Active learning ideas
Once a potential topic is identified, students must move into preliminary research to validate the problem's existence and assess the feasibility of their project. This stage involves a 'litmus test' of the group's ideas against existing data, news reports, and academic journals. Students learn to distinguish between anecdotal evidence and substantiated facts, ensuring their project is grounded in reality rather than assumptions.
Activity 01
Groups are given a topic and must find one government report, one news article, and one academic paper within a time limit, evaluating each for reliability and relevance.
How do we define the scope of our project?
Activity 02
One group presents their project idea and another group acts as 'critics,' questioning the feasibility of data collection and solution implementation to stress-test the proposal.
Who is our target audience?
Activity 03
Groups display a summary of their preliminary findings and a feasibility checklist. Peers walk around to leave sticky notes with suggestions for potential data sources or warnings about roadblocks.
What are our primary objectives?
A few notes on teaching this unit
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Preliminary research is only about finding support for our idea.
It is equally about finding counter-evidence or discovering that a problem has already been solved. Peer review sessions help students realize that finding a 'dead end' early is a success, not a failure, as it allows for a timely pivot.
Feasibility only refers to whether the solution works.
In PW, feasibility also includes whether students can actually finish the project. Hands-on timeline mapping helps students see that a brilliant idea is useless if they cannot access the necessary survey respondents in time.
Methods used in this brief
Understanding the Task and Brainstorming
Students analyse the given project task and brainstorm potential areas of investigation. They learn to identify relevant real-world issues within the Singaporean or global context.
8 methodologies
Preliminary Research and Feasibility
Students conduct initial research to test the viability of their proposed ideas. They assess potential constraints and refine their project scope accordingly.
8 methodologies