Duncan and I had an excellent meeting to take forwards our ideas about Extreme Learning. In the course of an intense brainstorming session we came up with the following project outline.

Aims: To involve S2 students (13 year olds) at Dunbar Grammar School in a web-based collaborative project, which will extend and challenge those students who are not sufficiently stretched by the existing curriculum.

Objectives: By engaging in Extreme Learning Projects students will develop the following skills and personal qualities:

1. Web-based research; 2. weblogging; 3. website design; 4. independent work; 5. teamwork; 6. collaborative planning; 7. adopting differing roles; 8. writing skills; 9. time management; 10. awareness of alternative points of view. (please feel free to add other objectives)

Project outline 1. The project will require the students to work in pairs on a project which considers two alternative points of view on a single topic, e.g. vegetarianism Vs. meat eating.

2. Each student will be required to research and explore the topic from a diametrically opposed perspective.

3. Using the weblogging software they will engage in a well-reasoned debate about their topic, concluding with an informed and consensual conclusion.

4. Having completed their research process they will have to write up their project on a dedicated web space.

Marking Scheme The project will be assessed using the following binary marking scheme:

• Project findings 100 marks (acceptable) 200 marks (excellent)

• Layout 100 marks (acceptable) 200 marks (excellent)

• Use of hyperlinks 100 marks (acceptable) 200 marks (excellent)

• Weblogging 100 marks (acceptable) 200 marks (excellent)

• Teamwork 100 marks (acceptable) 200 marks (excellent)

The maximum marks for any project is 1000, the minimum is 500.

Organization 1. We will directly invite (via letters) 50% of the most able S2 students to participate in the Extreme Learning project. An open invitation will be made to all other students in the year group to ensure equality of opportunity.

2. All participating students, and their parents, will be invited to an evening meeting to explain and describe the project.

3. We will take great care to establish guidelines for the appropriate use of the Internet. Students will be able to choose their partner or, where they express no preference they will be allocated a team mate.

4. Students can choose to create their own topic, choose from a pre-ordained list, or be given a topic.

5. Each team will be allocated a secure weblogging space to which only they, their parents and the project management team have access.

6. The team will be expected to develop their arguments with associated evidence on their weblogging space.

7. Once they feel they are ready to progress they can commence with the writing up phase on their Virtual Project Space (which is publicly accessible)

8. Each project should follow a standard protocol: Introduction; Abstract; Body of Report; Conclusions; References; Acknowledgements.

9. Each project should conclude with a shared reflection on the learning process undergone in the course of the project.

Security At no time in the course of the projects will individual students be allowed to identify themselves to the outside world. Systems will be put in place which ensures the welfare of students.

Equality All students have access to the web during the school day and via the school library until 5.30pm each weekday (except Friday). We will also make laptops available for those students who do not have home access to the Internet.

Additional Points 1. It is envisaged that the competitive element of the projects, combined with the heavy emphasis on ICT skills will make this particularly attractive to boys, who are traditionally reticent at taking part in any additional voluntary study.

2. Girls do not make as much use of ICT as boys. The ICT demands of Extreme Learning will encourage girls to become fully conversant (no pun intended) with web-based technology.

Possible Topic Titles X-Box Vs PS2 Text Vs Voice PC Vs Mac School Education Vs Home Education Anti Hunting Vs Pro-Hunting School Uniform Vs No uniform Private education Vs public education

PLEASE SUGGEST OTHERS