Exploring issues in a task-based unit to develop students' ability to set goals and make reflections for positive values development
II. Objectives
Student level
To develop students' ability to set specific goals and reflect on areas for improvement
Teacher level
To work collaboratively and to acquire professional skills in designing a task-based module to help students explore a social issue
Curriculum level
To make use of language arts and non-language arts components that touch on related social issues for students to explore
To align co-curricular activities coherently with classroom learning
III. Features of the Module Design "Food – Healthy Meals and Eating Habits"
Students conducted mini-studies on their own eating habits and collect data systematically for reflection
Ample opportunities were provided for self-reflection, peer reflection and teachers' feedback based on the mini-studies conducted
An eat-well-and-be-fit festival was held outside the classroom as an extension of classroom learning on healthy eating habits
Teachers set clear success criteria at the beginning of the unit to help students understand the expectations and the tasks to be accomplished
The formal and informal curricula were closely aligned as students explored the issue of obesity and healthy eating habits in the classroom and then extended their learning outside the classroom.
Students have been given the opportunities to set specific goals for themselves and to devise strategies to achieve them
Assessment Tools
Health logs (with questionnaires, students' self-reflection, peers' reflections, teachers' comments and goal setting) for data collection on students' eating habits
Interviews with teachers on the effectiveness of integrating real life issues in the school-based curriculum