Buranakan in Grade 9: Deep Learning through Integrated Project Work
Inputs: Data collection, analysis
At the start of Term 2, students collect information about Thailand and its natural resources. Before knowledge and ideas can be shared with others, they must find reliable sources for a wide range of documents and collect information themselves, learning independently throughout the process, without being spoon-fed. From news articles to government publications and statistics of varying kinds, Teacher Mod guides students to see the importance of evaluating the reliability and trustworthiness of different sources, and to see the importance that they keep digging for more.
To learn to analyze and synthesize factual information (“inputs”), they create maps and labels of the earth and Thailand in their notebooks.
During the first few weeks of the term, students expand their knowledge of both natural resources and manmade constructions such as factories, canals, or river dams that influence the landscapes around Thailand. Background knowledge is needed to move with confidence into the next steps for developing their own inquiries about ecological sea/oceanic problems caused by humans, problems that need to be solved.
