In a comprehensive high school there are many disciplines represented in the school's curriculum. This interdisciplinary project has been undertaken by teachers representing five areas: Physics, Social Studies, Business, Special Education, and French. Additionally, the library and the counseling department will provide supplemental resources. The area of investigation that we have chosen for our student project is the Peaceful Use of Nuclear Power in the Modern World. This topic lends itself to inve stigation in each discipline resulting in an understanding of the problem and its effects on all our lives.
CURRICULUM ACTIVITIES:
We are proposing to use the Internet to seek
information on our topic. It is our intention to bring this information
together in several forms to document our progress.
The physics component of the project will be to research the scientific aspects of using nuclear power. The Internet will be used to obtain data and to analyze statistically the benefits and problems inherent in this power. There are widely divergent opinions in the scientific community on the development of nuclear technology. Many new paths are continually being researched and studied. The ten Physics 2 students will analyze data and contact researchers who are currently working on these new possib ilities. Then they will compute, measure, and estimate with computer-generated data to develop and to solve theoretical and practical problems. They will then present to the group some considerations related to the practical and ethical implications ass ociated with the impact of this technology on current and future life. The project will help enhance the students' understanding of physics and its applications in real-life decisions.
Peabody has a special emphasis program in Geography and Life Sciences. This project will become a natural part of that curriculum based on the five fundamental themes of geography: 1. location, 2. place, 3. relationships within places, 4. movement and 5. regions. The project will be approached as a researched-based student/teacher problem for investigation. The Internet will be used by the twenty students involved to locate nuclear sites, determine physical and human characteristics of these plac es through e-mail communication with students in these locations, and investigate the interaction of these people with their environment. Thought will be given to the movement of people resulting from the creation of these sites, special environmental co nsiderations caused by the technologies, and comparison of various regions in the world with respect to their development of and adaption to the use of nuclear power.
The business component of our plan proposes to analyze the costs of nuclear power in comparison with other forms of power production. Pittsburgh is currently debating the excessive costs of Duquesne Light. We are told these costs result from building t he nuclear power plants in our state. The Internet will permit fifteen business students to seek information globally. Investigation of stock market information will broaden the students' understanding of the financial structure of the entire project. From the accumulated data and guest speakers, students' skills will be enriched and their job related practices will be more meaningful.
The eight to twelve Special Education students engaged in this project will be exploring the nuclear power problem in their Health class. The proposal for these students is that they use the Internet to explore the effects of nuclear power on the health of the people and communities where sites are currently located. In addition to health data, the students will begin a dialogue with other students across the country, addressing the effects of nuclear waste and the stress of nuclear accidents on the gen eral health of communities. The health curriculum stresses the individual's choice regarding his/her health and these students will learn how the human body is affected by such nuclear considerations. Involving Special Needs or Learning Support student s in this project will give them a better opportunity to compete in today's society and allow them to feel comfortable with the technology necessary for the world of work. Opening the Internet to them will enrich them personally as well as increase their vocational potential.
The French component will focus on the use of nuclear power in France. There is an abundance of material that can be obtained by the ten students in the third/fourth year French class directly from the government agencies. The most valuable material will come from an interactive correspondence between our students and French students who live in a city where nuclear power is used. Not only will there be shared information, but the dialogue could lead to more personal and open discussions of concerns abo ut their lives. The new core curriculum goals in foreign language all speak to the development of communication skills. Contacting a French - English class will permit each group to experience the difficulties and advantages of language acquisition. The use of the Internet to permit such exchange of information will provide a resource tool that cannot be duplicated.
The career counseling component will permit a group of eight to ten at risk students to explore careers that will result from the development of more extensive use of nuclear power in both our city and region. Using the Internet, students will gain inform ation about professions related to nuclear power. The students will explore the colleges and technical schools where training is available. Students need to be aware of the many possibilities that post secondary studies can provide, and the jobs that will be available in the year 2000 and beyond.
In conjunction with the subject area teachers, the library will serve as a collection site for all the work done and as a meeting place for the exchange of ideas. The library site will permit access to the Internet at times when class sites are unavailab le. In addition, the librarian will make the equipment accessible to students who are not formally part of the research project. The training that she receives will have a wide reach within the school community. The librarian will also facilitate acces s to books, non-book materials, and CD-ROM products that will provide background information. The librarian will serve as the site manager and the entire program will be coordinated through the library.
The library will also serve as the site for the Telecommunications Project funded through Three Rivers Employment. The use of interactive video/audio with the e-mail contacts established by the students allows for an added project dimension. For instance, if our students in Mrs. Drago's Geography Life Science class con tact a class near a nuclear site that has access to interactive communications, not only could they "discuss" via e-mail but also face-to-face. Since Westinghouse High School is both a t eleconferencing site and a CK:P site, our students can practice their e-mail skills then "talk" with students they may already know. For both sites, the ability to meet via teleconferencing will have the by-product of reducing neighborhood tensions. The n, video/audio practice with students from either Gateway or East Allegheny school districts will further ease their comfort level with this medium.
The Internet Project will encompass a great many of the district's curriculum standards.(See Appendix C.) First it will address all ten of the communications standards. It will support the eleven citizenship goals. The Special Education component will
bring in two of the Wellness and Fitness Goals. Science and Technology will meet all nine goals by the very nature of the computer technology involved. The Peaceful Use of Nuclear Power in the Modern World addresses the five Environmental and Ecologic
al concerns. The counseling component will address four of the Career
Education and Work Standards. Thus the project will satisfy the majority
of the Core Curriculum goals.
INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES:
Our plan is to involve many students at
Peabody High School - ranging from Learning Support, At-Risk, Mainstream, Scholars, and Gifted Students. Research and pursuit of specific curricular goals will be carried out at the comp
uters in the various classrooms. Each teacher will adapt her strategies to encourage collaborative learning experiences to take place. Using the Internet as an educational classroom resource, both students and teachers will define and search for the spe
cific information required. The World Wide Web will force students to process large amounts of information and extract the exact nugget needed to meet their assignment. However, before we can initiate this process, minimal computer training is a must.
Students and teachers will undergo formal and informal hands-on computer training. The project will then be the means to an end. Students and teachers will generate an individual manual of operation for their specific needs on the computer. Each area
of instruction will view the topic of the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Power
in the Modern World by using the Internet to gather information, contact
people, and ultimately develop a resource bank for our Web Page. This
sharing of gathered information among the participants will take place
monthly.
ASSESSMENT PLAN:
The evaluation of the project will produce the
following materials: Individual Journals, Tutorial Manuals, and within a four year period a Web Page. The Individual Journals will encompass the data, thoughts, feelings, successes, failur
es, and pitfalls of each participant. The Tutorial Manuals will be refined by the students themselves and used by students not formally involved in the project. In producing these texts this exercise becomes an interdisciplinary activity across the curr
iculum. In order to publish their material the students must learn proper grammar skills, keyboarding skills, and critical thinking skills. They will also learn the computer technology necessary to perform the task. All materials will become resource g
uides for teachers and students in Peabody High School. Once the Web
Page is developed, these tutorials can become an integral part of the Web
Site and thus available globally.
The members of the school team will be as follows:
Lillian Carpenter: Counselor, Sarah Crable: Business Teacher, Cathy Drago: Social Studies Teacher, Linda Grass: Special Education Teacher, Patrick Hefflin: Science Teacher, E. Jean Price: French Teacher, and Mary Anne Singer: Librarian.
MANAGEMENT:
It is our intention to install at least two computers in
each classroom involved in the project. The remaining computers will be installed in the Library for use not only by project participants but other Peabody students as well. Our month
ly meetings will assure that each teacher is meeting the project aims.
At least one printer and one scanner will be based in the Library for
project and Peabody community use.
Mary Anne Singer has accepted the role of site manager. This makes the most sense since she will be in the central library location, and will be better able to handle immediate needs. Jean Price and Linda Grass will serve as the co-managers. Responsib ility adjustments will be made as the project progresses.
COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN:
Peabody's CEIP Plan has
three objectives that will be supported by this project. Our major objective is to increase the over-all achievement of our students. To accomplish this we will focus on mentoring. Thi
s project will draw students and open a new avenue of student-teacher interaction.
Peabody has been in the vanguard in the development of school-to-work initiatives, and we are all very much aware that improving communication skills is a major key to surviving in the next century. Use of the Internet will prove to be invaluable to our
students and staff, no matter what they are planning as we move to a
school to career program. This school to work goal is also one which is
featured in our CEIP plan.
Another of our CEIP objectives is to maintain the involvement of the stakeholders in the school. Our staff and students will e-mail practice in order to build confidence using the Internet. Contacting community stakeholders will improve communications skills. Asking business people to speak about various aspects of Nuclear Power will provide one-on-one contact for our learners. For further details of Peabody's CEIP Plan see Appendix B.
REPRESENTED POPULATIONS:
Peabody High School is 68% African-American,
31% Euro-Centric, and the remaining 1% is either Asian and/or Hispanic. Out of the 68% African-American students, only 38% reside with both parents. This compares to 70% of the Euro-
Centric population who live with both parents. Therefore, almost half of our African-American population resides in single parent homes. More than 67% of our African-American population and 40% of the Euro-Centric population are eligible for Free or Red
uced lunches. Only 62% of the enrolled students remain for the entire school year; 51% transfer in or out. Over half of our population leaves and returns at various times during the school year. African-American students attend Peabody 75% of the time
while Euro-Centric students attend 82% of the time. Interestingly the cumulative drop-out rate for both groups is 21%; +1% for African-Americans, -1% for Euro-Centric. For further statistical information see Appendix D. As these statistics indicate our
students are at-risk and need as much support as we can provide. Computers and other technologies are not available in their homes. Any exposure to the world of work technology must come from the school. It is incumbent upon the school to provide a sol
id base for these students who have so little and are so transient.
Our project will instill a solid foundation of competency and self-esteem for our population. Because the teachers will also be students, they will model for their classes what it takes to be a successful student. The project participants will produce a final project that will mean something to them, not just an assignment to be turned in for a grade. They will learn that they control their own education in this format.
CONTINUITY:
Fulton Academy has been using the same resources we will
use. The two programs will interact with each other on several levels. When our project begins, our students can e-mail to Fulton students asking for suggestions and guidance in basic
computer skills. Our students will be able to share their gathered information with Fulton students as our participants find their own computer competencies. Because of the close proximity of the two sites, Fulton students will be able to visit and mee
t their e-mail contacts. Peer tutoring will become a by product of this
project. We will also encourage our feeder Middle Schools to develop a
linkage type program so that continuity is not lost.
The stability and commitment of the teacher participants will also assure continuity. The staff will be here to continually up-date and to recruit new students to these technological concepts.