Chapter 4

This chapter talks about many potential pitfalls that can take place in project design. The important one they mention is the project that is long and doesn’t have many learning outcomes. Projects like this will not engage the students and they won’t do their best work. If students lose interest in a topic it’s the teacher’s job to be flexible and come up with a different plan. Another pitfall is a project being too scripted for the students and has too many steps. This sounds like the common core math students are being exposed to it is not engaging or fun. So this leads students to not learn or remember what was taught. As if the project is too scripted students won’t have room to explore their own ideas. The outcome to the project will be predictable. That is not the idea behind project-based learning and it’s a disservice to the students. Good projects start with a higher order question that can lead students in many different directions. I like the idea that you can get project ideas from the news and contemporary issues. This will help teachers bring real-world issues into the classroom and that can usually be the difficult thing for teachers to do. Student questions is also a great starting point for projects like these because their interest in topics is very important.

chapter 8

Teachers need to be aware that student projects might take a turn in a direction we don’t expect. As the book mentions we have to be able to think on our feet. Being flexible as a teacher you adjust your teaching to meet your student’s needs. The book list ideas for discussion with teachers to teachers this means teachers working together to collaborate on ideas. I want to collaborate with teachers on ideas and units when I get my first teaching job. I think more people who work on a project can create something great together. And there’s an opportunity for the workload to be shared. Student and student discussion can develop a student’s communication skills. Effective teamwork skills develop as students start to do these types of discussions. Teachers have to model this type of discussion so students know how to format the discussion. Teacher to student discussion is a traditional type of discussion and I was only exposed to this kind in school. I would want to implement the student to student discussion in my classroom. I want my classroom to have some aspect of student-centered learning. Project based learning needs higher order questions. This means questions that require an analysis or evaluation answer. Questions like “how do you know? What did you notice?” these types of questions should be asked even if the teacher is not doing project based learning. Expeditionary learning requires higher order questions and active citizenship. This would look like a project that focused on an issue in the community and the questions being asked pushed the students to think of a solution for the problem. Personal I think these are great ideas, but it would take time and effort on the teachers part to implement and create these types of classrooms.

chapter 7

First I think teachers need to know how much their students know about technology before they start. This can create a foundation that the teacher works on top of. It’s a starting point for further learning to take place. In the book it mentions having students with expertise in technology teach other students. Teachers will have to monitor this student teaching, but it will benefit all students involved. Students will learn more through teaching their peers. I agree with the book K-W-L charts are a good idea to peek students interests in the topic and to find out what students want to learn. Student-generated questions are always a great way to get students involved in the development of a project. Deeper inquiry starts with the idea of where this project can go after it’s finished and how did it fix the current problem. The student can also connect what they already know to what they learned from the project. In the book there is this idea of screen-casting. This means that students can make a slideshow presentation or tutorial. This can be helpful for teaching an aspect of technology to a classroom. The steps to this tool are plan using a storyboard, practice with a microphone, record, edit for the important information, publish for viewing, and promote. This can be used as a way to teach your students over the web while they are home. This program relates to my project because we want students to live healthy lifestyles and they can use the screencasting at home. It could be nutrition plan they can use for healthy cooking.

chapter 6

This chapter talks about the skills needed to manage a project for the teacher and the student. For the teacher I think it is very important to be able to communicate and get resources with/to students. Teachers have to create a structure for the students to follow. Deadlines and milestones for the students to meet during their project will keep them on track. These have to post and given to the students so that they can see them, and follow the schedule. Feedback can help students know that they are meeting expectations the teacher has given. The book mentions ideas for students to manage a project is being organized. I think a flowchart of ideas can help students keep on track for their main goal. Technology can be useful when managing a project using a site where your students can upload work for collaboration. Many schools might not have access to the internet or their servers will block some of the programs needed to do this type group work online. I like the idea of using a blog and it can be used to post progress and I think having the teacher control it will be an easy way for communication to take place. Some students might not have a computer at home so I would suggest a trip to the school's computer room once a week for the whole class. If the school doesn’t have computer reach out to the community and see where you might be able to take students for computer exposure.

chapter 5

This chapter focuses on assessing students throughout the project. Formative assessments are important for student progress and teacher monitoring. This informs the teacher where each of his/her students are and if they need extra support in their work. Teachers will be able to help students adjust projects, clear up and misunderstandings. It is important that teachers know where their students are before the final assessment. I think I would use individual discussion and project journals as a formative assessment. Students will have to write in their journals each day about the progress of their project. Once a week they will meet with the teacher to discuss progress and problems they have encountered. When I hear summative assessment I think about rubrics I was given in school to evaluate my work. Telling students what is expected of them before they start an assignment guides them in the right direction and it can help them form ideas. I think it is important to think through your lessons with an end in mind also. In the book they list ideas for summative assessments: • Create something new • Model real-world assessment (critiqued by experts) • Enter a contest or submit for publication • Ask students “what did you learn?” The above assessment ideas are creative and are appropriate for project-based learning. I like the idea of asking student “what did you learn?” it puts the evaluation of the project in the student’s hands. Which they will eventually have to do when they get professional jobs. Formative assessments are supposed to be a quick check-in point for the teacher. I like the idea of milestones because it helps the students manage their time on their projects. They will be on a set schedule that will keep them on track and help the teacher understand where each student is in their project.

Chapter 12

Deeper learning is used to describe the academic outcomes of project-based learning. The success of project-based learning will continue. Project-based learning involves the habits of the mind, dispositions, and skills like the collaboration that are all reinforced through project-based learning. Deeper learning will help students be successful later in life. They will form skills like adapt critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, communication, and metacognition-learning. Being exposed to this type of learning can help develop these skills. I wish I was able to do some of these projects while I was in middle/high school. It would’ve made learning more exciting and hands-on making the learning sticky. I think it is critical to creating an authentic audience for the students during these projects. This will create a purpose for the project which will increase student involvement. Project-based learning is leading teachers to move away from traditional teaching methods moving away from teacher directed. This will put the learning and exploration into the hands of the students themselves. Online classes were mentioned in this chapter that would allow students to work together over the internet. I personally think that you would learn more if you worked together physically. Videos, podcast and other media was discussed as a way to give students homework. This would be a very engaging form of homework. Students in this age love to use technology and if their homework involves a video or podcast they would be more likely to complete it. The flipped classroom approach can individualize learning and differentiated instruction. All of these ideas will require lots of planning on the teacher’s part so that the learning is being done outside of the classroom. Motivation and self-direction will be required on the student’s part. Self-monitoring can be hard for some students to do.

Reading Reflection #12

Only about 1% of U.S. schools put PBL at the center of instruction although the amount of schools that are using at least a part of PBL in their classrooms.  Schools that have adopted PBL as part of their student's learning experience have started implementing it their elementary schools.  Initiatives are being taken to make PBL more accessible to traditional classrooms.  This chapter describes how students are able to have "deeper learning" through PBL which will help them be prepared for careers and life in general.  Critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, communication and metacognition are all skills that are taught during PBL and are needed for a successful future.  The chapter also talks about developing the PBL mindset for students.  "Well-designed projects make meaning memorable, helping students understand and apply academic content." The students also recognized the value of effort and persistence and don't give up when they hit obstacles, but instead treat setbacks as opportunities to learn and improve.  The switch to PBL is not an easy one, but if done right, it has the potential to teach students things that traditional way of teaching students doesn't and these skills are needed to be successful in the future.

Chapter 12 Reflection

In chapter 12 the authors discuss the effects of using the project based learning approach. One thing that can result is deeper learning and more specifically learning the application of brain science to enhance learning and help motivate student’s creative abilities. This chapter also mentioned how using this approach prepares children for a hectic real world environment by helping children solve critical problems.  There are several different ways to bring this approach home for your child or students, one is to help students understand content by applying it to something meaningful in their life so they can connect it and be engaged.

Sharing the journey though project based learning is very important because it helps children understand why the information your teaching is practical so they may have a desire to learn. One way I will share the journey with my students is by taking an active role in their project and let them know I am there to help them achieve their goals. In our project there were a few themes that we shared, one is that we both introduced the topic because it was something they would have to deal with in their own life’s so we made the information practical for the students so that it would benefit them personally. 

Reflection chapter 11

Project-based projects help students make connections that they can use to build future projects. Using this approach you are able to share your project through many outlets. To me the idea of bringing the project home is finding a way to share their work, discussing it with their groups, building upon the project for future lessons. Enjoying the process and reflection are also important for student development. If a student can explain how much they have learned and experienced doing one project the next projects they do will have purpose. iEARN, Global, SchoolNet are some of the sites that students can use to share their project. Another way to bring the project home is to archive it on the web. This would include student’s artifacts, reflections, and past projects. This is a good idea and tool to use as a way to show future students examples of good projects. Project-based learning can help collaborative groups to use each other as a resource for future projects. It helps build student communication skills, and the ability to critique not only their work but their groups. For my topic the final project will be an after school health program. i think that during the program we will record everything through pictures/videos that can be put on my classroom blog. This will be an opportunity to celebrate the student’s hard work and it will help promote family involvement.

Reflection chapter 10

Reflection helps students realize things they learned from their projects. This will help them what they will take away from the project. Asking students “why is this project important to you?” will help pull out information for their reflections. As a future teacher you will have to be reflective about your job. Having students practice reflecting can also help the teacher improve their reflection skills. Focusing on skill development can have the students realizing the areas they are struggling in. Helping students reflect on the positive experiences they have had during the project will increase confidence, independence, and build connections. The question “what do you want to learn now, and how do you want to go about it?” is great to use at the end of the project to help student elaborate. Asking what’s going to happen now can help the students create independent projects that branch off their last one. To create tradition the project or idea has to be repeated. In the book they mention a teacher doing projects based on local history. The teacher could do this every school to make it a tradition to invite the community, families, and other students into the classroom. This will let everyone know what you’re doing your project on and an opportunity for authentic research of the local history from the people who live there. Celebrating a project will build support from the school and community. Students will also feel proud of the work they have accomplished.

Reflection chapter 9

The chapter expanding the circle mentions the idea of branching out you help your students learn. The teacher Whipple used his blog to interact with other educators. The idea of connecting with teachers from across the world is amazing. The South Korea class working together with Whipple’s class creates diversity for both classrooms. Technology should be used like this the potential possibilities are endless. The teachers were able to connect with over 40 different schools who could be judges of the student’s literature entries. This development of collaborative projects will help develop student’s research skills. Project based projects can incorporate many subject areas. I really like the idea of these projects being designed to solve a real world issue. East stands for the environmental and spatial technologies. They have been showing the benefits of using technology to solve problems. These projects will reinforce the idea of student-driven learning. As student master these projects the teacher can start to let the students take charge of their own projects. Helping your students connect with people who have the same goals as them will set a collaboration. This chapter was really about using project-based learning to connect with people around the world working on the same issue. The topic health is universal, and using these ideas my students could possibly connect with fitness coaches, nutritionist, and people who are researching the same issue.