management principles

Organizing and maintaining a research project over a long period with junior high school students is at best a challenge.  Their interests change, technology changes, and the faculty with whom we work recombines as people retire and others transfer or begin their careers.  As a result, a project needs to have some stable philosophical underpinnings.  This project is based on five (5) essential training principles.

REASONS

Before this study began, sound educational concepts were put into practice based on inquiry learning and performance-based education.  Stressing a "clarity of focus" approach, a clear and shared vision of what was going to be accomplished was voiced with and modeled for the students. [See below.]

RESOURCES

At the inception of this study in October 2001, the key technologies necessary for the project's initial stages had been purchased as a result of the class GIS 1 being taught at Jenifer Junior High School.  At that point, we could not foresee that ground penetrating radar, magnetic induction or satellite imagery would also play a major part in the historical equation.  However, the students were well-equipped in terms of the materials necessary for a successful completion of the preliminary work of this project.  It should be noted here that when the project began, what are now termed "preliminary phases" were thought to be terminal points.  The project staff wishes to extend its thanks to Charlie Fitzpatrick (ESRI) for his continuing support and encouragement.  Indeed, without ESRI, this project would never have begun or reached the level of accomplishment it has since attained.

RESOLVE

Once a project of this nature becomes operational, the students and teacher must make a commitment to the successful completion, whenever that may be.  This project has been bolstered with the efforts of five (5) students: Ian Coleman, Nate Ebel, Emerson Follett, Matt Schulz and Chris Wagner, all of whom have given of their time and energies well beyond what might have been expected.

REINFORCEMENT

Every researcher needs to feel that he is accomplishing something of value at regular intervals.  So too with public school students.  Efforts have been made to involve the students in key features of the study at important stages of the project without asking of them skills they do not possess.  These inclusions have resulted in the students speaking to groups large and small, traveling to conventions and seminars with major corporations, and being interviewed for major articles.  Reinforcement keeps the focus on the final goal, especially as this project will stretch over a three-year period.

RESULTS

Throughout the "life" of a project of this nature, a clear image of the final product is crucial.  The more well-defined the goal, the easier it is to assess the progress being made.  In terms of the performance-based education, this is the "design down - deliver up" approach.  When you know where you are going, it's a lot easier to know when you've arrived.

Lead investigator for this project, Steven Branting has a B.A. in history, with post-graduate work in the history of the Pacific Northwest and geographic information systems (GIS).  These images are from his project field notes used to train students in information management.