teaching online courses. 1 My window, my world This is a getting-to-know-you activity. It’s a great way to get a window into what the other people on your course are like. *if you are using a VLE (virtual learning environment) then you will be able to set up different discussion forums for activities) 2 Five clicks away 3 Follow that story! 4 What’s my line?
WebQuest Repository About us Courses & workshops Consultancy services Clients & publications Tools & webquests Resources / WebQuests / Repository WebQuests Repository About this repository This is a growing selection of WebQuests created by participants on our courses. Note: The following Creative Commons license applies to all these WebQuests: ELT materials by As per author is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Share this See also © The Consultants-E Ltd., 2003 - 2014 Sitefinity ASP.NET CMS Deeper Learning: Performance Assessment and Authentic Audience In a conversation with a veteran educator -- a man with years of experience teaching English and acting as a headmaster -- I was confronted with a prejudice so ingrained in my teaching that I was almost embarrassed to admit it. He said, "You know, when I ask a student to write a paper and turn it in to me, that's ridiculous; I'm the worst audience they could have." I was intrigued. He went on, "Who am I to assume that someone will want to write their best work, something truly personal and creative, for me? A single-person audience is a pretty lame audience, let alone the fact that I'm a middle-aged white guy." That hit me like a rolled-up newspaper. As I absorbed this veteran educator’s words, I realized that not only was I wrong in my assumption that I (or any teacher) is a meanigful audience, but also that my assumptions about how grading and assessment work were so far removed from modern research that I might as well have been a 21st-century doctor treating humours. This matters. 1. 2.
Search for WebQuests Latest news: June 17, 2015: This year marks the 20th anniversary of the WebQuest model. Watch this space for announcements of some new resources coming later this summer! October 22, 2008:WebQuests and Web 2.0? August 9, 2007: QuestGarden received the MERLOT Teacher Education Classics Award at the organization's international conference in New Orleans. Contact Please report bad links and suggest additions and improvements to the site by writing toBernie Dodge, PhD. Deeper Learning: Why Cross-Curricular Teaching is Essential It is time that teachers and administrators realize that public education has reached a dam in the river. We have gone about as far as we can go with isolated instruction and learning. While it may have served the purpose for the older generations, it does not meet the deeper learning needs of students today and tomorrow. Deep learning is like taking a long drought from a well of knowledge as opposed to only sipping from many different wells. Requirements Undaunted, educators are committed to providing students full access to the well of deep-learning knowledge that will unlock their potential. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. In order for all this to happen in a sustainable way in our schools, deeper learning requires that groups of teachers pool their talents, resources, time, and efforts to maximize coherence, relevance, and connections among the content areas. Cross-Curricular Teams There are three general phases of teacher collaboration and interdisciplinary teaching: Aligned Cooperative Conceptual
How to Write an Academic Essay: 12 Essential Tips [Download This Guide] Text Version: You probably know your academic essay needs an introduction, a body of supporting information, and a conclusion that summarizes the evidence you’ve provided. But how can you take these basics and make your work stand out from the rest? Use these tips to make your academic essay writing the best it can be. Make time Unless you’re writing a timed essay, you should have plenty of advance notice for when your work is due. Research first, write second Good research forms the foundation of academic essays. Develop a thesis statement Among academic essay writing tips, this one is king. Plan, outline, and organize If you need to free-write a rough draft to get a handle on your ideas, by all means do so, but remember, the best academic essay writing has structure and clarity. Avoid irrelevant details Before you write the first word, revisit your research and highlight specific information to support your thesis. Assume your audience has no knowledge of your topic