Workshop Opening,
What Participants Know

Introduction
"Finding out" what participants know has a dual purpose: It helps you gauge their knowledge so you can conduct a better workshop and it allows participants to observe that not everyone has the same understanding of science literacy.

In our experience, workshops participants vary widely in their knowledge of Project 2061 and its work. You will find that some will never have heard of the Project; some will have read Science for All Americans (SFAA) carefully and will be ready to learn about Benchmarks for Science Literacy (Benchmarks); others will know both books well and will want to apply what they know to designing curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

You can choose from three sample options for determining your audience’s level of familiarity with SFAA and Benchmarks.
 

Option A: Participant Questions About Project 2061

Option B: Participants Describe Project 2061

Option C: Diagram of Who Knows What

 
In some instances, you may be able to modify your presentation to accommodate what participants do or do not know. For example, if you find that few participants are convinced that change is needed, you may want to allow more discussion time for this topic or show more of a video that illustrates college graduates’ misunderstandings. If you find that participants are more knowledgeable about SFAA and Benchmarks than expected, you might shorten the presentation on Project 2061 tools.