HED4814
EXAMINATIONS
PORTFOLIO ANSWERS
2026
HED4814 EXAMINATIONS PORTFOLIO
ANSWERS 2026
,HED4814 ASSESSMENT: Portfolio examination 2026
QUESTION 1.1
a) Learner background and needs
- Context: 10th-grade Geography/Science class in a diverse urban high school
(approx. 26–30 students). Many students are multilingual; there is a range of literacy
levels and prior experience with academic research.
- Demographics and needs:
- Students bring varied cultural backgrounds, languages, and funds of knowledge
(experiences with water issues at home or in their communities).
- Some students have limited access to high-speed internet or quiet study spaces
at home; need for inclusive, low-barrier resources.
- Learners require opportunities to develop collaboration, data literacy, evidence-
based argumentation, and communication skills for diverse audiences.
- Learning barriers to address:
- Language paraphrasing challenges; need for multiple representations of
information.
- Equal participation in group work; some students may defer to others without
structured roles.
- Ensuring relevance to students’ lives and communities to foster motivation and
critical thinking.
- Strengths to leverage:
- Strong interest in local issues, family/community ties to water and environment,
and familiarity with smartphones/computers for data collection and communication.
- Needs in this PBL: authentic, real-world problem with community relevance; diverse
entry points for research (data, interviews, local documents); opportunities to
demonstrate learning through multiple formats (presentation, report, poster, video);
and explicit supports for language learners and students with different abilities.
b) Outline the steps of the activity
Time frame: ~4 weeks (adjustable)
, 1) Engage and frame the problem
- Present a real local water issue (e.g., aging infrastructure leading to water outages
and contamination concerns).
- Activate prior knowledge with quick diagnostics and a sample data snippet.
- Form diverse groups (4–5 students each) and assign roles (e.g., researcher, data
analyst, community liaison, designer, presenter). Use rotating roles to build multiple
skill sets.
2) Explore and gather information
- Students collect data from multiple sources: municipal water reports, news articles,
community interviews, and if possible, a field visit or virtual tour of a local water
facility.
- Include guest inputs from community members or a local water utility representative
via a short Q&A.
- Students document sources with attention to credibility and bias; practice note-
taking and citation.
3) Understand and interpret
- Groups analyze data to identify root causes, affected populations, and potential
constraints (budget, policy, infrastructure).
- Facilitate mini-sessions (jigsaw or stations) where students learn key concepts
(e.g., water treatment basics, cost-benefit analysis, equity considerations) through
student-friendly explanations and multilingual glossaries.
4) Design and propose solutions
- Each group develops a feasible intervention or set of recommendations (e.g., a
policy brief, a community education plan, a low-cost infrastructure proposal, or a
digital awareness campaign).
- Create a concrete deliverable tailored to a stakeholder audience (e.g., a 2-page
policy memo for the city council, a bilingual flyer for residents, a poster with data
visuals).
5) Test, refine, and practice communication
- Groups rehearse their presentation and receive feedback from peers and a mock
community panel (teachers, peers, possibly a community member).
EXAMINATIONS
PORTFOLIO ANSWERS
2026
HED4814 EXAMINATIONS PORTFOLIO
ANSWERS 2026
,HED4814 ASSESSMENT: Portfolio examination 2026
QUESTION 1.1
a) Learner background and needs
- Context: 10th-grade Geography/Science class in a diverse urban high school
(approx. 26–30 students). Many students are multilingual; there is a range of literacy
levels and prior experience with academic research.
- Demographics and needs:
- Students bring varied cultural backgrounds, languages, and funds of knowledge
(experiences with water issues at home or in their communities).
- Some students have limited access to high-speed internet or quiet study spaces
at home; need for inclusive, low-barrier resources.
- Learners require opportunities to develop collaboration, data literacy, evidence-
based argumentation, and communication skills for diverse audiences.
- Learning barriers to address:
- Language paraphrasing challenges; need for multiple representations of
information.
- Equal participation in group work; some students may defer to others without
structured roles.
- Ensuring relevance to students’ lives and communities to foster motivation and
critical thinking.
- Strengths to leverage:
- Strong interest in local issues, family/community ties to water and environment,
and familiarity with smartphones/computers for data collection and communication.
- Needs in this PBL: authentic, real-world problem with community relevance; diverse
entry points for research (data, interviews, local documents); opportunities to
demonstrate learning through multiple formats (presentation, report, poster, video);
and explicit supports for language learners and students with different abilities.
b) Outline the steps of the activity
Time frame: ~4 weeks (adjustable)
, 1) Engage and frame the problem
- Present a real local water issue (e.g., aging infrastructure leading to water outages
and contamination concerns).
- Activate prior knowledge with quick diagnostics and a sample data snippet.
- Form diverse groups (4–5 students each) and assign roles (e.g., researcher, data
analyst, community liaison, designer, presenter). Use rotating roles to build multiple
skill sets.
2) Explore and gather information
- Students collect data from multiple sources: municipal water reports, news articles,
community interviews, and if possible, a field visit or virtual tour of a local water
facility.
- Include guest inputs from community members or a local water utility representative
via a short Q&A.
- Students document sources with attention to credibility and bias; practice note-
taking and citation.
3) Understand and interpret
- Groups analyze data to identify root causes, affected populations, and potential
constraints (budget, policy, infrastructure).
- Facilitate mini-sessions (jigsaw or stations) where students learn key concepts
(e.g., water treatment basics, cost-benefit analysis, equity considerations) through
student-friendly explanations and multilingual glossaries.
4) Design and propose solutions
- Each group develops a feasible intervention or set of recommendations (e.g., a
policy brief, a community education plan, a low-cost infrastructure proposal, or a
digital awareness campaign).
- Create a concrete deliverable tailored to a stakeholder audience (e.g., a 2-page
policy memo for the city council, a bilingual flyer for residents, a poster with data
visuals).
5) Test, refine, and practice communication
- Groups rehearse their presentation and receive feedback from peers and a mock
community panel (teachers, peers, possibly a community member).
