The data
Most students claimed to enjoy science before the project even started. They claimed they enjoyed learning about scientific processes involved in everyday activities. After the project was complete, however, many students changed their minds and said that they never enjoyed science as much as they had originally thought.
At the beginning of the project, students were surveyed about their attitudes on science, math and learning. This survey was administered again at the end of the project. Overall, there were significant gains in certain areas, with other areas staying the same.
The survey consisted of 10 questions. The data collected at the beginning of the project remained consistent on 8 of the 10 questions. However, there were significant gains in two areas - one being students' willingness to choose activities/projects they know they will learn something from even though will require more work, and them working through a problem even when they find it hard.
At the beginning of the project, students were surveyed about their attitudes on science, math and learning. This survey was administered again at the end of the project. Overall, there were significant gains in certain areas, with other areas staying the same.
The survey consisted of 10 questions. The data collected at the beginning of the project remained consistent on 8 of the 10 questions. However, there were significant gains in two areas - one being students' willingness to choose activities/projects they know they will learn something from even though will require more work, and them working through a problem even when they find it hard.
September 2016 - Student Responses
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May 2017 - Student Responses
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'i want to know, but i don't want to learn'
Students were also asked at the beginning and end of the project to think about the following statement "I want to know, but I don't want to learn" and rate themselves on a scale of 1-10 on where they think they fell. This scale saw students use a 1 if they felt they take their time to learn something and they need to understand the content instead of just knowing an answer, to 10 where they felt they just want the answer and don't really care if they understood it.
At the beginning of the project, 60% of students felt there were many times they just wanted to know the answer and didn't want to take time to learn something new. At the end of the project, 10% of students felt they only wanted to know the answer, with 90% of students saying they want to learn something new and not just know the answer.
At the beginning of the project, 60% of students felt there were many times they just wanted to know the answer and didn't want to take time to learn something new. At the end of the project, 10% of students felt they only wanted to know the answer, with 90% of students saying they want to learn something new and not just know the answer.
overall:
Based on the data collected, student attitudes did shift towards a more positive attitude for learning. They became more open to trying new things, taking risks and not giving up when the going got tough. This was seen in other areas of the curriculum, as other teachers in other subjects reported a difference in student work and attitude. Student's communication and problem solving skills, as well as team building and conflict resolution skills were also improved. This was also seen across various curriculum areas.
The common sentiment among the students was that they enjoyed the fact that they got to learn about science without sitting in their seats to read from the book. Many students claimed that hands-on learning taught them how much they actually enjoyed learning these concepts. Many students said they loved planning the project but were shocked and thrilled when the discovered that we were going to build the actual castle and not just make a small model or wo draw it.