Chapter 11 reflection

In chapter 11, the author discusses the feeling that you and your students have been somewhere after completing a project together is one of the results of using project based learning approach. Your students should also not feel like this is the end of the project instead the author mentions that at the end of the project your students feel like they have opened new doors and should have many possibilities for exploration.

There are several ways to bring the project home for your students when using PBL, one is asking them if we continued this project what would you like to do next? This ground them in thinking about the concept further than they would have if just starting and stopping the project. The author also discusses the importance of sharing the journey with others which could be done through the online community or through conversing with colleagues about successes and failures and how important doing this is in the classroom.

The concepts in this chapter are very interrelated with our project because we also use the project based approach to stress thinking about how students could carry out the information they gained from the project to the real world. Through doing this children would not be simply starting and stopping their project but using it in their everyday life’s to improve not just their physical fitness but also their overall mental health which is very important in the early years. I think the thing I  liked most about this chapter was how the author discussed entering a project into a contest was a great way for students to put the best work forward while keeping them on topic and engaged because the care intimately about how their public work will be displayed. This is something I will implement in my classroom one day to have fun and keep the kids motivated toward our goals for the year.

Chapter 11 Reflection

At the end of a project, it is a good idea to have students reflect back and get them thinking about goals that they may have for the next project.  Have them think about what they would like to improve on such as teamwork or time management and have them set goals to achieve that.  As a teacher, it is also a time for you to reflect on what you've learned; what made the project successful and things you would change or do different next time.  When you think back on the project, think about what the most engaging learning activities were and think about ways you are able to incorporate those activities into another project so the students are really engaged and their attention is grabbed. The best teachers are teachers who share.  Think about what valuable insights you have learned from the project that would be useful for other teachers as well.  There are many different ways you are able to share those insights with others, such as existing networks that teachers go to for inspiration and ideas, creating your own project library, contributing photos of your project, creating an online archive of the projects or publishing your project.  Good projects are ones that open new doors and create connections that are able to create valuable insight for other teachers and ones that are able to be built into future projects.

Reading Reflection Chapter #10

One aspect of this chapter that I found to be very valuable was the part about reflecting.  It is not very often that students get a chance to really reflect on something they have just learned.  It is also a way for students to look back on how they have overcame obstacles or challenged during projects as well as the satisfactions they received from the project.  One way you can have students reflect on their projects is by asking them questions such as 

• What satisfied you the most during this project?
• What will you always remember about this project?
• In what ways did you become more persistent or tolerant?

It is important to remember not to ask too many questions though, pick the ones you feel to be most important or relevant.  

Another aspect in this chapter that I liked was the photo sharing part.  I think photos are a good way for students to have a visual of things that they have done or learned about.  It is also a good way for students to communicate about their project to people outside of their classroom, even people across the globe.  Some of the places pictures can be published are in blogs, wikis, Twitter, Flickr, ect. 

Lastly, showing the student's projects is an awesome way to celebrate the hard work they put into them.  Putting on an event, creating a blog or holding a party are some ways to display their work for all to see.  The event doesn't even have to be local, publishing their work online is a way to show it off to people from all over the world.  Displaying the work in classrooms or around the school are also something that can be done! These things allow the students to feel proud of the hard work they have done and the accomplishments they've made.

Chapter 10 Reflection

In chapter Ten the authors discuss the importance of setting aside time for your reflection because the pace of school is so rapid its sometimes difficult keep your ideas in order. Also the author mentions how taking time to reflect can help students feel good about their work and promote students sense of self efficacy. So there are many reasons why students should have time to reflect on their work because if allowed time it can help them become more self-regulated learners by having them think about their own learning process. By doing this the students may find out information about themselves that was previously unknown which can hugely impact how they learn.

The next thing the author discusses is how schools traditions can impact student’s identity. I know from personal experience the high school I attended was a basketball powerhouse every year so that had a lot to do with how I came to identify with myself and others. In celebrating a project the author argues the importance of showing off students work and how by doing so we can contribute to the learning experience. I think we need to do more of this so children can build motivation for doing a project because this is a form of extrinsic motivation that can really propel students in there learning. This chapter relates to my our project in several ways, one is that we plan on displaying the students work so parents and community members could come in and see all the great work the students were doing. This chapter was very helpful to me because it showed the importance of trying to set time aside which in this profession is nothing short of a miracle. 

Chapter 9 Reflection

In my opinion, it is very beneficial for students to be able to connect with others; whether it be students in the next classroom or students from across the globe.  Being able to connect with others is a way to help them with their communication skills and also helps them learn from each other.  Ways in which students are able to connect with others is by blog entries, video exchanges, Google Docs, podcasting, Skype, ect.  As the book mentions, it is also a way for them to become more proficient at working in a culturally diverse world if they are connecting with students from other countries.  This is something that I think is especially important and this is a great way for them to do so.  Students should be able to connect with experts, and I like how this chapter touched on that topic.  A good idea it mentions is knowing the skills and expertise of your students' parents.  

Using technology to solve problems and make improvements in communities is what the Environmental and Spatial Technologies Initiative (EAST) model tries to have students do.  The students use tools and applications to solve community problems that interest them.  The teachers of EAST go through extensive training to learn how to teach students through real-world projects rather than lecturing at students.  I really like this model because it allows students to learn in a way that isn't "traditional" and even though it isn't traditional I think it is extremely beneficial.

Chapter 8 Reflection

As teachers, it is important to be observant and aware of what students are understanding and what they're struggling with.  Being able to keep the students moving toward learning important learning goals so being aware of their progress and where they're getting stuck at is crucial to helping them achieve those goals.  Teachers should be able to think on their feet when unexpected situations or questions occur, because more than likely they will! 

It is also the job of a teacher to make sure that the questions we ask our students are not generating  obvious or simple answers but more complex and the kind that open up a channel for other important questions to be asked.  Researchers have found that about 60% of the questions asked by teachers are lower-ordre questions, which means they are asking for recitation of facts.  They found 20% are higher-order questions, which is asking for evaluation or analysis and the other 20% are procedural.   The discussions that need to be done during project based learning need to take place teacher to teacher, student to student and teacher to student.  Doing whole-class discussion is one way to check student understanding, another way would be to walk around groups, observing, listening and talking with students.  Whichever method a teacher uses, it is important that teachers check their students understanding and pushing their students to higher-order thinking.

Chapter 9 reflection

In chapter nine of project based learning the authors discuss the importance of building connections and branching out beyond the classroom and discussed several different ways to do that. One strategy was having sixth graders use a blog, in this they were demonstrating use of technology and after the project the teacher noticed his student’s huge writing improvement. It’s through exercises like blogging that children can use technology outside the classroom and still build connections to what the class is discussing inside the classroom.

The authors also discussed the EAST model, which is the environmental and spatial technologies initiative. In this initiative the authors claim “EAST Initiative have been demonstrating the benefits of using technology for a real purpose-to solve problems and make improvements in their own communities”(Krauss & Boss, 2014, loc.3324). Students following this initiative master tools and applications that help with the community which allows them to branch out of the classroom. The fundamentals of this initiative are very high levels of student engagement with real world applications, it’s interesting to note that this program began as an elective and is now crossing into core curriculum.

One reason why we need to let students lead their project is because students need to be responsible for their own learning and by doing this kind of project we are actually making them more proficient learners. Another reason is for student engagement, if the student constantly feels bogged down with teacher talking at them then they are less likely to learn and more likely to be confused later on the project. Letting students lead their own project is extremely important and something I will keep in mind when performing PBL in my classroom.  

Our project lines right up with this style of thinking by allowing children choose which type of physical activity they perform, they will be in control of their learning. Obviously this fits more with physical wellness but after the project we will have children research similar ideas where they may once again take the lead and choose which topics they want to learn more about. This chapter was a good friendly reminder that student driven practice is a much more effective style of teaching then just picking what lesson you want to talk about and boring your students. 

Chapter 8 Reflection

The teacher’s role in in keeping a project moving is talked about in chapter 8 of Project Based Learning. The author contends that teachers need to be able to think on their feet when students go off in different directions that you did not anticipate, even though we are not prepared much do that in college. Asking questions especially complex ones, adds to the discussion in your classroom. By motivating students to think critically we are giving them an essential ingredient in moving classroom discussion along. The types of class room discussion are: Teacher to teacher, Student to student and student to teacher.  

Another section in chapter 8 talked about Expeditionary Learning or (EL), in how it relates to project based learning. The author suggests that EL helps instruction balance between high order thinking, academics and citizenship which is important. EL and project based learning may merge when developing the common core curriculum for different schools and planning instruction. When students are using technology efficiently they can benefit by matching their learning speeds by replaying the podcast or whatever you are using, this also helped eliminated some questions for teacher by students being able to correct their own mistakes. Something the author does think may be a hindrance is student’s previous knowledge in the technology you plan to use. If they all know how to use content students would be much more likely to be successful because they are comprehending and not getting distracted. Again I think this was a very helpful chapter to get us thinking about PBL and will try to implement these technologies in my classroom.