Group items tagged

So imagine a teacher who finishes grading some papers, puts the children to bed, and at 9:30 p.m. logs on to an online module to learn new practices for differentiating instruction for his or her English-language-learner students. That scene is swiftly becoming a reality, as more and more teachers tune out the distractions, turn on their PCs, and log on to Web-based training programs at times that suit their own schedules.

What is a “rich task”? A rich task involves both process and product, following an inquiry-based model of learning. Students learn large amounts of new content, develop important skills and develop in interdisciplinary learning. This includes personal-management, interpersonal development, communication, ICT and particularly in thinking. Usually a “rich task” might be classified as a term’s worth of learning under the guise of “integrated studies”, but a rich task could be equally as applicable in literacy and mathematics programs (or indeed any other area of learning). Here are some key areas that I think people need to consider when aiming to plan rich tasks: