The lessons here, although scaffolded to fit with prepared visuals, are designed to be inquiry-based. That makes them quite different from conventional PPT lecture. Most important, they are organized to frame a series if questions for students to discuss themselves, independently of any prescribed answers.
Inquiry learning is familiar to many teachers, especially in investigatory activities in the lab or field. Here, they are adapted to a very different context -- reflecting on the reliability of information transferred through the media. But they still follow the basic principles:
- student-centered -- Work from the student's perspective, not the teacher's.
- activity-based -- Engage students in their own learning, not merely listening or taking notes.
- problem-based -- Pose questions for students to develop the concepts on their own.
The teacher shifts from being the font of knowledge to being a guide and facilitator -- someone who knows how to find the answer, more than someone who knows the answer itself. The teacher provides resources to solve problems, not pre-formed solutions.
The open-ended nature of inquiry poses a challenge for planning any structured lesson, with some kind of intended conceptual target. Here, the PPT/PDF presentations are designed to introduce problems and provide some basic context or background information. The questions are presented explicitly (in bold italics), with the expectation that the teacher stops and allows the students ample time to think -- individually, in small groups, or as a whole class (based on the teacher's judgment). Sometimes, the slide has a blank list -- again, indicating that it is time for the students to fill in the appropriate responses. As the teacher, you may pose additional clarifying questions. But resist the urge to give "hints." Frame it from the students' perspective as a problem to solve. Maybe suggest local examples. Provide personalized "what-if"s. A noisy classroom is a good signal.
The next slide typically provides a list of possible responses -- to be considered after the students have done their work. Each response has a tentative "?". These responses may be similar to your students -- helping to validate their creative work? Or they may include other responses -- which the students may now wish to consider further. In some cases, there are summary slides to help focus on the "take-home" message. As a teacher, you should use the presentation as a guide, to help inspire student reflection and discussion.They should be able to summarize the lesson on their own, as an indicator of what they have learned.
