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This teacher needs your help!

Mr. Tan from Los Angeles, CA is requesting technology through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Mr. Tan is requesting

Flipping the Script: Students as Critical Researchers and Problem Solvers

The cost of lap top, voice recorder and speakers is $2125, including shipping and <a target="new" href="http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm" onclick="g_openWindow('http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm', 300, 800, 'fulfillwindow');return false;">fulfillment</a>.

  • $2,125 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

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Help Mr. Tan

In the local school district in which my students are in, they are subjugated to mandated curriculum that not only is disengaging but dehumanizing. Black and Brown students, in South Los Angeles, have become nothing more than numbers on a stat sheet as they are not being taught to critically think, problem solve, or be creative. Students are pressured to become test taking machines where they are judged not by their conceptual and metacognitive growth, but by their ability to produce a score for the school. Many higher educational institutions have researched the aforementioned and connected it to broader social issues of power and privilege, sending in their researchers and scholars to "study" teachers, schools, and students. This 5th grade urban elementary school class, consisting of approximately 35 students, has decided to "flip the script". No longer are the students of the school content with learning about test taking and administrational accolades and superficial judgments. Through this project the students will go from being the statistic and the researched, to the proactive researcher as they learn skills to strengthen their academic core, as well as learn applicable problem solving and critical analysis skills as they become student researchers. The project will include using voice recorders, a laptop, computer speakers, Microsoft Power Point, and an LCD projector to help the students problem solve and research solutions to their educational goals, rights as students, and make connections to similar schools throughout the country. Using the materials, the students will conduct a research project on a variety of student and school centered issues including school resources, quality of education, community issues affecting the school and student learning, and more. The students will have to conduct interviews, using the voice recorders, and create a power point presentation that they will present at various venues, including UCLA. To scaffold their learning, the students will first create a Power Point presentation and research paper on an overlooked but influential person of color who has contributed to the change for communities of color. The students will research figures like Che Guevarra, Malcolm X, Yuri Kochiyama, Philip Vera Cruz, Dolores Huerta, and Rigoberta Menchu in order to get exposed to the type of project they will be asked to undertake. They will then present their initial reports and presentation to other classrooms at the school. Using the laptop and the overhead projector, the students will be able to transport their work and presentations throughout the entire school. The students will also look at other cases of research spanning higher education to similar student led research. They will be responsible for creating a write-up as well as a visual to accompany their Power Points. In doing so, the students will learn grade level appropriate standards that are rigorous enough to develop technological skills they can apply later in life. They will become saavy with technology, writing, and presenting and will be engaged as they go from machinations to producers of change. The students of my class and others in similar situations have few to no experiences outside of "test prep", and yet there is a dilemma in why our kids are not learning. Through this project, and others like it, kids not only become engaged and exposed to technology, but they get to problem solve, strategize, research, and do something in meaningful contexts and real life situations. They also can utilize these skills further on down the road as it will expose them to the possibilities. Fifth grade is a critical time because it signals a transition for the students. A project like this can spark the love for learning and create students that can truly change the world.

Mr. Tan 122nd Street Elementary School Grades 3-5

Equity Focus

At this school, more than 50% of students are Black, Latino, and/or Native American, and more than 50% come from low-income households. Learn how your donation to this school supports a more equitable education.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

More about Mr. Tan

Los Angeles, CA View local requests

Nearly all students from low‑income households Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more

35 students impacted 5donors

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
Sony(R) VAIO(R) VGN-FS980 154quot Widescreen Notebook Computer With Intel(R) Centrino(R) Mobile Technology And Intel(R) Pentium(R) M Processor 740 • Office Depot Inc. $999.99 1 $999.99
SONY SLIM PC CONNECT DIGITAL VOICE RECORDER W/MP3 -- Sony Digital Voice Recorders; ICD-SX46, Slim PC Voice Recorder • Quill Corporation $149.99 3 $449.97
LOGITECH X-530 SPEAKERS -- Logitech X-530 Speakers • Quill Corporation $79.99 1 $79.99

Materials cost

$1,529.95

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

3rd party payment processing fee

Fulfillment labor & materials

Total project cost

$1,742.50

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$382.50

Total project goal

$2,125.00

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $2,125.00

3 Donors

-$2,050.00

Donations toward project cost

-$1,742.50

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$307.50

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$75.00

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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