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= __Modernism__ = The central drive of Modernism was experimentation and change. Following the First World War, artists and intellectuals alike sought new forms of expression - heavily impacting art, literature and western culture. The Modernist period is particularly relevant for study, then, as its repercussions are still felt today. All western art, literature and culture is in some way a reflection of or a rebellion against Modernist expression, thus it is important for students to develop an understanding of both the period and the movement.

It is for this reason that we have shaped our webquest around the study of this period. We believe that Modernism, with its immense impact upon art and culture, is particularly important for English, Modern History and Society and Culture students. However, our webquest is specifically aimed at Years 12 Advanced or Extension students. The students would be presented with one month to research their texts, develop an argument and create a presentation (and written component) to inform their fellow students of their findings. This task would fit very well within a 'Project-Based Learning' teaching method.

On the introduction page of the webquest, we have outlined Modernism as a period, and provided students with videos to get their research started.

Our task required the students to work in groups to research, develop an argument and create a presentation. We believe that for a research/presentation task that group work would be the most effective manner of execution. Group work forces students to discuss, debate and share information. Students would need to be well organized and communicate each other effectively to fulfill the requirements of the task. Leaving the task more open in allowing students to research and present Modernism in any aspect or text that they choose fosters independence and would allow students to examine and explore any facet of the period they wish. This requires students to independently find, analyse and synthesize information, utilizing higher order thinking skills. We also chose to have the students present utilizing prezi in order to stimulate the exploration and use of a more technological medium.

We also included a resource page in order to stimulate the beginning of students research. This page allows students to look into a variety of sources, providing them with a starting point for their assessments.

The process we have provided outlines the manner in which students can do their assessments. However, this is only a guideline to get students started and help them organize their group and assign each other tasks.

Our evaluation is a particularly integral one for the students when completing their assessments. We divided the marking criteria into three sections equating to 100 marks. 25 of these marks were dedicated to the group presentation to ensure the quality of the presentations themselves. This is as students will also be educating their fellow classmates through their presentations, and thus a certain quality of presentation is required of them. The next 25 marks were dedicated to individual presentation in order to ensure each student contributes equally, this allows us, as teachers, to assess each student's capabilities and confidences. This is particularly important to assisting students develop confidence in presenting both information and themselves. The final 50 marks were dedicated to the quality of the information that students present. This allows us to assess their capabilities in utilizing higher order thinking skills. 10 of those 50 marks were allocated to the peer evaluation, ensuring that each student contributes equally.

Finally, our conclusion page tells the students what we want from their assessments. This is particularly helpful for students who may begin to lose their way in the openness of the task itself, and we included these aims in order to guide students in their research, writing and presenting.




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Picture added and Written by: Joseph Schwarzkopf Other Pictures added by: Kirc Planes