Rich Task - Study of eminence

Students will show that they are able to undertake a research project on an eminent individual they choose and admire. They access as many different resources as possible to construct and record an appreciation of the steps to eminence, how he or she identified their own gifts, and responded to education, opportunity, mentoring and luck in their pathway to success. They set up an explanatory display on the eponymous Night to report their research, and engage visitors in open-ended conversation about the Notable.

 

Night of the Notables™ is a Rich Task:

New Basics	Students develop knowledge and skills about:
Life pathways and social futures: "Who am I and where am I going?"	Various definitions of success in life Ways in which individuals respond productively to learning and life environments The importance of activating my own gifts and talents for self and humanity· Clear delineation of false perceptions and destinations of eminence.
Multi-literacies, numeracy and communication data: "How do I make sense of and communicate with the world?"	Skills in synthesising data of various kinds (pictorial, text, numerical, anecdotal, etc.)· Sifting biographical data to reveal the inner personality (motivation, aspiration, courage, dealing with failure) Dealing with any conflicting points of view on the worth of a Notable's public achievements· Rich understandings about role modelling and stereotypical definitions of 'success'
Active citizenship: "What are my rights and responsibilities in communities?"	Societal expectations as opposed to self-chosen personal ones· Importance of service in the cause of humanity Enhanced appreciation of the roles of persistence and belief in self in leading a 'successful' life
Environments and technology: "How do I describe, analyse and shape the world around me?"	Effects of different cultural environments on the progress of the individual Role that media and technology can play in assisting or hampering individuals to attain eminence. Use of technology to communicate assimilated and personally relevant research data in formats accessible to casual visitors on the evening.

© G. Smith 2000

 

Night of the Notables™ exemplifies as a 'Rich Task' because it:

* connects naturally with what has been taught	• recognises prior and anticipates future experience
* addresses a range of outcomes in the one task	••• coalesces in a synthesis of learnings
* is time efficient and manageable	• parameters set locally
* allows all students to make a start	••• whole cohort celebration of excellence
* engages the learner	••• as no other program does
* can be successfully undertaken using a range of methods or approaches	•• Yes!
* provides a measure of choice or "openness"	• • • what it is all about- choice and challenge
* encourages students to disclose their own understanding of what they have learned	••• interim and summative integrations of learnings
* allows students to show connections they are able to make between the concepts they have learned	• • More than show and tell - application's essential
* provides worthwhile activities for students' learning	• • all tasks prepare for the Night
* draws the attention of teachers and students to important aspects of the theme	• • • clear and accessible theme
* helps teacher to decide what specific help students may require in the relevant content areas	•• teacher scaffolding encouraged; sure means of identification

Reference : http://www.det.nsw.edu.au/newhsc/rich2.htm

 

See also Night of the Notables meets standard criteria

Night of the Notables as a Productive Pedagogy

 

 

Night of the Notables is . . .

inclusive	engaging	enabling
whole peer cohort	interesting in itself	written and oral communication skills
multiple intelligences	student-driven study	demanding research skills
various learning styles	achievement focus	self-monitoring skills
home, school and community personnel	relevant to life issues	lifelong skill enhancements
peer and sibling relationships	vocational vector	'technology relevant' skills
celebrates both living and local role models	heightens self-esteem	synthesis, evaluation processes
not a gender-specific theme	both parents and their gifted child	in situ gifted identification

© G. Smith 2000

 

PROCESS STEPS:

Content	Process	Related Subject Area
Defining 'notable' characteristics/ understanding eminence	as subject appropriate	Religious education
Deciding on and researching the Notable	as subject appropriate	SOSE
Report of Research	as subject appropriate	English Language Arts
Oral presentation	as subject appropriate	Drama, Life Skills
Writing open-ended questions	as subject appropriate	Philosophy class
The Presentation Night	as subject appropriate	Art, Information Technology

See also Challenging gifted in Night of the Notables

 

How Night of the Notables meets The 7 Key Competencies

(Queensland Education Framework)

 

KC1: Collecting analyzing and organizing information

The capacity to locate information sift and sort information in order to select what is required, and present it in a useful way, and evaluate both the information itself and sources and methods used to obtain it.

 

Students in Notables engage in extensive research on their eminent person, seeking, sifting and evaluating information they can obtain for its usefulness in constructing a dramatic presentation of the person and for writing a report or a biography.

 

KC2: Communicating ideas and information

The capacity to communicate effectively with others using a range of spoken, written, graphic and other non-verbal means of expression.

 

Students in Notables engage their class mates, their parents and their visitors on the Night itself in open conversations, by presenting  their written reports and by devising and explaining their learning centre display using timelines, graphic displays and pictures.

 

KC3: Planning and organizing activities

The capacity to plan and organize oneís own work activities, including making good use of time and resources, sorting out priorities and monitoring oneís own performance.

 

Students in Notables devise a timeline for research, composition, organizing and  presentation activities both in preparation for and on the eponymous Night itself. They would also  engage in review processes after the Night

.

KC4: Working with others and in teams

The capacity to interact effectively with other people both on a one-to-one basis and in groups, including understanding and responding to the needs of a client and working effectively as a member of a team to achieve a shared goal.

 

Some students work in teams of two (Laurel and Hardy) or three (royal families) in Night of the Notables. Students in Notables almost always work  in tandem with their class in a school, and present their eminent persons with class mates in coordination with the school.

 

KC5: Using mathematical ideas and techniques

The capacity to use mathematical ideas, such as number and space, and techniques, such as estimation and approximation, for practical purposes.

 

This Key Competency may not be stressed in this program as much as in others.

 

KC6: Solving problems

The capacity to apply problem-solving strategies in purposeful ways, both in situations where the problem and the desired solution are clearly evident and in situations requiring critical thinking and a creative approach to achieve an outcome.

Students in Notables constantly practice problem solving, preparing, arranging and presenting their knowledge in effective ways for a public audience.

 

KC7: Using technology

The capacity to apply technology, combining physical and sensory skills needed to operate equipment with the understanding of scientific and technological principles.

 

Students in Notables are encouraged to exploit the full potentials of the technology available for their research, assimilating, composing and presenting their knowledge and in presenting convincing  identifications with their chosen notables.

 

Source: G. Smith November 2004

 

Return to Notables home page Notables as Productive Pedagogies The Differentiated Classroom Reference: Lingard, B. Aligning the message systems.Independent Education 30.(3), 24 -26 October 2000.

This page: http://home.pacific.net.au/~greg.hub/rich_task.html. Webmaster: G. Smith Brisbane Australia, 05/05/2005, last revised 13/12/06

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