Using a Panel as an Authentic Audience

I tried something new with my AP Government Challenge Based Learning project this semester.  Instead of calling on them to take action to solve a political problem, I went for something more abstract.  I asked them to come up with a “health care solution” that would be presented to a “panel of experts” of their own choosing.  I had a very small class that was divided into two teams.   I’m using this post to work out my take-away from this portion of the project.  

Would I use the panel idea again?

Absolutely.  Both teams had extremely valuable experiences with their panels.  An engaging conversation was held on the topics.  Though the discussions did not always focus on the solutions offered by the groups all of the panelists brought information and experiences to bear that made us all co-learners about the subject.  In each case we all benefited from an hour or more of charged conversation.

In the end, who were the panelists?

I was disappointed that  the students did not recruit panelists from beyond their own personal comfort level.  All of the panelists ended up being parents and teachers.  They were pretty much treated with “kid gloves”, but I am guessing that less familiar guests would have had the same attitude.  Regardless, I’m not sure how clearly the students heard the flaws in their plans.  In one case the panel selected had somewhat squishy credentials for offering specific feedback on the medical/insurance areas of the solution.

How did an “authentic audience” effect the quality of the presentations?

In both cases, having a panel audience raised the bar.  The girls were well groomed, gracious hosts, and extremely professional in their presentations.  They chose excellent venues and provided refreshments.  They catered to their panels’ meeting needs by scheduling the presentations for a Thursday night and Sunday afternoon, respectively.

What would I do differently?

They very nature of the challenge-- reduce the cost of health care for a specific cohort was almost ridiculously daunting.  The students by and large did a good job informing themselves about issues.  But even with research, by the time they presented to their panels, they were rather fuzzy, consequently the panel almost had to help them clarify the discussion points.  I would have started with something more narrow in order to produce a more engaging discussion.  The students generally could not defend their positions because their solutions were general and relatively unexplored.

Now that I have sat in on two such panels, in retrospect I would provide more guidance to the groups for leveraging the experience.  One group provided an outline of the presentation, which was an excellent idea.  Perhaps setting some criteria for panel selection (or brainstorming criteria) would have been useful. 

One group reported being “taken aback by the negative feedback.”  Obviously, I had not prepped them to invite such feedback.  From my perspective any criticism was offered couched in great praise.  I think the students needed some guidance about the great value of constructive criticism.

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Flickr CC Photo by codepinkhq

Finding Authentic Audiences (PCG #11)

It was my intention that arecent professional development session would focus two topics: authentic audiences and assessment.  But a number of factors caused us to only consider the latter-- "Authentic Audiences."

Publishing the challenge solution to an audience beyond the classroom is a key element of CBL, because it "raises the bar" for students.  It's been an interesting concept to work through with teachers.  On the one hand, if they have coached a team or moderated an activity like MUN or the school play, an outside audience seems entirely natural.  But the majority of us usually leave performance in the classroom or publication on the teacher's desk.

During this past week's group sessions, I also provided my first tech tip with a price tag: 1Password.  Having  fallen into some very bad password habits,  I've quickly become hooked on 1Password to improve my security while keeping all kinds of data at my beck and call.  I've been using it to keep track of my passwords, generate new ones, store credit card information, and identity info for auto-filling forms.

I also used the most recent PCGs to expound on M-Hub-- a topic I have been gushing about recently in this space as well!  So I if you want an M-Hub update, just check out Knowledge Hubs Rock!

We have one more PCG this semester.  Hopefully,  we can begin to consider the important topic of assessment.  Here are the slide from "Authentic Audience":

Finding Authentic Audiences

Authentic Audiences

Lauren's Challenge Based Project group attracted over a thousand hits in the first days they went live. In a previous post I referred to it as a "web masterpiece". How did this happen? Well, they were a very bright group of young women to be sure, tight knit and motivated as well. But in this video, Lauren conveys something that was a constant theme across the CBL groups: They were highly motivated to create a medium for an authentic audience.

Unique, to Lauren's group was their determination to reach sub-audiences, as well. She describes a three tiered approach at the Democracy of Tomorrow site. (If you "google" , the name, it's the top hit). Watching this happen has changed my view on how to teach.