Challenge Based Learning in IndonesiaJane RossSinarmas World AcademyApple Distinguished Educator Professional Development

Main idea: “It is our shared responsibility to ensure resources are more evenly distributed.”

Challenge Based Learning

Know your students ...Begin with their understanding and help them to learn

about different perspectives and how to make connections to their own lives.

Front loadingBefore I could address the main idea I

needed to build empathy in my students towards those who are less fortunate.

The teachers needed

an activity to get the

students thinking

about what life is like

on a limited budget.

In groups of 4, students were

asked to work out how they

could buy a healthy meal for

four people with Rp14.000

($1.50).

Get the students to voice their questions

and record those questions.

Is bread enough for eating in one meal? 

(Gabi) – Can we just eat bread for this

meal?

Can you just live on water? (Zubin)

What kinds of food are too expensive

for people who have less money?

(Shereen)

Google did not provide any answers so the students asked themselves.

Students in Grade 5 who can’t survive without

eating rice.

The cheapest rice in the local village was 60

cents a liter.

Click video to go to YouTube to watch the

video

I bought three different qualities of rice.

Estimating the Weight of the Rice

Click the video to go to YouTube to

watch it

The students cooked the rice and then decided to turn it into fried rice which successfully came under budget.

Going further ...

The initial inquiry into ‘Life on a Limited Budget’ left the class

with many unanswered questions.

The students discovered that Indonesia doesn’t produce

enough rice to feed its’ own people.

How is rice distributed - how is it grown?

How big is a Javanese rice farm?

Predict: Is an average Javanese rice farm bigger or smaller than the school soccer field?

Assessment

RIFQI

The really hard part was if we have a family, we have to

provide for our family. I think it is a very hard thing. It is

something that we have to do, to learn how to make food

for our family. If we don’t have any money, how can we

buy ingredients?

SHEREEN

I really was very surprised and interested about the farmers struggle

and that they themselves cannot eat what they had grown because

they cannot afford the rice. They have to buy food that is cheaper like

cheaper rice and cheaper food. After we had measured our school’s

soccer field, Ms. Jane told us that the rice field is smaller than our

soccer field. That was a big shock for all of us! That is why the farmers

can’t eat their own food, because they don’t have a big rice field and

also that they cannot afford it. We also learned that the farmers only

get nine million a year, meaning they only get Rp 750,000 ($75) a

month. I feel like whenever I see a rice field it looks much smaller than

it did before.

First Visit to the Landfill

The students discussed how they would like to carry out the first visit to the Landfill. They decided to bring some food to share, sing a song together and to ask some questions so that we could get to know each other better.

Again ... we recorded our questions and observations

We had three main interest groups

Light

Shelter

Water

Our first Visit to the Landfill Site

Click video to go to YouTube to watch the

video

Don’t just tell them the answer ...

Think about the learning outcome instead.

Shelter

How Can We Design a Community Building?

Click video to go to YouTube to watch the

video

This activity tied in very nicely

with the current Math unit of

work.

How Can We Enable Access to Clean Water?

The students learned about carrying

water. The children at the Landfill site

have to carry water for their families.

The water supply is contaminated by the Landfill.

A Needs Assessment showed

us that the water supply needed

fixing first.

The class wrote to some water purification experts and organized an official visit.

Here is the actual

blueprint showing the bathrooms that we will build for this community. We wait to

determine the land rental

before we can build.

Challenge Based Learning in IndonesiaFree on the Apple iBookstore

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/challenge-based-learning-in/id544022048?mt=11

Jane RossGrade 4 TeacherSinarmas World Academy Apple Distinguished Educatorÿ Professional DeveloperAsia ADE Advisory Board member22 years teaching experienceMasters in Education Technology Twitter: janeinjavaFacebook: janeinjavaEmail: janeinjava@gmail.comblog: http://1to1inpractice.blogspot.com/

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