How to Avoid the Free Rider Problem in Teams There’s always a team member that doesn’t pull their weight. In economics this is called a free rider problem—people who benefit from resources they don’t pay for. Wharton professor and author of Originals Adam Grant (building on an old meta analysis by Karau and Williams) identified a series of factors that encourage people to contribute their fair share. Make the task more meaningful. People often slack off when they don’t feel that the task matters. When they recognize the importance of their efforts, they tend to work harder and smarter.Show them what their peers are doing. Projects As of July 1, 2013 ThinkQuest has been discontinued. We would like to thank everyone for being a part of the ThinkQuest global community: Students - For your limitless creativity and innovation, which inspires us all.
Getting Started with Project-Based Learning (Hint: Don't Go Crazy) Before the start of the school year, many of us want to use the remaining weeks of summer to learn some new skills -- such as project-based learning (PBL). One of the things we stress for new PBL practitioners is, as I say, "don't go crazy." It's easy to go "too big" when you first start PBL. I have heard from many teachers new to PBL that a large, eight-week integrated project was a mistake.
AC History Units Along with historical knowledge and skills, the Australian Curriculum: History places emphasis on teaching and learning the following key historical concepts. These concepts represent the 'big ideas' of the discipline of history. Students who understand these key concepts are able to operate 'within the discipline', to think and act in ways similar to those used by historians, at levels appropriate for their stage of development. The key concepts provide a focus for historical investigation, a framework for organising historical information and a guide for developing historical understanding.
High Tech High projects and books Project Based Learning at HTH High Tech High: buy the book These projects are examples of the work that is done at all of the High Tech High Schools. It is our record of what we have done and how to get there. Teachers can utilize this to show off what they have done with their students, and get ideas from others teachers. Students can show their parents and friends the work that they have done, and the community can see how project based learning enables students to do and learn. Atlantis Remixed Transformational play involves the use of virtual worlds to help people learn and grow in a context where they can fail safely. Theory At its core, transformational play is a learning and empowerment philosophy that is grounded in the belief that each one of us is capable of, wants to, and deserves to achieve, great things. Unlike any other form of curriculum, these games offer entire worlds in which learners are central, important participants; a place where the actions of a ten-year old can have significant impact on the world; and a place in which what you know is directly related to what you are able to do and, ultimately, who you become.
Integration Strategies for PBL This series is about taking your PBL projects "up a notch." I wrote a blog about how to get started, but after you get started and are familiar with the benefits of keeping it small and focused, what are some of your next steps? One area where I see teachers taking their PBL projects up a notch is through integration. However, integration is actually quite complicated and includes many levels of implementation. Here are some tips to consider for integrating content areas into your next PBL project.
Nine things you didn't know about PowerPoint - Belinda Jennings - ABC Splash - Throughout my career as a teacher I have seen many ICT tools come and go. Some have revolutionised the way I teach and seem to be permanent fixtures in my lesson preparation such as video hosting sites like YouTube and Vimeo, screen capture tools like Jing and Sreencast-o-matic and blogging apps such as Wordpress and tumblr. Some tech has initially seem like it might be the ‘next big thing’ but ends up too difficult to learn or just not that practical. I think good technology is not the latest and shiniest tool but simply technology that works for you. PowerPoint is something that might be perceived as old technology, but it's something I can't imagine ever giving up and it can be used to enhance student learning. Here are nine reasons why.
UnBoxed: online issue 3, spring 2009 Brandon Davidson, Biology, High Tech High Media Arts Randy Scherer, Humanities, High Tech High Media Arts download pdf (1.7mb) Is it safe to go in the water? This question began an exploration of San Diego’s beaches and bays, and of the biological, ecological, political and cultural factors that affect the overall health of local coastal ecosystems. In biology, students analyzed indicator bacteria levels at six popular coastal locations, as well as the health and diversity of microscopic life in local plankton populations. They used ordinary equipment such as microscopes and more sophisticated equipment on loan from a local non-profit group.
This is the portal for a vast array of resources available at the Buck Institute. The primary reason for the category of collaboration is that this page has links to various interactive professional learning opportunities as well as other resources. by chedwards Oct 10