HIGH SCHOOL FOR CONTEMPORARY ARTS
Ms. E. Barella-Instructor
INADEQUATE EDUCATION
IN NEW YORK CITY HIGH SCHOOLS
INTRODUCTION:
We are attending
You have been appointed by Mayor Bloomberg to serve on his new
Your job is to find solutions to the problem of inadequate
education in
The Mayor and his committee do not know anything about school building and architecture. They have asked you to investigate the problem and to show them how to build a decent learning environment at Evander Childs. This is your moment to make a difference as an artist and thinker!
TASK 
1: You
will use the PPA {as outlined in the “procedure”} as a guideline to create a power point
presentation. You will find evidence and causes for the
problem along with attempt to create innovative solutions. You will focus
overcrowding as a major cause for the problem.
2: You
must find a minimum of THREE pictures from the Internet
which
represent an architectural solution to the problem of overcrowding.
3: POWER POINT- Your group will create
a power point of a minimum of 8 slides outlining solutions to the problem and
showing new architectural approaches to better education.
PROCESS:
CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING:
Overcrowded Bronx High Schools do not have enough space for all the students and classes. The dehumanizing, dilapidated architecture and cramped conditions make it difficult for students to learn.
Research shows that school conditions have a real impact on student achievement and behavior. For example:
- A 1995 study in New York City found that students in overcrowded schools scored significantly lower on both math and reading exams than did their counterparts in schools that weren't crowded.
- A 1993 study of small, rural high schools in Virginia found a connection between a school's condition and its students' achievement. Lower achievement was associated with such factors as inadequate science facilities, substandard lockers and classroom furniture, graffiti, and noisy outside environments.
- A 1991 study in Washington, D.C., found that students in school buildings that were in poor condition achieved 11 percent below those attending schools in excellent condition.
Research also shows that overcrowding in schools leads to violent and disruptive behavior among students, as well as poor self-esteem.
Unfortunately, far
too many students are still attending overcrowded schools and schools that are
in poor condition. The average public school in America is 42 years old, and
one-third of all public schools -- about 25,000 -- need extensive repair or
replacement.
What's more, the
Education Department estimates that at least 2,400 new schools will be needed
by 2003 to accommodate rising enrollments and relieve overcrowding -- and
thousands more will be needed in the following years.
Together these trends
spell an urgent need for school construction and modernization -- an urgent
need for well-designed places to learn.
Here in the Bronx the need for new schools with more space
in order to house the large student population is readily apparent. Evander Childs is one of the most overcrowded
schools in the Bronx. In addition, the
introduction of the new small schools has created its own problems. Thematically based schools such as the
HOW DOES THE BUILDING INFLUENCE YOUR EDUCATIONAL
EXPERIENCE AT HSCA (IN EVANDER CHILDS)?
o Brainstorm to make a list together with your partner. List the different ways in which the building and building space influence your personal academic experience.
Here are some questions to guide you:
o Do you ever have to wait on line to use the bathroom?
o Is the cafeteria big enough? Is it designed well?
o Are there any real art studios for our school?
o Are there enough water fountains. Do they work?
o Is there anywhere to meet with friends privately, comfortably – a commons area?
o Should there be study cubicles for students to work at during their breaks?
o Is there a good theatre space?
o Does the lighting give you a headache?
o Are there enough staircases?
o How are the heating/cooling systems working?
o Do you like the colors of the walls?
o What about the furniture? Does it work for you?
o What about the gymnasium? Do we need another one?
o Do the teachers have offices?
CREATING THE POWERPOINT
PRESENTATION:
You will work with a partner to create an 8 slide Power Point presentation.
For slides one -- five, you will use the Public Policy Analyst and fill out the PPA worksheets.
Follow the steps below and click on the hyperlinks to get to the appropriate pages of the PPA.
Slide ONE will be a statement. This statement will IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM. You will fill out a worksheet # 1 to help you define the problem and its causes.
Public Policy
Analysis: Defining the social problem
Slide TWO will show EVIDENCE for the problem. You will use worksheet # 2 listed below
Public Policy
Analysis: Gathering evidence of the problem
Slide THREE will identify the CAUSES for the problem.
Public Policy
Analysis: Identifying the cause of the problem
Slide FOUR will show existing Public Policy that is dealing with the problem
Public Policy
Analysis: Determining existing public policies
Slide FIVE will show your creative instincts. You will develop solutions to the problem and improve on the existing public Policy
Public Policy
Analysis: Developing public policy solutions
Selecting the best
public policy solution
PHOTO ESSAY
Slides 6, 7, 8 will be a
photo essay showing images you believe would solve the problem architecturally.
Find 3 Photos of Schools
you and your partner like that show possible architectural solutions for
your problem.
You will find these
schools by looking through the Resources listed below.
Just click on the
underlined words!
RESOURCES:
Bookmark
the ones you like.
(You may
choose 4 pictures of the same building, or 4 pictures of 4 different buildings,
or any combination you want!)
3. Creating a Power Point Presentation by inserting
hyperlinks and projecting live from the Internet.
Here’s how to do it: just follow the steps below. Ask your teachers for help if you need to!
1. Open a PowerPoint Presentation
2. Make your first slide – text only. This is the statement of your problem. Write it exactly as it was written on your worksheet.
Make sure that this slide also has your names on it, and any pictures or music that you like. Make sure it looks good.
3. Make the next 4 slides. Be sure to not to use templates – choose the blank slide.
4. Insert the hyperlinks for the pictures you have bookmarked onto each page. You must write the text for the hyperlink – do NOT use the URL. See Ms.B for help and instructions.
Here
is an example of how your PowerPoint slide could look:
We like
schools with large, well lit art studios.
The project will be graded according to a rubric.
The rubric below explains how your work will be evaluated:
A
·
Project is well thought out, and clearly presented. Both Partners can talk about the photo essay.
·
Problem is clearly defined in full sentences with no grammatical or
spelling errors..
·
Photos chosen show a clear solution to the problem.
·
All worksheets have been thoroughly filled out.
·
PowerPoint is seamless and well designed.
·
Partners have shared their best ideas and put forth their best effort.
B
·
One partner can not talk about the photo essay.
·
Problem is clearly defined, but there are grammatical or spelling errors.
·
Photos chosen do not all relate clearly to the solution.
·
Worksheets are not thoroughly filled out.
·
PowerPoint is hard to understand.
·
Partners have not shared ideas and put forth their best effort.
C
·
Project is not thought out or clearly presented. Both partners have problems presenting the
photo essay.
·
Problem is not clearly defined, and there are spelling and grammatical
errors.
·
Worksheets are filled out, but not fully.
·
PowerPoint is incomplete.
·
Partners have not put enough effort into the project.
D
·
Neither partner can explain the project of the problem.
·
Spelling and grammatical errors.
·
Worksheets incomplete.
·
PowerPoint incomplete.
·
Partners have been fooling around.
·
TOTAL POINTS FOR PROJECT: 60. A =50 - 60, B=40 -49, C=30-39, D=20-29
CONCLUSION:
From this web quest you should
have learned the influence of the architectural environment on education. You
should now understand that physical conditions can contribute to inadequate
education even if all the human ingredients are perfect. You also should have
learned the importance of using power point to make presentations and how to
critically evaluate architecture. You also learned how to use photographs and
visual evidence to influence public policy and majority opinions. Moreover, you
learned the intricacies of the PPA and the importance of using hyper links in
power point and essay presentations.
STANDARDS
The Arts
Standard 2: Knowing and Using Arts Materials
and Resources
Students will be knowledgeable
about and make use of the materials and resources available for participation
in the arts in various roles.
Standard 3: Responding to and Analyzing Works
of Art
Students will respond critically
to a variety of works in the arts, connecting the individual work to other
works and to other aspects of human endeavor and thought.
Standard 4: Understanding the Cultural
Contributions of the Arts
Students will
develop an understanding of the personal and cultural forces that shape
artistic communication and how the arts in turn shape the diverse cultures of
past and present society.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
Standard 1: Language for Information and
Understanding
Students will listen, speak,
read, and write for information and understanding. As listeners and readers,
students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts,
and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and
electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and
written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language
to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.
Standard 3: Language for Critical Analysis and
Evaluation
Students will listen, speak,
read, and write for critical analysis and evaluation. As listeners and readers,
students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by
others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they
will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the
English language to present, from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and
judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.
Standard 4: Language for Social Interaction
Students will listen, speak,
read, and write for social interaction. Students will use oral and written
language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for
effective social communication with a wide variety of people. As readers and
listeners, they will use the social communications of others to enrich their
understanding of people and their views.