Group 4 Project

Some Philosophy We must foster a conception of excellence which may be applied to every degree of ability and to every socially acceptable activity….We need excellent physicists and excellent mechanics. We need excellent cabinet members and excellent first grade teachers.

Some Philosophy The tone and fiber of our society depend upon a pervasive and almost universal striving for good performance. John W. Gardner 1962

Some Philosophy Scientific investigations of today involve teamwork which , like the Group 4 Project, is interdisciplinary. The underpinnings of teamwork are: communication and respect for each other

Nature of the Project Collaborative experience Interdisciplinary co-operation ‘Real Science’ activity Processes, not Products

Participation All the students investigate the same topic in ten groups Then split into smaller groups to investigate the chemistry, physics and, biology of the selected topic…. Sport Science

Four Phases Planning 1-2 hours Definition of activities 1 hour Action 7-11 hours Evaluation 1 hour

Planning (1 – 2 hours) Get into your groups… Brainstorm the topic Share and swap phone numbers and email addresses Suggest data collection Sharing of information & ideas Get to know each other !

Definition of Activities Develop a focussed question to answer, and a subject specific hypothesis Define specific tasks – Who does what and when ? This phase will be completed in the Transition program during the last 2 weeks of school.

Action (7 - 11 hours) Focussed investigation In groups During Group 4 day during transition Complete journal of work Complete ‘Summary poster’ during holidays

Evaluation (1 hour) Sharing findings (successes, failures and progress) Format: Summary poster

Assessment Personal Skills to be evaluated by members of your group Will count for 6 marks of your Group 4 subject(s) This equates to 3% of your Group 4 IB score.

Evidence of participation Participation on the group 4 day (your teachers will be watching you!) Logbook/Journal a self-evaluation form and a peer-evaluation form rough work or a record of data collected final poster produced by the group that includes the participation of the candidate

Example of Process to Identify a group 4 Project Step 1: Narrow it down to a focused question, e.g., Overall topic “Pollution” Focused question: How does increased carbon dioxide affect growth of plants? Step 2: Students write a hypothesis, and plan how they will investigate their focused question. Step 3: Students write a list of equipment that they need and write a plan of what they will do e.g a ‘method’ Step 4 : Come to Group 4 day and carry out the investigation as a team.

Evaluation of Personal Skills: Evaluate yourself (student 1) and each of the other members of your group on each of the skills listed in the table below: Use the following evaluation scale: 0 = did not display the skill at all 1 = displayed the skill to some extent 2 = did all that could be expected in this respect

Keep in mind your Personal Skills: Accepted responsibility to contribute to team. Collaboration with others. Encouraged the contributions of others. Recognized the contributions of others. Showed self-motivation and perseverance. Good communication with others in the group. An ability to reflect upon your own performance.

Evaluation of Personal Skills: Please answer the following questions: What did you do well as a group? What problems did you encounter in working as a member of your group? What suggestions can you make for improving the functioning of a group in the future?