TopicQuestionBrainstorm

=Topic/Question/Brainstorm= = = > **Topic:** > **Virtual Learning Commons** > **Creators:** > > Look for examples of other VLCs online > > Look for any documentation online > > Pennsylvania/Colorado studies—Keith Curry Lance
 * **Topic/Question/Brainstorm….**
 * **David V. Loertscher**
 * Carol Koechlin

Research in this area is limited. Loertscher and Koechlin are the creators of this concept. Most of the writings on the VLC are authored by them. This is an educational idea, therefore most of the scholarly writings appear in academic databases. A brief search on IPL offered no results. A search by author revealed David Loertscher as a reviewer for a journal. 


 * Reichenbach_#5541_3.3_Topic/QuestionBrainstorm **


 * Question Brainstormer **

**Question Brainstormer **

Eg. Which 20th Century president did the most to promote civil rights? ||  How did the Transcontinental Railroad affect the settlement of the west? ||  US attitudes on immigration have changed over the past 200 years. What era in US History benefitted most from immigration? || Eg. How should we solve the problem of water pollution in our neighborhood? ||  How did the coming of the railroad change the lives of Native American populations? What was the environmental impact in the coming of the railroad (encouraged settlements for mining or farming)? ||  How do new immigrants assimilate?
 * || **Topic #1: **
 *  Wild West ** || **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Topic # 2: Immigration ** ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Which one? (Collect information to make an informed choice.)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How? (Understand problems and perspectives, weigh options, and propose solutions.)

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How does the culture of new immigrant populations impact the existing society? || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Eg. What if the Declaration of Independence abolished slavery? || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> What if environmentalists were active at the time of construction? What changes may have been made in construction? || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> What if immigration laws were stricter in the years when immigration to the US was highest? (Need to research when this was…) || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Eg. Should we clone humans? || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Should the environment be compromised for progress? Should we interfere with indigenous peoples? || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Should immigration to the US be more selective? <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Would any of us or our ancestors made the cut if it was selective at the time of their immigration?) || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Eg. Why do people abuse children? || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Why did people ravage the natural resources of the West? (Thinking of shooting of the buffalo & the impact on Native Americans, Farming practices that may have impacted future natural disasters & could they have been prevented?) || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Why is there an anti-immigration movement in a nation that was built by immigrants? ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What if? (Use the knowledge you have to pose a hypothesis and consider options.)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Should? (Make a moral or practical decision based on evidence.)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Why? (Understand and explain relationships to get to the essence of a complicated issue.)

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Brainstorm two topics related to the unit we are studying. Use the cues to develop essential questions that will help you focus your research. You don’t need to fill in every box. We will be discussing which of the questions you develop would be the best to research.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I chose the Question Brainstormer scaffold mainly because I am really unsure where I am going with the ‘big project.’

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In all honesty, I spent a few hours avoiding the assignment. I was trying to think things through to get a focus and a few topic ideas. Things changed when I sat down and began to think about topics for research. I based my ideas on an existing project and one that I started developing this past school year.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The examples provided in the boxes moved the thought process forward. They enabled me to think about my topics and gave me an idea of what to do. As I moved further into the chart, ideas came faster and I really began to enjoy the process. (Can I make a connection with ISP, you bet!)

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Before students even begin this process, I believe they will need some prior knowledge. The content will have to be introduced in class, or they will need some time to explore possible topics. <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">