Answer to Question 1
A. TRUE
Answer to Question 2
In general, effective tasks
1. engage students. Students are motivated and find the tasks meaningful. Work does not always have to be fun, but it should be interesting and meaningful and take place in an environment that is emotionally safe (Erlauer, 2003).
2. help students become responsible for their own learning, in whole or in part. If students are engaged, teachers can use a gradual release of responsibility to move students toward independent learning. To do so, tasks must allow students to investigate some of their own questions rather than having them supplied.
3. encourage students to be strategic. During effective tasks, students make systematic, thoughtful choices of how to meet learning challenges. They decide which strategies, resources, and tools will help them complete the task.
4. require collaboration. Effective learning takes place through interaction with others, so tasks must require that students work together, share information, and contribute to the understanding of others.
5. focus on essential questions. Rather than just gathering information, students need tasks during which they frame and investigate important questions. Such tasks are more likely to use technology well, engage students, and lead to gains in learner achievement. According to McKenzie (2004a), these questions include:
Why do things happen the way they do?
How could things be made better?
Which do I select?
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