Institute of Child Study, Ontario Institute of Studies in Education, Toronto
Proposal submitted by Richard Messina and Benjamin Peebles
This project made innovative use of several existing technologies to support a deep classroom inquiry integrating science, mathematics and physical education curricula. Students in a combined 5th and 6th grade class were given an authentic challenge: to find ways to improve their performance in the track and field discipline of long jump. Through this inquiry, by fluidly integrating technological resources and content learning from three separate subjects, the idea was to foster deep understanding of how physical movements could be analyzed, considered and improved.
Twenty-two students were presented with the authentic problem of how to improve their long jumps following a study on human body systems from the science curriculum. Over the course of six weeks in April and May 2006, students made several jump attempts. They were videotaped and converted to QuickTime files. These files were imported into software entitled Measurement in Motion (MIM) , which allowed students to critically analyze their movements and techniques. Students then used Knowledge Forum 4.6 (KF) to formulate theories on best technique, continue to seek ways to improve them, all the while sharing the results of their analysis with the classroom community. Children were reflectively collaborating with peers to build new theories and advance the community understanding. Students seamlessly integrated these two technologies, as well as their curricular knowledge in Science, Mathematics and Physical Education, in pursuit of addressing the problem of how they could learn to jump further.
The evaluations from students’ postings revealed that they had skillfully combined detailed mathematical analysis of the long jump movements with application of that analysis to the scientific process of testing and improving theories, deepening their understanding of both the metacognitive possibilities of improving physical movements, and also of the application of scientific and mathematics knowledge to problems.
2007 Winners:
"Long Jump Ahead" | "Dynamic Individual Education Plan" | "Poetry, Music and a Garage Band"