mySF themes: the fate and predestination theme menu page

The theme content areas in the mySF Project are based around several models of thematic studies in SF, as seen in the longer overview article in the Innovative Teachers website at Microsoft.

The column of eight choices to the left show the different learning episodes occurring over a ten week term. The first and last learning episode (LE) are left off as this small unit starts with a concept map and introduction to the system and ends with an assessment and reflection in a final concept map in week ten.

The column starts from week two at the bottom, with the simplest texts and responses and becomes more complex with difficult texts as the students moves 'up' through the unit, at their own pace. This model is based on Reigeluth's Spiral Elaboration theories as also seen in the overview, with citations. The learning episodes are arranged with the last first to stress the rising difficulty of the content for students.

The ambition of this theme area, like the other four, is to have students construct knowledge in response to the themes in later learning episodes. This use of a computer environment for knowledge construction through collaboration is based on Bereiter's CSILE models, as also found in the overview.

Used in the classroom, students start at the bottom and work up as flexible learning (though they can jump around and even between themes at the same LE level), or if a teacher works with the students the usual progress is through LE1 to LE10, using the text menu on the right, top of this page.