Teamwork in school is not only more enjoyable, but leads to the application of practical interpersonal skills as well. Motivational research projects have results that are shared with people who care and respond. Science fair participants don t get grades. I believe kids get hooked because big people take the time to really look at the work they have done and comment on it. Lots of other students all gather on science fair day and share their findings.
People take the science fair seriously.
The community, both physically and virtually, visited the student s World War II Web pages. This rubric more closely resembles the criteria used in assessing a person s performance in the real world. Mike and his dad had the rubric at the beginning of the project and used it several times to check his progress during completion of the project. It was easy to recognize both what was good as well as what needed improvement. Quality indicators such as rubrics and checklists that are given to students when an assignment is made can help guide learning and keep guesswork to a minimum.