Overview
The National Academies produce approximately 60-70 reports per year on key scientific and policy issues in the environment and the life sciences.
For selected reports, free 4-page briefs and other special products are developed to help communicate these important scientific issues to Congress and other audiences.
To use these briefs to explore science and policy in your classroom, just pick a topic area and download the classroom materials provided.
Classroom materials are a combination of:
- A report brief based on a National Research Council study
- A link to a searchable online version of the full report
- Comprehension Questions based on the report brief
- Beyond the Reading activities*
- Problem-Based Extensions*
*Note: Beyond the Reading and Problem-Based Extension sections will be posted on the web site once they have been classroom-tested. Contact us to volunteer to test classroom activities.
Comprehension Questions: The Comprehension Questions are designed to help students better understand the brief. The questions may be answered in class or as a homework assignment. Teachers also may choose to use some or all of the questions to help guide students' reading. The comprehension skill that each question addresses is noted in parentheses. There is also a possible answer given for each question.
Beyond the Reading: This section contains possible cross-curricular extension activities in the content areas of science, mathematics, literacy, and social studies. Beyond the Reading activities may be assigned instead of or in addition to the Comprehension Questions. They may be completed as individual or group activities, either in class or as home assignments. Teachers in other disciplines may also assign the extension activities as a multi-disciplinary approach to the brief. For example, students may read the brief and complete the comprehension questions and science extension activity in science class. In parallel, teachers of mathematics, English, and social studies may assign the appropriate Beyond the Reading activities within their own classes.
Problem-Based Extension: The third section of each teacher's guide is a problem-based learning activity related to the central issue of each brief. Problem-based learning activities work best when conducted in small groups over a long period of time, usually several weeks or even months. These activities may be assigned and completed during class time, or they may be assigned as long-term home assignments, with periodic class time allocated for teacher-assisted learning. Teachers may also wish to assign a different brief to each group and have each group present to the class its findings or "recommendations" on solving its problem.
How Problem-Based Learning Works [top]
The goal of problem-based learning is to provide students with a real-world problem for which they must determine the questions that need to be asked and the information that needs to be gathered in order to find a possible solution. Students should have little prior knowledge about the problem except the information in the related environmental brief.
In problem-based learning, the teacher acts as a mentor or guide, helping students formulate questions and hypotheses, and in thinking critically about where to find data and how the data does or does not support their hypotheses. The teacher should not provide specific questions, suggestions for resources, or solutions to problems. The activities are purely student-driven, and the teacher judges performance by how well students complete the steps in problem-based learning, as opposed to how well they respond to teacher-formulated questions. By allowing students to formulate their own solutions to problems, teachers give students ownership of their learning.
Steps in Problem-Based Learning
There are specific, established steps in problem-based learning. The steps are printed for students as a blackline master. The following is a guideline for teachers in conducting problem-based learning activities. It is taken from the Web site
Exploring the Environment, sponsored by NASA's Classroom of the Future Program and Wheeling Jesuit University. (
http://www.cotf.edu/ete/main.html copyright 1997-2004 by Wheeling Jesuit University/NASA-supported Classroom of the Future. All rights reserved.).
1. Present the problem statement. Introduce an "ill-structured" problem or scenario to students. They should not have enough prior knowledge to solve the problem. This simply means they will have to gather necessary information or learn new concepts, principles, or skills as they engage in the problem-solving process.
2. List what is known. Student groups list what they know about the scenario. This information is kept under the heading: "What do we know?" This may include data from the situation as well as information based on prior knowledge.
3. Develop a problem statement. A problem statement should come from the students' analysis of what they know. The problem statement will probably have to be refined as new information is discovered and brought to bear on the situation. Typical problem statements may be based on discrepant events, incongruities, anomalies, or stated needs of a client.
4. List what is needed. Presented with a problem, students will need to find information to fill in missing gaps. A second list is prepared under the heading: "What do we need to know?" These questions will guide searches that may take place on-line, in the library, and in other out-of-class searches.
5. List possible actions, recommendations, solutions, or hypotheses. Under the heading: "What should we do?" students list actions to be taken (e.g., questioning an expert), and formulate and test tentative hypotheses.
6. Present and support the solution. As part of closure, teachers may require students to communicate, orally and/or in writing, their findings and recommendations. The product should include the problem statement, questions, data gathered, analysis of data, and support for solutions or recommendations based on the data analysis.
(Steps adapted from Stephen, W., Gallagher, S. & Workman, D. (1993). Problem-Based learning for traditional and interdisciplinary classrooms. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 16 (4), pp. 338-35.)
Using Links: In the teacher's guide for each environmental brief, there are suggested links where teachers may find more information about the problem presented to students. Teachers should avoid, as much as possible, providing these links to students, so that students may take the initiative in finding information for themselves. Each problem-based extension activity also suggests the audience to whom the students should present their findings, such as a governmental body or a citizens' group.
More information: More information about problem-based learning in the classroom, including suggested readings and sample "scenarios," may be found at these Web sites:
1. Exploring the Environment: Teacher Pages-Problem-Based Learning, sponsored by Wheeling Jesuit University/NASA-supported Classroom of the Future initiative.
2.
Problem-Based Learning, sponsored by the University of Delaware.
3.
The Definition of Problem-Based Learning, sponsored by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
4. Problem-based Learning: An Introduction, an article featured on the Web site of The National Teaching & Learning Forum newsletter.
5.
Problem-Based Learning Network @ IMSA (Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy), sponsored by IMSA for connecting and assisting instructors using problem-based learning throughout the country.
6.
Problem-Based Learning at Samford University, sponsored by Samford University.
