Pathway to College – 8361

TIPC Ratings

Students began the lesson brainstorming about the most important steps when applying to a 4-year college or university. They used a collaborative class Padlet to add ideas – http://padlet.com/wall/hpgi4cp0ap From the Padlet, the students used the ideas to formulate questions and help guide their research.

The goal for the project was for students to determine the mathematical critical path and least amount of time it would take to apply for college. Given only a limited amount of information from the Director of School Counseling, students had to determine steps that needed to be taken; such as registering for the SAT, taking the SAT, having transcripts sent to the college, completing an application, applying for financial aid, etc. Some tasks had to be completed before others and some tasks had specific timelines and/or deadlines for completion.

The students discovered many .edu sites on their own. They also contacted college admission offices to research current information and include this in their presentations. The students used both web-based and print resources. Some students also met with School Counselors with follow up questions. A variety of research methods were used including digital communication, face-to-face conversations, and phone calls.

After students gathered all of the information about their college, they had to organize it in such a way to create an digraph using another digital tool and determine the critical path. The teacher gave minimal instruction on the new program. The students had to explore Lucid Chart on their own to learn how to create a shape, line, add an image, add a link, change colors, etc.

The students began the lesson by using Padlet to brainstorm ideas, this was a digital form of communication and whole class collaboration. Then students then chose their own partner and began to review various colleges, so they could chose one that they would like to focus on. This was an authentic task as students were currently either applying for college or about to apply. As partners, they organized the tasks that needed to be completed amongst themselves.

Then the students logged into their new Google Drive accounts and installed a Chrome App called Lucid Chart. The students explored the program, and orally shared out with the class what they had learned. Based on their research, students created a digraph in Lucid Chart and this was shared with the teacher and their partner within Google Drive. The pairs collaboratively worked on the digraph in and out of class.

The students then determined the critical path and wrote a written explanation justifying their calculations. Then the digraphs were presented to the class. During the presentation, observing students completed a Peer Evaluation Form – (Student Responses to Peer Evaluation Form).

Near the end of the project, students also completed a Personal Reflection Form – (Student Responses to Personal Reflection Form). Two classes participated in this project. Therefore, some pairs chose the same college as another pair. After evaluating each critical path, students voted on which digraph for each college should be shared with the School Counseling Department. Then the best ones were added to the School Counseling website, so other students in the community could benefit from the student’s work.

The Discrete Mathematics class is comprised of mainly Junior and Senior students who have either recently applied or will soon apply for college. This project was authentic, interesting, engaging, and relevant to their futures.

At the start of the project, the teacher shared a Rubric with the students. The rubric contains two major categories, the digraph and the mathematics content. The teacher also previously modeled the mathematical solving of a critical path, using a textbook example.

Students began the lesson brainstorming about the most important steps when applying to a 4-year college or university. They had to generate their own questions about what information they would need to research. Students had to determine: steps that needed to be taken before applying, which tasks need to be completed before others, and which tasks have specific timelines and/or deadlines for completion.

Students used several digital tools such as Padlet, Google Drive, Lucid Chart, Google Forms, as well as websites for internet research. The students were independent learners by contacting college admission offices, school counselors, and learning several new programs on their own.

From their digraph, the students determined the mathematical critical path and wrote a written explanation justifying their calculations. While working within the Lucid Chart program, students discovered that the free version only allowed for a limited number of icons and information. Therefore, they had to be selective and concise with the information they included.

At the end of the project, students also completed a Personal Reflection Form. Two classes participated in this project. Therefore, some pairs chose the same college as another pair. After evaluating each critical path, students voted on which digraph for each college should be shared with the School Counseling Department. This lesson reached the highest level of Bloom’s.

The class is comprised of mainly Junior and Senior students who have either recently applied or will soon apply for college. The students had to synthesize existing knowledge with current research findings. They had to create an innovative digraph based on the real world process of applying for college. The students created a new solution to the college application process, which has never been visually displayed in the critical path form before. The students evaluated peers work and reflected on the learning process.

The best projects were added to the School Counseling website, so other students in the community could benefit from the student’s work.

Junior’s – http://teachers.henrico.k12.va.us/tucker/guidance/Juniors.html
Seniors – http://teachers.henrico.k12.va.us/tucker/guidance/seniors-2.html