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Problem Solving |
Apply problem solving strategies in purposeful ways, both in situations where the problem and desirable solutions are clearly evident and in situations requiring a creative approach to achieve an outcome.
The student conducts projects involving at least two of the following kinds of problem solving each year and, over the course of high school, conducts projects involving all three kinds of problem solving.
| • | Design a Product, Service, or System: Identify needs that could be met by new products, services, or systems; and create solutions for meeting them. |
| • | Improve a System: Develop an understanding of the way systems of people, machines, and processes work; troubleshoot problems in their operation; and devise strategies for improving their effectiveness. |
| • | Plan and Organize an Event or Activity: Take responsibility for all aspects of planning and organizing an event or activity from concept to completion, making good use of the resources of people, time, money, and materials and facilities. |
Each project should involve subject matter related to the standards for English Language Arts, and/or Mathematics, and/or Science, and/or other appropriate subject content.
Design a Product, Service, or System
a
The student designs and creates a product,
service, or system to meet an identified need; that is, the student:
| • | develops a design proposal that: |
| – shows how the ideas for the design were developed; – reflects awareness of similar work done by others and of relevant design standards and regulations; – justifies the choices made in finalizing the design with reference, for example, to functional, aesthetic, social, economic,  and
environmental considerations;– establishes criteria for evaluating the product, service, or system; – uses appropriate conventions to represent the design; |
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| • | plans and implements the steps needed to create the product, service, or system; |
| • | makes adjustments as needed to conform with specified standards or regulations regarding quality or safety; |
| • | evaluates the product, service, or system in terms of the criteria established in the design proposal, and with reference to: |
| – information gathered from sources
such as impact studies, product testing, or market research; – comparisons with similar work done by others. |
Examples of designing a product, service, or system include:
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Design software for managing portfolio work. 2b, 4a |
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Design an electricity-powered vehicle to enter in a competition. 2a, 5a |
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Design a plan for development of a park recreation area. 2a, 2c, 5a, 5b |
| Design and build a staircase. | |
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Design a market research service, providing advice on best-value products. 3b, 5b |
| Design a business plan for publication of a magazine. | |
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Design and build a cantilevered wooden deck. 2a |
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Design a tourist guide for the local area. 2c, 3b, 5c |
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Design a tutoring program in desktop publishing. 3b, 5b |
Improve a System
b
The student troubleshoots problems in the operation
of a system in need of repair or devises and tests ways of improving the
effectiveness of a system in operation; that is, the student:
| • | explains the structure of the system in terms of its: |
| – logic, sequences, and control; – operating principles, that is, the mathematical, scientific, and/or organizational principles underlying the system; |
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| • | analyzes the way the system works, taking account of its functional, aesthetic, social, environmental, and commercial requirements, as appropriate, and using a relevant kind of modeling or systems analysis; |
| • | evaluates the operation of the system, using qualitative methods and/or quantitative measurements of performance; |
| • | develops and tests strategies to put the system back in operation and/or optimize its performance; |
| • | evaluates the effectiveness of the strategies for improving the system and supports the evaluation with evidence. |
Examples of troubleshooting problems in the operation of a system or improving the effectiveness of a system in operation include:
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Troubleshoot and repair faults in the operation of an automobile, tractor, or computer based communications system. |
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Customize applications software for financial management to better suit a specific use. 2b, 4a, 5c |
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Improve the system of waste management in a community access area. 2c |
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Improve the yield of a farm or garden plot. 2a, 3a, S2b |
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Improve the system for emergency evacuation of the school. 2a, 2b, 5c |
Plan and Organize an Event or an Activity
c
The student plans and organizes an event or an activity; that
is, the student:
| • | develops a planning schedule that: |
| – is sensible in terms of the goals of the event or activity; | |
| – is logical and achievable; | |
| – reflects research into relevant precedents and regulations; | |
| – takes account of all relevant factors; | |
| – communicates clearly so that a peer or colleague could use it; | |
| • | implements and adjusts the planning schedule in ways that: |
| – make efficient use of time, money, people, resources, facilities; | |
| – reflect established priorities; | |
| – respond effectively to unforeseen circumstances; | |
| • | evaluates the success of the event or activity using qualitative and/or quantitative methods; |
| • | makes recommendations for planning and organizing subsequent similar events or activities. |
Examples of planning and organizing an event or an activity include:
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Organize a public exhibition of student artwork. 4a |
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Organize a weekend volunteer cleanup of a neighborhood. 3a |
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Arrange a series of career information seminars. 5a |
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Organize a community festival to promote local businesses. |
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Organize a team sports tournament. |
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Organize a schedule for practices and events at the school gymnasium and swimming pool, taking account of home and away games, junior varsity and varsity, and boys’ and girls’ teams. |
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Communication Tools and Techniques |
Communicate information and ideas in ways that are appropriate to the purpose and audience through spoken, written, and graphic means of expression.
a
The student makes an oral presentation of project plans or findings
to an audience with expertise in the relevant subject matter; that is,
the student:
| • | organizes the presentation in a logical way appropriate to its purpose; |
| • | adjusts the style of presentation to suit its purpose and audience; |
| • | speaks clearly and presents confidently; |
| • | responds appropriately to questions from the audience; |
| • | evaluates the effectiveness of the presentation and identifies appropriate revisions for a future presentation. |
Examples of oral presentations include:
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A presentation of designs for a building or cantilevered wooden deck to an audience including an architect and civil engineer; or designs for a vehicle to an audience including a person with expertise in electronics. 1a, 5a |
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A presentation of proposals for design of a recreation area to the local parks authority. 1a, 2c, 5a, 5b |
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A presentation of findings of research into the system for emergency evacuation of the school to a panel including representatives of the police and fire departments. 1b, 2b, 5c |
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A presentation of a report on improving the yield of a farm or garden plot at an agricultural field day or horticultural show. 1b, 3a |
b
The student prepares a formal written
proposal or report to an organization beyond the school; that is, the
student:
| • | organizes the information in the proposal or report in a logical way appropriate to its purpose; |
| • | produces the proposal or report in a format similar to that used in professionally produced documents for a similar purpose and audience. |
Examples of written proposals and reports include:
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A proposal to a software design company for marketing software. 1a, 4a |
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A submission to a community organization in response to its request for a proposal to develop customized financial management software. 1b, 4a, 5c |
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A briefing for the school board on results of the investigation of the system for emergency evacuation of the school. 1b, 2a, 5c |
c
The student develops a multi-media
presentation, combining text, images, and/or sound; that is, the student:
| • | selects an appropriate medium for each element of the presentation; |
| • | uses the selected media skillfully, including editing and monitoring for quality; |
| • | achieves coherence in the presentation as a whole; |
| • | communicates the information effectively, testing audience response and revising the presentation accordingly. |
Examples of multi-media presentations include:
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A presentation of proposals for design of a recreation area, combining video, graphics, and text. 1a, 2a, 5a, 5b |
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An oral presentation incorporating electronically produced graphics and videotape to explain proposals for improving waste management. 1b |
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A videotaped guide to tourist attractions in the area, combining music, still and moving images, and text. 1a, 3a, 3b, 5c |
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Information Tools and Techniques |
Use information gathering techniques, analyze and evaluate information, and use information technology to assist in collecting, analyzing, organizing, and presenting information.
a
The student gathers information to assist in completing project
work; that is, the student:
| • | identifies potential sources of information to assist in completing the project; |
| • | uses appropriate techniques to collect the information, e.g., considers sampling issues in conducting a survey; |
| • | interprets and analyzes the information; |
| • | evaluates the information in terms of completeness, relevance, and validity; |
| • | shows evidence of research in the completed project. |
Examples of gathering information to assist in completing project work include:
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Research information about soil types and their impact on productivity to assist in a project to improve the yield of a farm or garden plot. 1b, 2a |
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Research local public safety regulations to assist in organizing a weekend volunteer cleanup of a neighborhood. 1c |
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Research the history of local landmarks to assist in preparing a tourist guide for the local area. 1a, 2c, 3b, 5c |
b
The student uses on-line sources to exchange information
for specific purposes; that is, the student:
| • | uses E-mail to correspond with peers and specialists in the subject matter of their projects; |
| • | incorporates into E-mail correspondence data of different file types and applications. |
c
The student uses word-processing software to produce a multi-page
document; that is, the student:
| • | uses features of the software to create and edit the document; |
| • | uses features of the software to format the document, including a table of contents, index, tabular columns, charts, and graphics; |
| • | uses features of the software to create templates and style sheets for the document. |
Examples of using word-processing software to produce a document include
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Produce the proposal to the local parks authority for design of a recreation area. 1a, 2a, 5a |
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Produce a proposal to a software design company for marketing software. 1a, 2b, 4a |
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Produce submission to a community organization in response to a request for a proposal to develop customized financial management software. 1b, 2b, 3e, 4a, 5c |
d
The student writes, adds content to, and analyzes a
data base program that uses a relational data base; that is, the student:
| • | writes a program capable of handling data with at least two files; |
| • | creates macros to facilitate data entry, analysis, and manipulation; |
| • | creates multiple report formats that include summary information; |
| • | merges data from the data base with other files. |
Examples of creating a data base include:
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Create a data base of volunteers for the weekend cleanup of a neighborhood. 1c, 3a |
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Create a data base of participants in a team sports tournament. 1c |
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Create a data base of works to be exhibited in a public exhibition of student artwork. 1c, 4a |
e
The student creates, edits, and analyzes a spreadsheet of information
that displays data in tabular, numeric format and includes multiple graphs;
that is, the student:
| • | creates a spreadsheet that displays the use of formulas and functions; |
| • | uses features of the software to sort, arrange, display, and extract data for specific purposes; |
| • | uses features of the software to create multiple spreadsheets and to synthesize the spreadsheets into a single presentation. |
Examples of creating a spreadsheet include
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Create a spreadsheet to record and analyze data related to the performance of a vehicle designed to enter in a competition. 1a, 2a, 5a |
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Create a spreadsheet as part of customizing applications software for financial management. 1b, 2b, 3c, 4a, 5c |
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Create a spreadsheet to record and analyze data related to improving the productivity of a farm or garden plot. 1b, 2a |
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Learning and Self-management Tools and Techniques |
Manage and direct one’s own learning.
a
The student learns from models; that
is, the student:
| • | consults with and observes other students and adults at work and analyzes their roles to determine the critical demands, such as demands for knowledge and skills, judgment and decision making; |
| • | identifies models for the results of project work, such as professionally produced publications, and analyzes their qualities; |
| • | uses what he or she learns from models in planning and conducting project activities. |
Examples of learning from models include:
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Shadow a software designer at work. 1a, 2b |
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Undertake volunteer work in a community organization and assist in the management of financial records. 1b, 2b, 5c |
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Gain work experience in a museum and study the work of a curator in mounting an exhibition. 1c |
b
The student reviews his or her own progress in completing work
activities and adjusts priorities as needed to meet deadlines; that is,
the student:
| • | develops and maintains work schedules that reflect consideration of priorities; |
| • | manages time; |
| • | monitors progress towards meeting deadlines and adjusts priorities as necessary. |
Examples of using tools and techniques for reviewing one’s own progress include:
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Maintain project log books. |
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Use project management software. |
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Develop flow charts for determining the sequence in which tasks need to be tackled. |
c
The student evaluates his or her performance; that is, the
student:
| • | establishes expectations for his or her own achievement; |
| • | critiques his or her work in light of the established expectations; |
| • | seeks and responds to advice and criticism from others. |
Examples of using tools for evaluating one’s own performance include:
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Have a friend videotape an oral performance to allow for review. |
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Ask a professional in the relevant field to review a draft design. |
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Ask a friend to review a draft report. |
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Tools and Techniques for Working With Others |
Work with others to achieve a shared goal, help other people to learn on-the-job, and respond effectively to the needs of a client.
a
The student participates in the establishment and operation
of self-directed work teams; that is, the student:
| • | defines roles and shares responsibilities among team members; |
| • | sets objectives and time frames for the work to be completed; |
| • | establishes processes for group decision making; |
| • | reviews progress and makes adjustments as required. |
Examples of working in teams include:
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Work in a team to design and build a vehicle to enter in a competition. 1a, 2a |
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Work in a team to design a recreational area. 1a, 2a, 2c, 5b |
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Work in a team to organize a series of seminars on careers. 1c |
b
The student plans and carries out a strategy for including
at least one new member in a work program; that is, the student:
| • | plans and conducts an initial activity to introduce the new member to the work program; |
| • | devises ways of providing continuing on-the-job support and advice; |
| • | monitors the new member’s progress in joining the program, and revises the kinds and ways of providing support and advice accordingly; |
| • | reviews the success of the overall strategy. |
Examples of including new members in a work program include:
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Respond to growth in demand for a market research service by including a partner in the enterprise. 1a, 3b |
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Provide training to other students on how to develop and conduct a tutoring program, based on experience in devising and running a tutoring program on desktop publishing. 1a, 3b |
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Include a student new to the school in an ongoing project, such as a project to design a proposal for use of a park recreation area. 1a, 2a, 2c, 5a |
c
The student completes a task in response to a commission from
a client; that is, the student:
| • | negotiates with the client to arrive at a plan for meeting the client’s needs that is acceptable to the client, achievable within available resources, and includes agreed-upon criteria for successful completion; |
| • | monitors client satisfaction with the work in progress and makes adjustments accordingly; |
| • | evaluates the result in terms of the negotiated plan and the client’s evaluation of the result. |
Examples of responding to a commission from a client include:
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Produce a tourist guide to the local area at the request of the local tourist authority. 1a, 2c, 3a, 3b |
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Customize applications software for financial management at the request of a community organization. 1b, 2b, 4a |
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Conduct an investigation of procedures for emergency evacuation of the school in response to a request from the school board. 1b, 2a, 2b |