Frick Middle School's Proposal
Inquiry into International Issues
Frick's Eyes On the World
Submitted to
Common Knowledge : Pittsburgh
December 15, 1993
Inquiry into International Issues
A. SUMMARY
This project proposal is the result of a collaborative effort on
the part of administrators, teachers, and parents from Frick International
Studies Academy. We are a school long dedicated to the promotion of
global awareness, through a curriculum which is rich in the study of world
cultures and through a series of affiliations within the community which
put the students in contact with people in many walks of life from many
parts of the world. We propose to use computer networking technology to
enhance our existing international focus.
Our project is Inquiry into International Issues--the Triple-I
Project. Across disciplines and in contact with resources around the
world, students will investigate peoples� relationships (1) with the
earth, (2) with one another, and (3) among nations. Students will examine
human issues from an international and a historical perspective, they will
look at ecological issues with an eye to current events and worldwide
impacts, and they will investigate personal issues with the vision of
creating a better world community.
Initially, a team of 12 teachers will infuse the project into
their curricula. This team of teachers will engage an estimated 400
students in the networking experience.
In planning for the project�s implementation, arrangements will be
made for necessary classroom modifications, and ongoing training will
prepare the teachers to successfully get our students on line in September
of 1994.
Participants will keep logs of their network contacts and will
keep portfolios of the work generated by the Triple-I Project. At a
symposium to be held at the end of the year, our students will demonstrate
that they have become well-informed world- citizens, creative
problem-solvers, and responsible global caretakers and peacemakers.
B. PROBLEM STATEMENT
At Frick, we serve a population that is culturally diverse in many
senses of the term, since (1) we are an international studies magnet
school, (2) we are the only middle school center in the city to receive
all students from other countries who need to learn English as a Second
Language, and (3) both our location and our current partnerships with the
University of Pittsburgh, the Presbyterian University Hospital, the
Pittsburgh Council for International Visitors, the Pittsburgh Dance
Council, and the Society for Contemporary Crafts put us right in the heart
of the city�s academic and cultural milieu. Electronic networking will
tremendously facilitate the bringing together of the school with its
partners.
As an international studies academy, one of our primary goals is
to help students to become well-informed and contributing world- citizens.
This is elaborated upon in the mission and vision statements which have
come out of our Comprehensive Education Improvement Plan--a collaborative
commitment on the part of staff, students, and parents. (See Appendix B.)
It is incumbent upon us, therefore, to provide as much access as possible
to information about international issues and to generate high-level
critical thinking about matters of global concern. With conventional
means of information-gathering, we are limited in how truly international
the scope of our studies can be. Through the use of electronic
communication networking, that will change dramatically. The students
will work in an information- rich environment. The fact that the
information is coming directly to the students from first-hand sources
will raise the relevance of their learning to levels it has seldom been
able to reach before. Few things are more motivating than to know that
what we are learning is relevant to real life and to our own lives, in
particular. Hence, contacts made on the network will make international
studies come alive.
There has long been a desire on the part of our staff, and a
number of initiatives have been undertaken, to be interdisciplinary in the
planning and implementation of curriculum. Technology can greatly
expedite these endeavors by (1) putting more resources at the teachers�
disposal, (2) giving teachers more efficient ways to store and retrieve
information, and (3) making it easier to share ideas with teachers
elsewhere and to incorporate other teachers� ideas with their own. Thus,
the electronic network will help to eliminate teacher isolation.
Increased sharing among teachers will lead to greater linkage of materials
across disciplines, which will lead to a greater sense of relevance,
increased motivation, higher levels of enthusiasm, and increased
productivity.
We want our students to be proficient at accessing, creating,
communicating, and evaluating information, but we are not giving them
practice in doing these things the way they are done in the workplace
outside of school. They need hands-on experience with the technology
which is already an integral part of so many other aspects of daily
living. Given practice with the most up-to- date technology available,
our students will leave school much more ready to participate skillfully
and responsibly in the workplace and in society in general.
Success will be evaluated by ongoing feedback from the
participants-- administrators, teachers, students, and parents.
Questionnaires and check-off lists will reflect their perceptions of how
the Project is progressing. Students will keep logs and portfolios which
will be assessed at regular intervals. They will demonstrate their
knowledge, their problem-solving skills, and their sense of responsibility
as global citizens in a variety of public competitions and presentations,
including the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science, the Middle School
Science Fair, the Black History and Essay Contest, the Holocaust Art and
Essay Contest, Student Council Programs, Beta Club projects, dramatic
performances, and, each year during Pittsburgh Public Schools Week, a
culminating series of discussions, debates, and displays.
C. THE CURRICULUM PROJECT
The theme of our work is Inquiry into International
Issues--affectionately referred to as �the Triple-I Project� and �Frick�s
Eyes on the World.� We will use electronic networking to build upon the
many areas of our existing curriculum that are fertile ground for
international investigation. Specifically, these are the existing
activities and the anticipated activities proposed by the departments on
the design team.
The current curricula of the SCIENCE, MATH, and BUSINESS EDUCATION
departments deal, respectively, with air and water cycles and different
kinds of pollution, with data collection and graphing, and with the stock
market and factors that affect business. These three departments will
collaborate in investigating the effect of air pollution, water pollution,
and deforestation on daily living around the world. Using network
resources, they will collect, analyze, and summarize data, and they will
engage in dialogues about pollution and economics with students from other
countries. They will prepare exhibits and public debates about world
environmental concerns.
In the READING and LANGUAGE ARTS departments, the curriculum is
deliberately rich in international literature. Now, in addition to
reading the literary works and using traditional reference sources, the
students will seek first-hand accounts from people in the cultures that
are featured in those pieces of literature. For example, when students
read The Diary of Anne Frank, they will investigate World War II and the
Holocaust. When they read China Homecoming , they will inquire about
Chinese culture and history. When they read Sing Down the Moon, they will
research the culture, history, and present plight of the Navaho Indians.
When they read A Raisin in the Sun, they will research the life of Loraine
Hansberry and they will use network resources to learn about the Yoruba
speaking people of Africa. When they read To Sail with the Fleet, they
will investigate job opportunities in various parts of the world. When
studying myths, folktales, and poetry, students will exchange examples of
these genres with correspondents in other parts of the world.
There are highly motivated students who participate in writing
competitions and whose work therefore reaches an audience beyond the
school walls, but these students are few. Now, through the network, ALL
students can reach a wider audience.
In SOCIAL STUDIES, sixth graders presently engage in a project of
imaginary travel to foreign destinations. Using the network technology,
students will contact first-hand sources of information about their
destinations. They may feel encouraged to seek destinations that are off
the beaten path and to gather information that goes beyond that which is
routinely available.
Also in Social Studies, students analyze current events articles
from newspapers and magazines. Now their analyses will be enhanced by
points of view that were previously unavailable to them. Seventh and
eighth graders will generate a �News and Views� topic on a monthly basis.
Frick students and their foreign correspondents will exchange reactions to
given issues in the news. Using the CNN Classroom Guide, other news
databases, bulletin boards and discussion groups available on the network,
students will inquire about topics that can include, but are not limited
to: oppression, disarmament, women�s rights, world hunger, health care,
discrimination, international trade, and the role of the U.S. in the
world economy and in world politics.
Students of ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE are often asked to
describe life in their native countries. This happens in their language
practice, and beyond the E.S.L. classroom, it happens when they are asked
to share information and insights about their native cultures with
American students or with other groups in the community. While these
students could be a rich source of cultural information for their American
classmates, fluent communication can be difficult. Often, there are
things that they would like to tell about, but they lack either the facts
or the vocabulary. Once they can put out questions on the network-- in
English and/or their native language--they can draw on the expertise of
people elsewhere. There is a chance that they can get help with
translation, and they will have much more information at their disposal.
Having such meaningful material to work with, their linguistic skills can
skyrocket. No longer limited to simple questions, they can deal with
issues that truly impact on world peace. In many cases, these are
students who eventually return to their native countries. At the very
least, they will maintain correspondence with people there. They may well
become the brokers of understanding and peacemaking in the emerging
scenario of global interdependence.
In the area of FOODS and NUTRITION, students presently look at
government regulations and guidelines, and they investigate how these
impact daily living. Using network resources, students will investigate
government intervention and its impact on the health and welfare of people
in other parts of the world.
In HEALTH class, students address teen issues such as friendships,
relationships, peer pressure, drugs, alcohol, and teen sex. Through the
network, students will contact students in other cities, other states, and
other countries to identify common areas of concern and to discover
strategies for solving problems.
The investigations proposed by each of these eight departments are
predicated upon active interaction with the network. In addition, there
will be ongoing interaction among the members of the team and among their
classes. Beyond that, the community organizations with which we are
affiliated have commonly interacted with a limited number of people, but
once they are connected to us by electronic network, they can work with a
wider audience.
Students will collect and graph data, recognize trends, search for
parallels, and make summaries. They will write journal entries, letters,
articles, and reflective essays and reaction papers. They will make
inquiries and write reports and research papers.
There will be many opportunities for expansion. As proficiency
with the technology increases, there will be more reaching out across
disciplines and inquiries can go into greater depth. While in the
beginning of the Project the greatest emphasis will be put on the
gathering of information, as proficiency with acquisition increases, the
next focus will be on the production of articulate syntheses of gathered
information, for distribution to specific audiences on the network. In
addition, it is hoped that once the initial design team of teachers has
put the Triple-I Project effectively into action, the rest of the teachers
in the school will become active participants, as well.
In order to carry out this Project, the teachers will need
extensive training in the use of the technology, and they will need
helpful introduction to the scope and content of the resources available
on the network. In advance of the arrival of the mechanical components,
teachers will need written instructions and informative literature, as
well as training by the CK:P staff. They will need time to experiment, to
monitor and adjust the infusion of the Project into daily activities.
These things will happen in the Planning Process, as described later in
this proposal.
The network resources needed to carry out the Triple-I Project
consist of (1) access to electronic bulletin boards and discussion groups,
(2) access to data collections, including but not limited to those listed
in Appendix C, and (3) 15 network accounts.
It is expected that students and teachers will (1) think
critically, (2) communicate clearly, (3) act as responsible and involved
citizens, (4) practice lifelong behaviors of inquiry and problem-solving,
(5) become adaptive users of advanced technology, and (6) become concerned
stewards of the global environment.
Twice a month, there will be Design Team meetings, for discussion
and action planning. Feedback sheets and progress checklists will be
completed. Each semester, students, teachers, and parents will complete
attitudinal surveys. Each year, the culminating activity will be a week
of student seminars, discussions, debates, and displays.
Throughout the course of the project, teachers and students will
engage in the Portfolio-Assessment-Conversation (PAC) process, such as
they presently do in Science class. In this process, students formulate
clear questions, plan research, conduct systematic observations, interpret
and analyze data, and draw conclusions. They look for relationships, seek
to make sense of data, elaborate on a theme, make use of examples,
acknowledge alternative explanations, and aim for clarity, consistency,
and accuracy. They make regular journal entries, keep data packets, and
synthesize what they have learned. They converse about their portfolios
in small groups, large groups, and in the context of presentations.
D. THE PLANNING PROCESS
The planning process will consist of preparing teachers to know
how to use the technology, helping them to become acquainted with the
resources available, developing strategies for infusing electronic
research into the curriculum, and experimenting with alternative ways of
delivering instruction. The planning period will be managed by the
principal, dean, grade level ITL�s, and project coordinator. Teachers
will explore the network during biweekly planning sessions, in-service
days, after-school workshops, and formal summer training sessions. They
will brainstorm, practice accessing information and making individual
contacts on the network, and they will make plans for the directions they
want their students� investigations to take. The CK:P staff will be asked
to assist with staff training, to talk with students, teachers and
parents, to participate in actual projects and in the
information-gathering process when appropriate, and to give technical
assistance when needed.
E. IMPLEMENTATION SCENARIO
What will happen differently in the classroom as the result of
having this technology? Basically, the classroom must more closely
resemble the workplace for which we are preparing the students.
Technology will make it possible for the teacher to be re-placed,
repositioned in the instructional scheme. Students will be increasingly
self-directed. Instruction will move away from the didactic. The focus
will be on problem-solving and critical thinking, on the part of
individuals as well as teams of students. Students will be encouraged to
search for more than one answer. Individual learning styles can better be
addressed, and time frames within lessons will be more flexible. Students
will engage in collaborative research, they will divide tasks, share in
decision-making, predict outcomes, re-direct themselves in the face of
roadblocks, assess productivity, develop strategies, and take
responsibility. Teachers and students will exercise much more choice, as
they all become engaged in a dynamic learning process.
F. PERSONNEL
Members of the Design Team are listed in Appendix D. They are
noted for their commitment, professionalism, and resourcefulness. They
recognize the timeliness of getting involved in the Common Knowledge
movement, and they feel a sense of urgency to understand for themselves
the technology and its ramifications and to promote its use in the school
community. They have visited sites, listened to presentations, and read
about the network and its potential. They have spent much time preparing
plans for their parts of the project and they are very excited. They
realize that this is only the beginning of much more exploration to come.
Students and parents and community members will be added as the
planning process gets underway, and attempts will be made to locate groups
of college students who can work with our teachers and students and
receive credit for their work.
G. TECHNICAL ARCHITECTURE
We presently have some Tandy computers in school, but it is our
understanding that these are not suitable for connection to the network.
A request to purchase new computer equipment has been submitted as part of
the renovation which is underway at Frick. Appendix E is a list of the
equipment and software recommended by the Unit of School Support Services
for installation at Frick. This applies to the Principal�s office, the
secretary�s office, the library, and the teachers� work room.
With regard to what we need for the Triple-I Project, we feel it
is essential that teachers have computers in their own classrooms, so that
they can access information and practice using the technology at any time
at all. They do not want to be limited to scheduling a time to take
groups of students to a lab. Therefore, we want to have �clusters� of
computers in the rooms of each teacher on the Design Team. In each of 11
rooms, there should be 3 computers, one printer, and one modem and/or
whatever other equipment is necessary to make the Project functional. In
addition, we need 3 more computers to be added to the library. We will
need 1 LCD projection panel, attached to an overhead projector on a cart,
so that it can be moved from room to room, as needed. We will need one
scanner, to be located in the library.
We will need whatever equipment and wiring are necessary for all
of the computers in the 11 participating class rooms and all of the
computers in the library, the principal�s office and the teachers� work
room to be connected to the network. We will need 15 network accounts and
whatever equipment and wiring are necessary for the transmitting and
receiving of e-mail from any of the 12 locations. We will need to have the
11 participating classrooms wired in such a way that they can access the
CD-ROMs in the library.
APPENDIX A
SCHOOL PROFILE
School: Frick International Studies Academy
Address: 107 Thackeray Street
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213
Telephone Number : 622-5980
Fax: none
Principal: Ernestine A. Reed
Secretary: Marie Rossi
Custodian: Joe Dabecco
Physical Plant: 4 floors,
35 classrooms,
new Science/Math wing,
new music suite, new gym complex,
renovated teacher's room
Student Population: 177 students of French
157 students of German
219 students of Spanish
102 students of Japanese
50 students of English as a Second
Language
705 students, total
Staff: 48 individuals, approximately 70%
of whom have been at Frick 5 years or longer,
70% of whom have traveled
outside of the United States, with
student groups or for personal enrichment,
and 35% of whom know a foreign language
Teachers with e-mail addresses: none
APPENDIX B
COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT PLAN
MISSION STATEMENT
The staff, students, parents and community of Frick International
Studies Academy are committed to providing its diverse population with a
learning environment which emphasizes individual worth, academic
excellence, problem solving, and foreign language, as the core of
international and cultural studies, leading to responsible world
citizenship.
VISION STATEMENT
Frick International Studies Academy is committed to providing a
quality education within a safe and nurturing environment for its diverse
adolescent student population.
The students learn to function as effective problem solvers,
critical thinkers, and effective communicators in a multicultural,
economically interdependent world, and to value their role and that of
others as productive world citizens
The students learn to make connections within and across
disciplines. They excel in the study of foreign languages and develop an
appreciation of the common ties among cultures. They also have the
opportunity to develop their talents and express their creativity through
the arts and through sports.
To achieve these ends, the students, through the cooperative
efforts of teachers, family, counseling, and community, acquire the skills
that enable them to take responsibility for their choices.
APPENDIX C
PARTIAL LIST OF NETWORK RESOURCES
Bulletin Boards / Social Discussion Groups
Library of Congress
The Global Electronic Library
USA Data Bases
Weather
CNN newsroom classroom guide
AskERIC
Newton Educational BBS
The New Republic Magazine
National Review
Electronic Books
Newspapers, Magazines, and Newsletters
Reference Works
African GIF Images
US Government Today
AFRICA-N Africa News and Information Service
Geology, Oceanography, and Climatology
General Science Resources
CIA World Fact Book (most recent )
Libraries
United Press International
Pen Pages and Teacher Pages
APPENDIX D
MEMBERS OF THE DESIGN TEAM
Constance Bailey, Social Studies
Wanda Barnes, Science
Melanie Broujos, English
Patricia Dawson, Technology Education
Janet Falkowski, Mathematics
Patricia A. Gallagher, Dean
Alina Keebler, Parent Volunteer
Judith Leonardi, Technology Education
Sara Maruccio, English-as-a-Second Language *
Tim McKay, Reading
Marianne O�Connor, Mathematics
Gene Picciafoco, Physical Education
Ernestine A. Reed, Principal
Donald Roberts, Social Studies
Adrianne Sapir, Library
*Project Coordinator
Note: This proposal contains condensed versions of the
original complete curriculum designs proposed by the above teachers.
APPENDIX E
EQUIPMENT AND SOFTWARE THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO BE INSTALLED
BY SEPTEMBER, 1994,
AS PART OF THE CURRENT RENOVATION OF THE SCHOOL
Principal�s office
1 MS-DOS 486 laptop system, equipped with an internal modem.
1 SVGA Monitor
Secretary
1 MS-DOS 486 system, equipped with an internal modem
1 HP Laserjet 4 to be shared by the principal and her secretary
1 FAX machine
1 2 port Printer sharing device
Library
3 MS-DOS 486 multimedia systems. One system will include
an internal modem.
4 CD-ROM drives
1 HP Laserjet 4 printer
1 FAX machine
1 4 port Printer sharing device
Teachers' work room
2 MS-DOS 486 systems, equipped with an internal modem, and
a HP laserjet 4
Printer
1 2 port Printer sharing device
Software
7 Copies of MS-Works, an integrated software package with
wordprocessing, spreadsheet and charting, database applications
4 Copies of Mirror III, a telecommunications package to
allow access to the Internet
Access Pa. CD-ROMs and software
Various CD-ROM library reference packages