The Praxis Project

Delivered by: Marisa Meleca & Olivia Maiorino

What is the Praxis Project?
● An interdisciplinary project, meaning it compares 2 or more subjects of study
● Allows you to make connections between these different subjects using 1 guiding
question
● Requires you to draw information from various classes
● Encourages you to find relevance in multiple academic disciplines by applying
each discipline to the guiding question
● Allows you to make important connections to yourself, a community of your
choosing, and the world around you
What makes up the Praxis Project?
● There are 3 components of assessment
○ Reflection Paper
○ Media Component
○ Final Presentation
● You will be working in a group of 3
● Choose a primary academic focus to base these 3 components of assessment on
● Choose a secondary focus to make comparisons to
● Your group members will have a DIFFERENT primary focus and the SAME
secondary focus
● NOTE: We recommend choosing your primary academic focus first, create your
group, and then determine a secondary focus that you all agree upon to make
comparisons to
Reflection Paper
● Write a reflection paper that addresses the Praxis guiding question
● Pick 2 disciplines to compare in your reflection paper. One of these disciplines should be
your primary focus for your paper to be reviewed by one of the praxis team teachers
● Choose 1 of the following to be your primary focus:
○ Math/ Science
○ History/ Geography/ Literature
○ Language/ Arts
● Now select your secondary focus:
○ Business
○ Cooking
○ Phys Ed
○ Media
○ French
○ Any of the primary focuses can count as a secondary as well
Reflection Paper Continued
● Your reflection paper should:
○ Answer the guiding question with respect to both chosen subjects
○ Make connections to self
○ Answer why you chose these subjects
● Think about:
○ Why did you choose this academic focus to answer the guiding question?
○ How does the guiding question relate to you and the primary focus you chose? The
secondary focus you chose?
○ Why does this matter to you?
○ Why does it matter that we analyze these connections?
Media Component
● Pick a media platform to deliver a message
● Build a media component to address the guiding question
● Connect the guiding question to a community of your choice
○ Example of community could be your school, a sports team/extracurricular outside of
school, a neighbourhood in Ottawa, etc.
● Use your media component to make connections within the community
● Think of this as a “Take Action.” You are generating a movement!
● Think about:
○ What community do I belong to?
○ Why is this important in my community? (Think about the guiding question)
○ What positive/negative impact does this have on my community?
○ How can I encourage my community to take further action?
Final Presentation
● Collaborate and present with your group to a panel of teachers
● Show how you have connected your Praxis Project to the world at large
● In your presentation, think about:
○ Why is this important from a global perspective?
○ Has this already influenced parts of the world?
■ Discuss with your group, which primary subjects have more of a connection than
others
○ How might this impact parts of the world in different ways?
○ Do the connections we’ve made have a positive/negative influence on different
communities around the world?
Sample Guiding Question

What does balance and imbalance look like?

Sample Group
● Member 1 has a focus on Science
● Member 2 has a focus on Language
● Member 3 has a focus on Math
● All members agree on a secondary focus of History
● All members will answer the guiding question: “What does balance and imbalance
look like?”
● All members will make comparisons between their primary focus and secondary
focus, History.
Sample Reflection Paper: Member 1
Primary focus: Science

● What does balance and imbalance look like biologically?

Secondary focus: History

● What does balance and imbalance look like for various historical leaders?

Points to compare:

● Gender and power

● Race and power

Student reflection: How much power or influence would I have in a historical setting
(of my choosing) based on my biological makeup?
Sample Reflection Paper: Member 2
Primary focus: Language

● Language is powerful. What might that look like balanced and

imbalanced?

Secondary focus: History

● What does balance and imbalance look like for various historical leaders?

Points to compare:

● Language/literacy and power (think of the advantages of knowing English, how

this helps you when travelling, when networking, etc.)

Student reflection: How much power or influence would I have in a historical setting
(of my choosing) based on my level of literacy and knowledge of English language?
Sample Reflection Paper: Member 3
Primary focus: Math (Data management)

● We can use numbers to find balance or imbalance in our finances. What

does this look like to you?

Secondary focus: History

● What does balance and imbalance look like for various historical leaders?

Points to compare:

● Money and power (how did one’s wealth impact their ability to lead?)

Student reflection: How much power or influence would I have in a historical setting (of my
choosing) based on my or my family’s overall wealth and needs? (Does my gender influence my
ability to contribute financially? How would this differ if I tried to contribute in the same way I
do now back in 1940?)
Sample Media Component: Member 1
Primary focus: Science

● What does balance and imbalance look like biologically?

● A biological imbalance could mean a genetic deformity, a social or learning disability.
Without a biological imbalance people have less barriers in their road to success. For
example, a biological imbalance could look like a person with a physical deformity or a
person with autism.

Based on my reflection paper and research, how can I bring this discussion into my community?

● People who have been born with an “imbalance” are not limited in their capabilities.
● There is a place for everyone.
● I choose to interview people with a “biological imbalance” on their successes and how they
achieved them (ex. interviewing a successful marathon runner with Autism) and share their
interview through an online blog.
Sample Media Component: Member 2
Primary focus: Language

Language is powerful. What might that look like balanced and imbalanced?

● How can you use language and voice to make change?

● How can an imbalance in language affect these changes? If you’re unable to communicate
effectively what impact does that have?

Based on my reflection paper and research, how can I bring this discussion into my community?

● Be a voice for those who have lost language or lack knowledge of the language.
● For example, Malala Yousafzai used her voice and knowledge of persuasive language to
demand change in her community.
● I choose to use my voice to advocate for change in a community that cannot communicate
effectively for themselves through a media platform such as Youtube or Twitter.
Sample Media Component: Member 3
Primary focus: Math (Data Management)

We use numbers to find balance or imbalance in our finances. What does this look like to you?

● How can balance or imbalance of finances affect a community?

● Is there such thing as too much money?

Based on my reflection paper and research, how can I bring this discussion into my community?

● What are the current needs of the demographic in my community?

● What does this look like from a financial perspective?
● How can I ensure finances are distributed evenly (balanced)?
● I choose to create an online survey to send out to members in my community. I create an online service
(discussion board) where members of the community can address their concerns and make suggestions
for change based on how they think we should distribute funding. For example, if members feel more
funding is needed to support breakfast programs over building a new park, we can justify why our
finances are unbalanced in number, but balanced in order of priority.
Final Presentation: All 3 Group Members

Members 1-3 gather to discuss what they learned about each of their primary focus when
answering the question: What does balance or imbalance look like?

Then, they discuss how their individual primary focus relates to their shared secondary
focus, History.

The group will also present their unique media components, talk about the community
they chose, and what impact they made within their community.
Final Presentation continued: All 3 Group Members
Next steps:

a) The group will discuss how they hope to continue using their media sources to initiate change
within their community, and create a plan on how they can reach a greater population
(nationwide, worldwide, etc.).

OR

b) The group will decide on ONE media source that they think is most deserving/most needed to
continue initiating change within their community, and and create a plan on how they can
reach a greater population (nationwide, worldwide, etc.).

To conclude, the group will share what they learned from the
Praxis overall (what was their most important takeaway?).
The ‘Original’ Praxis Project
To learn more about the original Praxis Project, please visit:
https://www.thepraxisproject.org