The goals of this exercise are twofold:

1. You will understand better the differences among information patterns, and
2. You will be able to suggest ways to improve a lesson using these patterns.

Phase 1: Analyzing Three Patterns

1. Everyone will be given a Comparison Matrix on paper to work from. You'll be divided into working groups of four.
   
   
2. Within your group, you'll be studying one of the following information patterns: Concept Maps; Timelines; and Venn Diagrams. Your first task is individually to look at the web sites that go with each pattern. Within each team, two of you will look at the concept map sites, while the other two types will be examined by one person.
   
   

   Concept Maps	Timelines	Venn Diagrams
   Concept Mapping Homepage Concept Maps COMET Satellite Meteorology Concept Map of the Heart Ancient Sumer Cell Division Concept Map	TimeLiner as a Teacher's Tool The American Revolution Civil War Noam Chomsky Loose Nukes Gold Rush Time Line OK City Bombing Timeline	Venn Diagrams Venn Diagram Post-Reading Venn Diagram Venn Diagram for Deaf Ed Mountains Dealing with Differences Interdisciplinary Unit "Concept Map"

    
3. Each person will complete the Comparison Matrix as they look at the sites, putting a + or - to indicate which characteristics each type of pattern has.
   
   
4. Next, we'll gather everyone together who has been studying the same pattern so that you can compare notes and come to consensus.
   
   
5. When time is called, you'll compare notes with the other three members of your team to complete a single matrix for all four of you. This will serve as a guide for the next step.
   

Phase 2: Applying Patterns to a Lesson

For the next phase, you'll work with at least one other person in thinking about improving a lesson. You may move seats and form another pair or team as needed.

1. Within your new group, think of a lesson in which you ask your students to gather information and make sense of it. It could be a lesson in which you'd send them to the library, or have them analyze a reading, interview an expert, or explore a number of web sites. The key idea is that you aren't standing there presenting the information to them in well organized form; rather, they are working on their own or in teams and grappling with information themselves.
   
   
2. Within your group, think of at least two ways in which you might scaffold that information grappling. How could you provide your learners with a partially completed information pattern that would guide their actions? For each of your two or more proposed ideas...
   
   
   • pick an appropriate pattern type (concept map, timeline, Venn diagram, or perhaps one of the others)
   • use Inspiration to draft a prototype of the partially completed pattern that you'd provide to students, and
   • (if time permits) complete the diagram to show how an ideal student team would flesh it out
     
     
     
3. We'll conclude with a whole class showcase to see what you've come up with.