Benchmark 3: Guiding Questions (GQs)
Benchmark Objectives (or, What IT wants you to gain from this process)
- Explore diverse avenues of research for your SDQ
- Practice and refine formal conversation skills
- Use language in careful and creative ways to design powerful GQ’s
For this benchmark your group will build a conversation around your Sub-driving Question and the 6-10 research categories which were signed off in B2. The discussion will be recorded and archived on your group’s project website. After reviewing and taking notes on your recorded conversation your group will collectively draft your guiding questions and have them signed off by IT.
Step 1) Review SDQ and research categories:
Now that your group’s been signed off on B2 you should step back and view your SDQ and categories with fresh eyes. Are these truly the areas of your SDQ on which you’d like to focus? Are all your areas of curiosity accounted for somewhere within these categories? Might your group benefit from some preliminary research into your topic to determine whether you’ve covered all the bases you find compelling and important? Discuss these questions with your group as you review your 6-10 categories of research. This is a chance to make some changes to the work you did in B2.
Step 2) Prepare notes for your conversation:
(This step is to be done independently by each group member. You may take notes with pencil and paper, or on a Drive document.)
Consider your group’s array of categories. Your job is to draft notes to use during the recorded conversation that you and your group are about to have. For each of the 6-10 categories you must contribute (and make formal notes on) two ideas for research. Each idea should include specific detail or description. For each category ask yourself: What are some aspects of this topic that we can research and what might that research look like? Your notes should: name two aspects of research for the category and give a description or examples of such research.
* If notes are handwritten, be sure to leave 3 extra lines beneath each category (for step #6). *
- IT sign off of each group member’s notes -
Step 3) Agree on roles:
For this benchmark you will need a “Discussion Facilitator” to guide the conversation. This person will act as the narrator, introducing the topic of conversation and keeping it on the right track. You will also need a “Tech Specialist” who oversees the recording of the conversation and makes sure that each audio file is properly sent via email. In DM this person will also be in charge of compiling your 6-10 separate recordings into a single recording.
Step 4) Record your conversation:
Find a quiet place to record your discussion. (Make sure you secure permission from IT to record in this location!). Record each of the 6-10 discussions SEPARATELY; you will join them to make a continuous conversation in DM. As soon as one recording is complete send the file to the Tech Specialist via email (Don’t wait! Anything could cause an interruption in your process and you don’t want to lose a file).
-IT Sign off for the 6-10 clips-
Step 5) Compile recordings in DM:
Make this a top priority. Your group will not be able to finish B3 until the compiling of your conversations is complete. So as not to complicate things later on, keep the conversations in the same order that they were originally discussed.
For this benchmark you will need a “Discussion Facilitator” to guide the conversation. This person will act as the narrator, introducing the topic of conversation and keeping it on the right track. You will also need a “Tech Specialist” who oversees the recording of the conversation and makes sure that each audio file is properly sent via email. In DM this person will also be in charge of compiling your 6-10 separate recordings into a single recording.
Step 4) Record your conversation:
Find a quiet place to record your discussion. (Make sure you secure permission from IT to record in this location!). Record each of the 6-10 discussions SEPARATELY; you will join them to make a continuous conversation in DM. As soon as one recording is complete send the file to the Tech Specialist via email (Don’t wait! Anything could cause an interruption in your process and you don’t want to lose a file).
-IT Sign off for the 6-10 clips-
Step 5) Compile recordings in DM:
Make this a top priority. Your group will not be able to finish B3 until the compiling of your conversations is complete. So as not to complicate things later on, keep the conversations in the same order that they were originally discussed.
- An informal sign-off by Mr. Harris is recommended at this stage -
Step 6) Listen and take notes:
Now you will listen to your conversation clips OR compiled conversation (depending on how quickly you work on Step 5 in DM) as a group. Each group member will add to his or her original notes in the following manner: For each category write your two biggest “take-aways” from the collective discussion (besides your own contributions!). "Take-aways" should consist of something significant that you heard in the conversations that is NOT currently in your notes. Add these “take-aways” to your notes in a contrasting color.
Now you will listen to your conversation clips OR compiled conversation (depending on how quickly you work on Step 5 in DM) as a group. Each group member will add to his or her original notes in the following manner: For each category write your two biggest “take-aways” from the collective discussion (besides your own contributions!). "Take-aways" should consist of something significant that you heard in the conversations that is NOT currently in your notes. Add these “take-aways” to your notes in a contrasting color.
- IT sign off of each group member’s notes (please do this as a group) -
Step 7) Draft your GQ’s:
Compare notes with groupmates and create a set of questions that will effectively guide your research for the WDIM project. Subject all GQ’s to the criteria below and begin your quest to get signed off!
Compare notes with groupmates and create a set of questions that will effectively guide your research for the WDIM project. Subject all GQ’s to the criteria below and begin your quest to get signed off!
- All IT teachers must sign off -
Guiding Question Criteria
For each individual GQ, ask yourself: - Is there bias? - Is it answerable beyond a yes or no? - Is it too simple? - Is it linked to your SDQ? For the whole group of your GQs together, ask yourself: - Is there sufficient diversity? - Are there multiple perspectives? - Are you looking from a local to a global scope? |