CREATING ORDER OUT OF CHAOS:

Teaching Life Skills Through Project Work

with examples from a unit on

African American Heroes

Christy FolsomLehman College, City University of New YorkNAGC 2009 St. Louis

Life and Chaos

Gifted Students & Project-based Curriculum

Life Skills: Intellectual and Social Emotional Skills

TIEL Curriculum Design Wheel

Examples from a Project-Based Unit: African-American Heroes

CHAOS AND LIFE

Chaos of Tragedy

Claude Levi-Strauss, Anthropologist

Chaos of Discovery and Learning

Chaos of Projects

What life skills help us make order out of chaos?

• Observation • Making connections to prior experience• Self-direction• Decision making, planning, and evaluation • Logical thinking• Creative thinking• Risk-taking• Flexibility • Empathy• Ethics• Perseverance—don’t give up

GIFTED CHILDREN and

PROJECT WORK

What do we know about gifted learners?

• Question and wonder• Solve problems• Autonomy • Choice• Hands-on • Doing• Pursue interests• Work with learners similar to themselves• Work alone• Need intellectual challenges and social

emotional support

What is Project-Based Curriculum?

How does project learning meet the learning needs of many gifted students?

Project-based Curriculum

a unit of study centered on a student

project that features opportunities for

students to

• Pursue interests• Learn (and teach) rigorous content• Develop research skills • Make choices• Learn self-management skills of setting criteria, making

decisions, planning, and self-evaluation• Do hands-on creative work

• Develop perseverance and willingness to work hard• Solve problems• Utilize a broad range of intellectual skills• Develop qualities of character through individual or

collaborative work

INTELLECTUALand

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL

LIFE SKILLS

How do we explicitly teach life skills through project work?

• By including a broad range of intellectual skills

• By including qualities of character (social emotional skills)

Socia

l

Emot

iona

l

Thinking

A SynthesisA Synthesis

John Dewey J.P. Guilford

Dewey Guilford

Joining the TwoJoining the Two

A UNIT OF STUDY:

AFRICAN-AMERICAN

HEROES

PROBLEM SOLVING

MAKE ORDER OUT OF CHAOS

•

August 8, 1866

In a cabin near Nanjemoy, Charles County,

Maryland. Matthew Alexander Henson, born of

Lemuel Henson's second wife. He is Lemuel

Henson's 3rd child.

TIMELINE

RESEARCH

and

WRITTEN

BIOGRAPHY

DRAMATIZATIONHeroes Conference

The Final Project

TIEL Curriculum Design Wheel Teaching for Intellectual and Emotional Learning

What characteristics could Davon learn from Adam Clayton Powell’s life?

How could Raylene explore her interest in science through studying Mae Jemison? Would getting to know Jacob Lawrence help Henry recognize his artistic talents?

What would Maya learn about her leadership abilities from studying Shirley Chisholm?

TIEL Segment (convergent).mix

Jennie asMarian Wright Edelman

Civil Rights WorkerLawyer

Founder, Children’s Defense Fund

Author

It feels so much more natural and wholesome in a way. The kids can be swept up in it…I’m not always dragging them on this heavy sled. Stacy 4th grade teacher

Teacher

Students

…without decision making, planning, and evaluating, projects would not come together. It would be like a “snake without a spine.”

Raya, 4th grade student

Out of all of these [thinking operations], the seasick thinking makes you the most…..SICK! Harry 4th grade student

Sometimes it feels like you areAROUND that thinking.

Dr. Christy FolsomTIEL Institute446 Central Park West 7Acfolsom@TIELinstitute.com212 865 0366

Lehman College, CUNY250 Bedford Park W.Bronx, NY 10468ctfolsom@gmail.com