PRESENTATION

OF INVESTIGATIONS

A critical step in any scientific endeavor is the final element of most investigations - the
communication of one’s results and findings. But this isn’t just a critical step in sharing work within
the scientific community - it is a critical step to learning and developing understanding as well.
Scientists of any sort do not work in a vacuum - they often need to collaborate with peers who are
also well versed in the science content they are investigating, so that they can discuss theories, plan
investigations, and often, share resources.

This is apparent not just when studying the work of scientists directly, but also looking at the
infrastructure and strategies that scientists use to share their ideas. There are an incredible number
of conferences and journals that are dedicated to nearly every topic ever investigated. In fact, the
original versions of the World Wide Web were actually created to share data and communication
among astronomers and other planetary scientists, simply because resources are so difficult to
access. Astronomers can’t just go to an observatory and point the telescopes anywhere in the sky
they want - they need to collaborate with others to share data and findings that are gathered
constantly by the network of powerful telescopes around the world. Even amateurs have a process
to access when they think they’ve found something interesting in the night sky. Scientists need to
verify information, so many investigations or observations are often checked by a network of other
scientists before any claims or statements about the topic at hand are made to the public.

This is one reason that communication and analysis skills are so critical for scientists to develop.
Scientists need to not only effectively share their own work, but become critical evaluators of the
work of others to ensure that findings of an investigation can be replicated, and aren’t the result of
some odd coincidence or error in measurement or recording. And, it is one reason that the process
of presenting information and findings from investigations is a critical topic for classrooms to
address.

But, this skill doesn’t just address the replicability or sharing of resources among scientists. For
students and scientists alike, the ability to bounce ideas and thoughts off of each other is a critical
element to learning. As Vygotsky suggests with the concept of social constructivism, we need to
interact with each other to better learn concepts. Without the ability to have peers critique ideas or
present possible flaws in arguments, students might build up some significant misconceptions about
science topics. Having others critique or question your work, in a constructive manner, is a helpful
learning tool, and one of the many reasons that communication skills in science are embedded in the
national and state standards as inquiry skills.

This reading addresses five such presentation methods that are not commonly used or understood by
educators. Please review these and feel free to add to the discussion about this online.

GPS3 Science Resources (http://gps3.org)

Page 1 of 14
 PRESENTATION STRATEGIES:
ORAL PRESENTATIONS (WITH SLIDES)

What is it?
An oral presentation with slides (a.k.a Powerpoint presentation) is a type of presentation that is
focused on communicating information that has been gained during or throughout an investigation.
Used as a formative assessment tool, this presentation method can aid in clarifying content,
identifying misconceptions, and stimulating discussion between the presenter(s) and audience
around the concept or content being studied. In this context, all students then have the opportunity
to synthesize the information and feedback from the presentation, complete further research and
refine their thinking. Using this approach as a summative experience allows teachers and students to
determine what knowledge has been gained from the investigation, to question or clarify
misunderstood concepts, and possibly to share differing approaches to the investigative process.

The use of visual representations during an oral presentation keeps students focused on the planned
sequence and details of their presentation. It also allows students to create and graphically display
supporting documents, charts, tables and graphs that may be vital in communicating what they have
learned. The audience is more likely to remain engaged when slides are used to support the
presenter.

What might it look like?

An oral presentation with slides may include one to two students presenting to an entire class or to
smaller groups of classmates. These can be a formal, summative experience utilizing rubrics and
grades, or a more informal formative event seeking teacher and peer questions, debate, insight and
encouragement for further study. The number and format of Powerpoint slides might be pre-
determined based on the goals of the task. For schools without access to computers in the classroom
other visual representations such as posters could be utilized.

Other Requirements
An oral presentation with slides is a way in which students are able to share their learning in both
visual and auditory formats. If this is a first experience, students will require instruction in
preparing an oral presentation and/or developing a supporting powerpoint slide show. Notable
aspects of oral presentations include developing an introduction of the content or concept to be
addressed, a body of information that communicates the knowledge acquired during the
investigation, and a conclusion that is supported by the body of information presented.

GPS3 - Presentations: Oral Presentations with Slides

Page 2 of 14
 Powerpoint slide shows are developed to organize and support the oral presentation being delivered.
It is important that the focus of the powerpoint is the material being presented, not to display the
students’ ability to use transitions, audio, etc. The slides can be a simple outline with graphic
representations of data that has been collected. Depending on the ability of the students,
expectations for the slides could also be more stringent. It is important to help students avoid
writing their full presentations on the slides to be read during the presentation.

Considerations for Instruction

When using an oral presentation with a powerpoint in class, a teacher should consider the following
during the planning and setup of the presentation:

• How much experience students have had in giving oral reports and developing powerpoint
presentations.
• Access to computers and powerpoint software.
• The purpose of the presentation (i.e. formal or informal, formative or summative, etc.)
• Who the audience will be and what role audience members will take.
• Time considerations for the development, practice, and delivery of the presentations.

When using an oral presentation with a powerpoint, the teacher should address the following aspects
of this presentation style during instruction:

• Define and clarify the expectations of both the oral and visual portions of the presentation.
• Share with students the real-world applications of this presentation style.

Possible Problems or Restrictions in Use

A Powerpoint presentation should NOT be used...

• as the only method of presentation or evaluation.

• as a summative evaluation if students have no prior experience with this method.

Possible Uses:
Powerpoint presentations can be used ...

• to demonstrate the depth of learning students have gained during an investigation.

• to practice communication skills all scientists must develop in order to share the results of
their work.
• to foster self-confidence as an active participant in science.
• to educate the audience.
• at the conclusion of an investigation as a method by which students can share their research
for a science fair project.
• to present one aspect of an investigation. Students could be assigned, or choose, different
questions around a concept that is being investigated. After presenting their findings using this
style, the whole class could collaborate to develop a final product that addressed all aspects of
the science content/concept being investigated.

GPS3 - Presentations: Oral Presentations with Slides

Page 3 of 14
 PRESENTATION STRATEGIES:
THE STAND ALONE POSTER

What is it?
A stand-alone poster is a type of presentation that is generally used in displaying the results of an
investigation. The poster focuses on telling “the story” of the studied concept or content using
photos, figures, charts, tables, and text. This approach allows a student, or team of students, to
share what has been learned using visual communication. The effectiveness of this method is
determined by students’ ability to represent their learning in an organized manner that requires
little or no verbal explanation. Alternatively, such posters can be used WITH verbal explanation, but
the focus then shifts to supporting the verbal communication, and not providing the full “story”.

In a science class, this approach may be the end-product of a unit of study, the presentation of an
investigation for a science fair, or a display during a school/community science night. A quality
stand-alone poster will demonstrate students’ knowledge of the studied concept, ability to
communicate clearly and concisely, and the correct communicate their scientific understanding
through visual representations.

What might it look like?

A stand-alone poster presentation is typically used to communicate all of the vital
information about an investigation through visual representations and limited text. The
usual format is a large poster board that has information logically and obviously sequenced
and organized into sections within three to four columns. An alternative display format
might be a slide presentation on a computer that is sequenced and then looped to
continually present the investigation for the audience members. Students should be
available to answer questions or clarify information for either format, but oral presentation
is never the focus.

Other Requirements
A stand-alone poster presentation is a method by which students share their learning around a
central concept at the culmination of an investigation. Text for a stand-alone poster should be
limited to the most pertinent information and used to support the graphics that tell the story of the
investigation. All graphics and text need to focus on the one central concept or question being
investigated. Using clear, consistent and large text and graphics aid in communicating the vital
content of the poster without unnecessary distractions from the main ideas being addressed in the
presentation.

GPS3 - Presentations: Poster Presentations

Page 4 of 14
 Considerations for Instruction
When using a stand alone poster presentation in class, a teacher should consider the following during
the planning and setup of the poster:

• Make sure to identify the materials and equipment that students can use to create the poster,
and have those available to students.
• Be very clear about the expectations for what the poster should include and should say. If you
want to make sure all students post data on the poster, say that, and state what should be
posted. Over time, you should be able to open the options in the presentation up to student
choice, but these habits and considerations take practice for the student.
• Having a model of such a poster from a different investigation or concept can be useful when
presenting the task, especially when addressing how a “stand-alone” poster is going to be
different from one where they can explain items in the poster verbally.

When using a stand alone poster, the teacher should address the following aspects of the poster
during instruction:

• Focus on the types of representation that students use on the posters, such as graphs, tables,
and charts, to make sure they are readable and appropriate to the story students are trying to
tell. Often, students pick an inappropriate graph or table design to illustrate the key
information they need to show.
• Build (as many) opportunities for students to evaluate their own designs or do peer critique to
provide feedback to improve their poster design. When doing this with peers, have students
review the posters without talking to each other first, so that they can review these as “stand-
alone” items. When they discuss the posters, make sure their feedback focuses on telling the
story of the investigation, not just general comments or right/wrong comments.

Possible Problems or Restrictions in Use

A stand-alone poster presentation should NOT be used...

• as the only or final strategy to assess student understanding of a concept. Students who excel
in verbal communication may be able to express their understanding more deeply through
conversation combined with this approach.
• if students are going to be talking through the presentation too. If so, modify the poster
expectations to support the information being shared verbally, rather than as a stand-alone.
• if you do not have time or a strategy for students to review and learn from each others’ board,
or for others to review the board. Reviewing such posters on your own can seem like busywork
for students, whereas sharing these with others can help motivate students to be more
thoughtful and critical about their design.

Possible Uses:
Stand-alone poster presentations can be used ...

• for public presentations of information, such as family science nights, presentations to the
public, or a science fair.
• to get students to think about how they communicate information to a different audience. For
instance, having students first design a poster for their peers or teacher, and then having them
try to share the information with a professional scientist or a first grade class of students
might help them think about how the information tells a story.
• as a tool for a jigsaw learning activity, where students investigating different variables in an
experiment or different approaches to conducting an experiment can learn from each other.
• to build students’ abilities to critique the investigation process by having them evaluate and
comment on each others’ posters.
• to focus on how different ways of sharing information (tables, graphs, charts, maps, etc.) can
show different information.

GPS3 - Presentations: Poster Presentations

Page 5 of 14
 PRESENTATION STRATEGIES:
THE PIN-UP

What is it?
A pin-up is a type of presentation that is generally focused on presenting ideas that a student or
group of students might have about a design, or about an investigation that they are about to
conduct. The pin-up comes from the field of architecture and other artistic design, as well as some
forms of engineering, where it is used extensively in the design process. Essentially, the pin-up is a
formative assessment approach that a designer might use to get feedback about a design he/she has
created. The designer “pins up” a drawing or sketch of the product or activity that they are about
to undertake, and seeks feedback from others who are familiar with the task or concept before they
actually undertake the more complicated design. This approach varies in other fields, such as
writing and movies/television, where authors or producers might provide an outline or storyboard for
a book or movie for others to review and give feedback on before they actually develop the book or
movie.

In a science class, this approach could be used when students are creating a design for something
(before making it), or before conducting an investigation, where the students could outline their
goals, process, and information to be collected before actually doing the design or investigation. It
is meant as a time saver, even though it can add time to an investigation, as it generally addresses
misconceptions or procedural errors that might take place if they weren’t picked up by others and
commented upon prior to the activity itself.

What might it look like?

A pin-up presentation generally provides a visual drawing or simplified information (perhaps
as powerpoint slides) about something so that others can give initial feedback, and so that
there is discussion about the activity or object itself. These are usually done fairly quickly,
just so that the main ideas about the topic come out, as well as the thoughts that the
designers have about their products/investigations might have. It should not be so quick
that it becomes generic (i.e. “good design... what’s next?”), but also not too detailed.
Ideally, the presenter will speak up during the process and ask questions of the audience to
get their opinions about the design or process they have come up with so far. The audience
may also have the opportunity to “mark up” the design with comments, suggested
processes or components, etc.

GPS3 - Presentations: Pin-Up Presentations

Page 6 of 14
 Other Requirements
A pin-up presentation is an effort for students to share their ideas early on in a process, whether
that process is the design of an object to meet some need, investigation of some concept in science,
or the writing of a story. Pin-ups can be done later in a unit too, but this would generally be if
students are revisiting a design that was done earlier in the unit using the pin-up process. Because
they take place early, they should not be “graded” for content or understandings, as their use is
intended to help them better understand content and concepts.

Considerations for Instruction

When using a pin-up presentation in class, a teacher should consider the following during the
planning and setup of the presentation:

• The pin-up should be appropriate to the task. Pin-ups are useful for design activities, or for
outlining simple visual information, such as a diagram, concept map, or flow chart. Make sure
that the goals of your presentation fit with the purposes of the pin-up presentation.
• Review the concept of the pin-up with students before the initial attempt of using this
strategy. Pin-ups are quite different from other types of presentations in that they are focused
on (and dependent upon) peer critique. Students may not be used to providing critique or
feedback to their fellow students, and may need some preparation about appropriate
comments
• Plan on multiple cycles of the pin-up for a design, so that an initial proposal can be shared
first, and then more refined designs or plans can be shared later. This should reflect an
evolution of the design based on the feedback from the class. This might be one aspect of the
final assessment (did the student take into consideration the questions or suggestions of his/
her peers?)

When using a project board, the teacher should address the following aspects of the pin-up
presentation during instruction:

• Make sure to guide the facilitation during the earliest uses of a pin-up presentation in class.
This is critical to ensure that students understand that the purpose is to question aspects of
the presented information, and to provide thoughtful critique.
• It might first be helpful to have the students ask a “why” question of the presenter, just to get
the opinions and rationale for the design out for discussion. The teacher can model this too,
just to encourage this discussion.
• Make sure that each review has adequate time for response from peers, though the first ones
will likely need more time than later ones, as some of the critiques become similar after a
while (and therefore, don’t need to be repeated again and again)
• Pin-ups in architecture often involve the use of “onion skin” paper, a paper that is translucent
and can be placed over the original design, so that the audience can mark it up without
affecting the original design or drawing. Use of a similar approach may be useful, especially if
some students or teams put considerable effort into their designs. Using mark-up software for
electronic presentations or an overhead transparency can allow these mark-ups to be made
without affecting the original drawing.

GPS3 - Presentations: Pin-Up Presentations

Page 7 of 14
 Possible Problems or Restrictions in Use
A pin-up presentation should NOT be used...

• to generate a grade or summative assessment. The purpose is to get constructive feedback

(i.e. it is the ultimate formative assessment). If students’ first designs or plans are graded by
feedback from peers, they are not going to want to continue using the approach.
• when the information being presented is not visual in nature. The point of the pin-up (in
design) is for the audience to be able to go and mark up
• too early in the design process. If students don’t know enough about the content they will be
investigating, having them generate designs may be inappropriate and would focus too much
on the design (and less on the content). This may also drag out the process of investigating
the topic at hand, thereby limiting other investigations or topics.
• when there isn’t going to be a lot of time for discussion. Pin-ups require some time to do if
they are to be effective. Having too little time can result in students just presenting without
getting feedback (or just getting feedback from the teacher), which defeats the purpose of the
pin-up itself.

Possible Uses:
Pin-up presentations can be used ...

• to illustrate designs for a specific task. For instance, students who are constructing a physical
model or scale drawing of a design for an object could sketch their designs first, marking them
up to show their reasoning for aspects of the design.
• to illustrate a process for accomplishing something. For instance, students could sketch out
the setup for an investigation, or draw a relatively simple flow chart illustrating the process
they might undergo to experiment on a particular item.
• to engage in collaborative planning. Students could use a pin-up to illustrate an approach to
solving a problem or investigating a question, and allow other students to then mark up the
original design with the next steps they would take in the process and so on. This would really
become a design that builds upon itself.
• to model concepts. The pin-up could actually sketch out cause-effect relationships or other
concept maps that illustrate how a student or group of students thinks about a particular
topic. Mark-ups then present alternative thoughts about the topic, which would hopefully
engage conversations and learning about these topics.

GPS3 - Presentations: Pin-Up Presentations

Page 8 of 14
 PRESENTATION STRATEGIES:
THE GALLERY WALK

What is it?
A gallery walk is a discussion technique that actively engages students in synthesizing important
concepts. Teams of three to five students work together to answer questions that have been pre-
determined and posted around the room by the teacher. Each team initially answers a question at
one location and then rotates through the remaining discussion stations, responding to all of the
other teams’ questions and responses. When students return to their original stations the team must
synthesize the responses to that question and “report out” to the class. The gallery walk can help
students:

• Share thoughts in a smaller, more supportive setting

• Discuss and clarify understanding of concepts with peers
• Reflect on other teams’ responses to gain other perspectives
• Consider alternative approaches to problems
• Respond to differing view points
• Build consensus as a class

Gallery walks are also one method used by teachers to determine the depth of student
understanding of particular concepts and to zero in on misconceptions.

What might it look like?

Gallery walks can be conducted in a variety of ways, but must be organized in such a manner that
students have time and space to discuss and respond to the posted questions as a group. Generally,
questions are posted around the room on chart paper, white boards, butcher paper, or even
computers. The time spent depends on the purpose of the activity. For a quick review, using
knowledge or comprehension level questions, a “Gallery Run” might be utilized. This proceeds at a
much faster pace as answers are more concrete and students are given less time at each station. The
“Gallery Walk” may be utilized as a full-period formative assessment or even a multi-period activity
with a more formal oral or written presentation requirement for the teams. Another variation is a
“Computer Tour” in which questions are posted on computers around the room. The teacher acts as a
facilitator of discussion involving all students.

GPS3 - Presentations: Gallery Walk Presentations

Page 9 of 14
 Other Requirements
Gallery walk will be new to many students. It is essential that teachers introduce and model this
technique. In addition, the reasoning behind this technique and its usefulness to business, industry
and academia as a real-world application of the necessity to work in teams, is important to discuss.
Questions for the walk should be crafted carefully around a central class concept. The depth of these
questions will depend on the use for which they are designed. Questions can be used to gauge the
full spectrum of thinking skills; from knowledge and comprehension, to analysis, synthesis, and
evaluation. Assessment of the gallery walk can take the form of an informal evaluation based on
teacher observations during team discussions and reporting out, or a more formal option using
rubrics based on group participation, oral presentations and written reports related to the gallery
walk.

Considerations for Instruction

When using a gallery walk in class, a teacher should consider the following during the planning and
setup of the walk:

• Development of pertinent questions based on desired learner outcomes.

• Student instruction as to procedure.
• Space for safe movement to, and discussion area around, all of the stations.
• Decision as to how movement and reporting out will occur.
• Any evaluative considerations and procedures.

When using a gallery walk, the teacher should address the following aspects of this discussion
technique during instruction:

• Explain the gallery walk procedure.

• If roles are to be used assign and explain the roles.
• Provide students with guidance on giving constructive comments that address the written idea
and not the individual who wrote it.
• Explain to students how they will be assessed - formally or informally.
• While students are reporting out, reinforce students’ expressed understanding of concepts and
correct for any errors or misconceptions.

GPS3 - Presentations: Gallery Walk Presentations

Page 10 of 14
 Possible Problems or Restrictions in Use
A gallery walk should NOT be used...

• to generate a grade or summative assessment. The purpose is to get constructive feedback

(i.e. it is a formative assessment tool), and the nature of the discussion can be very biased by
whoever is reviewing the poster at the time, so use of gallery walks for grading could be
inappropriate.
• when the information being presented is not visual in nature. The point of the gallery walk (in
design) is for the audience to be able to go and mark up

Possible Uses:
Gallery walks can be used ...

• as groups of students answer and analyze a variety of questions around a common concept or
phenomena. During the “reporting out” phase, discussion and debate regarding the synthesis
of all comments can lead to further questions to be investigated and clarification of any
misconceptions.
• to gauge students prior knowledge and understanding of concepts.
• to encourage students to develop and express a variety of perspectives.
• as an ice-breaker experience to start the year and introduce the procedure.
• as an extended experience. Groups could do research on their assigned question and then use
gallery walk to gather questions and comments on their findings. This could lead to further
research and reporting out. The cycle would continue and culminate in a final oral or written
report from the group.
• to develop questions around science concepts based on different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy.
At the beginning of an investigation, questions could address knowledge and comprehension
level information. Later, application and analysis questions could be introduced, and finally
questions that require synthesis and evaluation could lead to a deeper discussion of the
concept(s).

GPS3 - Presentations: Gallery Walk Presentations

Page 11 of 14
 PRESENTATION STRATEGIES:
THE PROJECT BOARD

What is it?
A project board is a type of driving question board, but one that would be used specifically when
the focus of the learning takes place through the creation of a tangible product or set of
investigations. Essentially, a project board is a visual tool that communicates information about:

• What is known about the project or science content

• What needs to be known or done to address the project
• Who is involved (and what role they have)
• What the results of efforts for the project are so far.

It might also convey information about next steps, priorities for completion of the project, or other
information that the teacher feels will help facilitate the project tasks and support learning.

What might it look like?

A project board can take many forms, but essentially should be visible for all students wherever they
are in the room, or able to be seen and reviewed easily by students during class. Because the board
should convey information about priorities and tasks for individual students and the class as a whole,
it should provide some scheme for organizing this information. Possible considerations might
include:

• A table, similar to a KWL organizer, which could include task information and a place to share
findings or updates about aspects of the project.
• A timeline, where students can see what they have accomplished or learned, what lies ahead,
and who will carry out the different tasks or investigations required to complete the project.
• A document organizer, where students can place pictures of their work, diagrams, feedback,
resource information, and other resources or artifacts of the project to review if necessary.

Other Requirements
A project board needs to be reviewed on a regular basis (probably daily, if not more often), so that
the teacher can review progress, findings from investigations, and next steps with students. A
project board needs to address the tasks of the class and individuals/groups of the class, but should
not solely focus on this, as you don’t want to lose sight of the goal of the project or the science
concepts being learned. A project board in the class might also be a larger version of a project
organizer that an individual or team might produce on their own, so that they can see the
relationship between their task and the goal of the project. Finally, a project board needs to
address the roles that different individuals or groups have toward the larger goal.

GPS3 - Presentations: Project Board

Page 12 of 14
 Considerations for Instruction
When using a project board in class, a teacher should consider the following during the planning and
setup of the board:

• The board should be set up early in the project, and ideally, used throughout the course of the
project. It should be a recurring theme to visit the project board (just as anyone who manages
a project needs to periodically review progress and adjust plans if necessary).
• There should be some way to organize information on the board to designate who will do what.
You do not need to do this for individual students, but could do this for groups or categories of
students (i.e. “today in your groups, person A will collect data, person B will take notes,
person C will be responsible for equipment, etc.”) Using color coded post-its or paper, or
different colored markers to note this may be useful.
• While the students should have a “voice” in what goes on in the project and on the board, the
teacher should moderate this, and review the board daily to ensure that tasks are addressed
appropriately.
• If some aspect of the project is delayed or has problems, use this as a teachable moment to
address the interdependence of other items on the board with that item, and what happens
when such problems arise. While you don’t want to get into blaming people for problems, it
should also be noted how one person or groups problems can affect everyone’s progress,
especially if others are dependent on completion of their task.
• If you have several different groups of students (i.e. several class periods of the same class),
you can try to organize them all to be supporting the big project, or should set up a project
board that can be easily posted or removed to accommodate the different classes. For
instance, posting this on large rolls of poster paper that can be rolled up at the end of the day,
or on a spreadsheet that can be projected in class, can help address this organizational
challenge.

When using a project board, the teacher should address the following aspects of the board during
instruction:

• When any member of the class questions information from past efforts on the project, point
them to the board before providing a correct answer, so that they become used to using the
board for reference (and not just getting answers directly from the teacher).
• Use the board as an assessment rubric of sorts in that the learning goals and content should be
added to the board as you progress through a unit/project. Students can then see what they
should be accomplishing during the investigation, and should be able to see if they are not
addressing the content or tasks that they need to be doing.
• Use the board as a way to differentiate learning and instructional tasks for students. Students
who achieve more should be able to have tasks that stretch their understanding or abilities.
• Point out possible collaborations that can take place between and among students in the class
based on the tasks they are working on. For instance, if one group of students is exploring one
variable in their design and others are working on another, the teacher can point out the
opportunities for each to share with each other to further their understanding or design
efforts.

GPS3 - Presentations: Project Board

Page 13 of 14
 Possible Problems or Restrictions in Use
A project board should NOT be used...

• to evaluate individual students, unless each student is also maintaining their own project
board for their own learning. The project board is more of a guide for learning and
instructional tasks for the class as a whole to reflect upon and use.
• if you are not using a design task or driving question approach to learning. There is little need
for a project board when focusing on readings, vocabulary, etc. The point of the board is to
focus on tasks and learning and use the board as a way to map out the activities and efforts
the class will take to pursue these.
• as a definitive map or schedule. While there may be deadlines or schedule considerations that
need to be included, the project board needs to reflect the state of the class’ learning, not
just the topics the teacher wants to address.
• unless the teacher can devote some time and effort to the process of doing a project among a
large group. One of the main reasons to use such a board is to help students understand and
develop these process skills while addressing content.
• just once. This strategy aims at building skills, which take time and experience to develop.
Just doing this as a sample strategy for students with no follow-up is likely going to be
frustrating for both teacher and student.

Possible Uses:
Project boards can be used ...

• with design-based investigations to address how students can revisit their design to address
different aspects of it.
• with investigations that focus on different approaches to testing a single concept, or with
investigations that explore different variables or experiments focusing on a broader topic. For
instance, a class doing water quality investigations could use the board to organize the
different indicator tests that can be used, who is doing each, how they will share their data,
and how they will coordinate their information to make some conclusions or recommendations
about the water quality issues for their river. The board helps organize both the tasks and the
learning that should be taking place.
• on an individual level to address each students’ tasks and learning in a unit, or as a guide
toward the development of a summative assessment tool, such as a portfolio or major report
or research paper.

GPS3 - Presentations: Project Board

Page 14 of 14