Synthesis refers to the integration and presentation of information from a variety of sources to meet the information need as defined.
#5.1 Organize information from multiple sources The key question in Synthesis is: “How does the information from all of the sources fit together?” This skill focuses on determining the best ways to pull together, integrate, and organize the information to meet the task.
Examples Students demonstrate the ability to create chronological timelines and charts relating key dates and events. ■ Students demonstrate the ability to organize different pieces of information in different formats into a logical whole. ■ Students demonstrate the ability to use word processing to revise the sequence, flow, or outline of content in a paper, report, or project. ■ Students demonstrate the ability to combine information from a range of print and electronic sources and from their own notes.
5.2 Present the information. Students demonstrate the ability to properly cite Web or other electronic sources in context and in bibliographies. ■ Students demonstrate the ability to represent a still life in different media. ■ Students demonstrate the ability to create and label maps or other representations of geographic information. ■ Students demonstrate the ability to graph data collected during a science experiment using electronic spreadsheets or other tools. Synthesis involves organizing and presenting the information—putting it all together to complete a defined task. Sometimes Synthesis can be as simple as relaying a specific fact (as in answering a short-answer question) or making a decision (deciding on a topic for a report, a product to buy, an activity to join). At other times, Synthesis can be very complex and can involve the use of several sources, a variety of media or presentation formats, and the effective communication of abstract ideas.
Helpful questions for teachers to think through:
What do we want to see in the synthesis?
What is expected in the presentation format?
Which curriculum outcomes are to be met?
Do students already have a repertoire of presentation formats or are we focusing on a new one?
What skills will students need to do what we want?
What do they already know; what needs to be taught?
What is the appropriate focus for the grade/age level?
Helpful questions for students to think through:
How can I organize the information?
How can I present the results?
What product or performance should I use (written report, multimedia presentation, art project)?
What do I know and understand about the Central Idea?
Have I shared what I have learned with others effectively?
Did I answer all my questions?
What am I going to do with what I have learned?
What would I do differently?
What do I feel about the way I shared my learning?
Review task and determine product appropriate to the task.
Define evaluation criteria (can also be done in step 1, Task Definition).
Organize information from multiple sources in clear, comprehensive, original, creative presentation.
Use accepted bibliographic form.
Basic Activities: critical thinking Encourage the development of critical thinking skills in your Internet research projects. In addition to evaluating web resources, students should be engaged in evaluating their own thinking process and applying the information they gather to authentic challenging tasks.
Basic Activities: appropriate product Student presentations should be appropriate to their topics and their audiences. What will be the most effective format to demonstrate what they have learned? Examine Doug Johnson's "Plagiarism-proofing assignments" for ideas. Look at NASA's Classroom of the Future Modules for examples of problem-based learning. Adapt Project Based Learning checklists to guide your students. Well-designed Web Quests encourage collaborative learning, the thoughtful analysis of Web resources, and the creation of original products. Use Tom March's collection of "Best WebQuests" to find quality examples. Advanced Activities: classroom applications Scroll down to K-12 Strategies & Samples from the Center for Critical Thinking. Teacher Resources Assignment Alternatives Tired of the same old reports? Look here for alternatives. Products and Assessments Tools for written, oral, visual, and community service projects. Project Based Learning Checklists Checklists to support project based learning and evaluation.
Student Resources Synthesis Guide developed by Cambridge Rindge and Latin School Project Ideas Planner Choose projects that match your topic, audience, and purpose. Writing an Introduction Tip sheet Writing the Body of the Paper Tip sheet Citing Sources: Parenthetical Documentation Tip sheet Writing a Conclusion Tip sheet Making a Works Cited Page Tip sheet Making a Title Page Tip sheet Throughout the information problem-solving process, students should reflect on where they are and how they are doing. Students need to figure out where they are in the project or assignment, whether they are making progress toward its completion, how good it is, and how well they are using the available time. This is Evaluation, Big6 stage 6. But Evaluation is not meant to just be the final action that students take—a summary at the end. Evaluation is an activity that students need to get in the habit of doing all the time.
Evaluation
In the Big6, evaluation refers to judgments on two different matters: (1) the degree to which the information problem is solved, and (2) the information problem-solving process itself.
#6.1 Judge the result Is the task completed; is the problem resolved? This is the primary concern in Evaluation. While working on an assignment, students should routinely monitor their own progress. Sometimes, they might realize that they do not quite understand the task, and that they need to go back and change or adjust the task. Students must also be able to recognize that they are finished and that the quality of the result is at the level they (and their teacher) desire. One important way that students can accomplish this “summative evaluation” is to be able to compare their resulting product, paper, or report (or other form of assignment) in relation to clearly understood criteria.
Examples Students demonstrate the ability to evaluate multimedia presentations for both content and format. ■ Students demonstrate the ability to determine whether they are on the right track in science labs and experiments. ■ Students demonstrate the ability to judge the effectiveness of three different forms of information products (e.g., subscription database, Web site, book).
6.2 Judge the information problem-solving process For students to continue to improve their information problem-solving abilities, they need to learn how to assess their actions. They should also consider how they can be more efficient—in terms of saving time and effort—in carrying out each component skill.
■ Students demonstrate the ability to set criteria for quality reports. ■ Students demonstrate the ability to assess their confidence in taking practice tests. ■ Students demonstrate the ability to thoughtfully consider how well they were able to use electronic sources throughout their project. ■ Students demonstrate the ability to compare the amount of time that they estimate should be spent on an assignment with the actual amount of time spent. In the Evaluation stage, students should reflect on the process and result of their work. Are they pleased with what they are doing or have completed? If they could do the project again, what might they do differently? Evaluation determines the effectiveness and efficiency of the information problem-solving process. Effectiveness is another way of saying, how good is the product? What grade are you likely to get? Efficiency refers to time and effort. If the children were to do the work again, how could they do as well, but save some time and effort?
Helpful questions for teachers to think through:
What is the focus of assessment for this project?
Which curriculum content are students required to demonstrate mastery?
How will they demonstrate mastery of curriculum content?
Which new skills were taught and how will achievement be indicated?
Helpful questions for students to think through:
Did I complete the task?
Did I do my best work?
Did I complete each of the Big6 stages efficiently?
How can what I have learned help me in my life or help others?
How can I improve my learning?
How did I learn best?
How am I going to take action to improve my learning?
How am I going to use what I learned to make a difference?
How will my actions affect others?
What was the highlight of this inquiry?
How have my feelings changed throughout this inquiry process?
· • From what I have learned, what do I feel most passionate about? Enduring Understanding
Definitions of Enduring Understandings
Enduring understandings:
• are statements summarising important ideas and core processes that have lasting value beyond the classroom.
• synthesize what students should understand—not just know or do particular content area.
• articulate what students should “revisit” over the course of their lifetimes in relationship to the content area.
Enduring Understandings can be focused on: • Concepts • Themes • Issues/Debates • Problems/Challenges • Processes • Theories • Paradoxes • Assumptions/Perspectives
Student reviews the process of solving the problem: what was done well, what can be improved on next time, personal problem solving style, ways to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
Students and teacher judge product by criteria established in step 1 (Task Definition) and/or revised in step 5 (Synthesis).
Student can judge work against established rubrics and understand their grade.
Basic Activity: assessment rubrics Select from Kathy Schrock's collection of Assessment Rubrics to evaluate student projects, including web pages, research papers, multimedia and group presentations. See also MidLink Magazine's Rubrics and Evaluation Resources. Advanced Activity: Use RubiStar to customize your rubric from a template.
Evaluating Your Work Tip sheet In Evaluation, we want to encourage students to gauge their own growth, progress, strengths, and skills in a way that is useful to their continued learning. Evaluation is the culmination of the entire process, but it is often the part of the process that receives the least attention.