1. How long can a case-lesson lasts?

Case studies Schedule (including breaks):

A case study can be held within the framework of the curriculum and, in addition to it, in the variable block. For example, at the lesson of Health and Safety, extended day groups, online, during holidays, quarantines, etc.

Number of hours allocated to case studies:

• 4 scans - one lesson (45 minutes).
• 6 scans of subjects - 1.5 academic hours (75 minutes) or 2 lessons (90 minutes).
• 10 scans of subjects - 2-2.5 academic hours (90-120 minutes) or 3-4 lessons (120-180 minutes).

 

2. What is necessary to hold a case lesson?

• Choose an appropriate case (according to the topic and number of scans).
• Situation simulation: its beginning, development and completion. Distribution of time for scans, so as not to be under time pressure and to complete everything.
• Accentuation of attention on certain aspects of the topic defining primary and secondary details. Preparation of "provocative" questions, arguments and counterarguments that pupils may have.
• Take care of each pupil's personal growth.
• Relieve stress and sensitize to free and constructive communication.

3. How to prepare for a case lesson?

• The topic of a case study should be chosen and formulated in advance, timing should be scheduled, emphasis should be made to hold the case from start to finish and to encourage pupils to continue to study cases further.
• Before holding a case lesson, the teacher must work through the lesson independently, adding to it the necessary amount of time for discussions and debates.
• The lesson is held in a classroom, a hall, a study room, which should be equipped with a system for case studies demonstration (or individual tablets, PC), as well as a clock with a timer.
• The teacher should monitor the quality of the material mastering by the pupils. It is recommended to let pupils discuss the mastered material. In this case, the discussion should be managed by the teacher within the set time limits.
• Tasks, offered during the case lesson, must necessarily be worked through after the section in which they are provided. It contributes to mastering of the material, its consolidation with practical skills and makes the case dynamic.
• Children should feel at ease, be free and show maximum communication and initiative. The proportion of "the children speak and show" and "the teacher says and shows" should be 80:20.

4. Will the children have enough time to go through the whole case within the time frame allocated for the lesson?

We recommend that you hold case studies (in particular, for 7-10 scans) in "inverted class" format. As part of this format, the children are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the case material before the case lesson. This allows more attention to be paid to the accelerating and debatable parts of the case, to learn more information and to acquire necessary competencies.

Application of this format increases pupils` motivation, because such lessons are more lively and interesting.

5. Is it possible to go through the scans in a random order? Can any of them be skipped?

You can independently choose both the sequence and the number of scan, but nevertheless, make sure that such selectivity will not negatively affect knowledge consistency.

6. Do we need to perform all the tasks and discuss all the questions offered in the case lesson?

Case study is like a recipe. "Proportions" of discussions, questions, tasks, games are chosen by each teacher individually, based on the purpose, timing and peculiarities of the class. We have given the whole list of ingredients, and the choice is yours.

7. What should we do, if the discussion continues and the time allocated for it is over?

It is necessary to take care of timing in advance. A sand or chess clock will foster the atmosphere of a game and curiosity, but at the same time, it will encourage formation of such competencies as time management and the sense of time.

8. How should we assess the case (should we give marks to our pupils)?

Case is not a lesson to get a mark, but it is a lesson to get "competence, utility, knowledge and motivation". There are other lessons for assessment! It`s up to you to make a decision on marks. The mark may be the "icing on the cake" for the team that wins the team competitions.

Cases are similar to integrated lessons. What is the difference?
The difference lies in the very essence of the method. Integrated lessons presuppose that different disciplines are artificially gathered around one particular topic and it is often not very interesting. The aim is to explain a section of a textbook or topics.

Case lessons are formed when a topic unfolds itself into a project systematically, naturally and logically. In this case such projects have not only pure theoretical, but practical and applied character. This fact makes them real cases, when theory and practice merge together. This feature makes case lessons interesting and challenging!

How much time does it take to prepare a case?

When preparing for a case lesson, take into account that you will need time for the following types of work:

1.1 We choose a case.

1.2 When a case is chosen, read the material attentively and don`t be lazy to open hyperlinks.

1.3 Now we need to look through the case once again to choose which projects and in what order you are going to use, the format, what to start with, methods, games, discussions, what tasks you are going to do , what you are going to say as a summary of the results of the lesson. At this stage it’s a good idea to make a table “Section – what to stress – type of work – time – necessary materials”.

1.4 We need to have a look at the case “planned” in the table and distribute time. Then we write down what and when we need in the case.

1.5 We should analyze if we need to reorganize the desks. If yes - in what way.

1.6 Calm down, cheer up and be positive!

The total time for preparation will depend only on you.

Is it possible to project the case technology in the post-graduate education of teachers?

We already have experience of such cooperation with the Academy of Post-Graduate Education in Kyiv region (BilaTserkva). We are open for offers and ready for cooperation.

Is it acceptable that an elementary school teacher will read the information presented in a case?

Taking into account the fact that elementary school pupils read about 40-60 words a minute and our time is limited, it is logical and reasonable. Of course, it is possible that at some moment you`ll decide to train their reading skills either out loud or silently.

Is it possible to work with a part of the projects on one day and with the other projects on the following day? (in senior classes)

If the timetable defines it this way, why not.

Only try to come up with a “bridge” between the two parts of the case lesson. It can be some project work that the pupils will do after the first part of the lesson and you`ll start the second part of the lesson with this project work.

Are the case registered in the journal? If yes, in what subject should it be registered?

If you have conducted the case lesson as a lesson in a particular subject linking it with a relevant topic in your course scheduling, then, most likely – YES.

Otherwise you can register it as innovative work or an educational event.

 

The case-lessons are structured:

by grades

- elementary school

- secondary school

- high school

by subjects

-"math, science, technology (STEM)"

-"natural science (Nature)"

-"geography, history, art" (World, People, Objects")

- "personal, social, health, economic (PHSE)"