TITLE and TOPIC  

   Planning a school trip

Level (age of students/form)

  10+

ICT support, equipment needed

 No need

Teaching aims

  To learn an effective method of solving problems

To practise  logical thinking and  chronology of events

Learning outcomes

 Students will know a technique usefull at solving any kind of problems

They will understand complexity of solving problems

They will learn how to turn a general problem into precise actions

Methodologies/methods

 TREE of ambitious aim

Lesson/activity phases and timing  

teacher’s activities/action

students’ activities/action

I. First 20 minutes of the lesson the teacher needs to explain the new TOOL – The Tree of Ambitious Aim.

1. It's a strategy of solving problems in a logical and effective way.
2. Here is a descritipin :

a) first step : define the aim – what do we want to achieve. It should be precise and clear.

b) second step – find the obstacles – what can be a problem ? What is probably going to snad on my way ?

c) third step – plann the baby goals – based on the problems already participated  - what can I do to solve them ?

d)  fourth step – fidn the solutions – what actions can I take to achieve the baby gaols

1. To explain the method to the students here is an example:

   a) AIM : GET PREPARED FOT THE EXAMS
   b) problems:

• not focused on the lesson
  - not enought time
  - lazyness
  - skipping the classes without reason

c) baby goals
- focus on lessons
- to organize ma time better
- hard- working attitude
- to be present at school

d) actions :

to focus on lessons :   don't talk to friends
                                   listen to the teacher
                                   make notes

to organize my time :   watch tv only 2 hours a day (favourite)
                                      first go homework
                                      plan short break while working

to be present at school : do not skip school without reasonable cause

hard-working attitude :  spend more time studying
                                     treat learning as my job – must be done well

5. Number the baby goals from the most important one. This way the plan of action will be ready.

II  Now the rest of the lesson is time for practising:
Set an aim for your students. Divide them into groups. Give them worksheet with tables and help and monitor while they will be working.

Evaluation/Evaluation tool

  Dependind on the aim – after some time students with the teacher  

 can  analize the situation adn evaluate if was it usefull or not.

Materials, resources, worksheets

 The Tree worksheet

Additional information (if any)

TITLE and TOPIC  

 Breaking problems into pieces

Level (age of students/form)

8 +

ICT support, equipment needed

Not needed

Teaching aims

To practise finding logical consequesces and to develop critical thinking

Learning outcomes

Students can change word problem into logical equation

Methodologies/methods

TOC – logical branch

Lesson/activity phases and timing  

teacher’s activities/action

students’ activities/action

I. Teacher tells students that today the are going to learn a method used to FIX any problems they can find at school. Fiers step is an example from MATHS field. The best option is to work in groups.
The example shows a way of breaking problems into steps to make logical consequences  more obvious and understandable for students.

  Example 1

ADAM HAD 43 SEEDS. HE GAVE 9 SEEDS TO HIS 4 FRIENDS. HOW MANY SEEDS WERE LEFT ?

  FINISH
He has 7 seeds left.

 THAN  

Adam gave away 32 seeds.         = 43 – 32 = 7

 THAN   

He gave his 4 friends 9 seeds each          = 4x9 = 32

  THAN

Adam had 43 seeds
  START

Example 2

This schedule can be used to deal with different problems: for exmaple English Grammar :

  TASK :  Fill in the sentence

I ............. (not  see) a real camel yet.

SO :

   FINISH

  the missing part of the sentence is HAVEN'T SEEN

  THAN

 In PP  not is added to HAVE or HAS    = I haven't seen a

                                                                   real camel yet.
 THAN

  that is supposed to be negative sentence

 THAN

 with I we always use HAVE      = I have seen a real camel yet

 THAN

Sentence in PP requires                      = I have/ has seen a
HAVE or HAS and past participle         a real camel yet.

THAN

 Yet is used in Present Perfect

THAN

 It's a sentence with YET.

  THAN

a sentence  with blank

  START

1. At this point students can choose any problem they want from different subject to check if that LOGICAL BRANCH  is usefull in any possible situation they can think of.

Possible problems:

• scale on a map         - interpretation of a poem

• plan buying a present for a friend

Of course there are some problems too complicated for that method. But most of “school life problems” can be simplified this way.

Evaluation/Evaluation tool

 After few days students can have a chat with the teacher and evaluate the method.

Materials, resources, worksheets

Big sheets of paper for groups of students.

Additional information (if any)