Reading Reflection #4

1.) When creating/reviewing a project, it's important to understand that there are some potential pitfalls that you might encounter. ---One potential pitfall is titled "Long on activity, short on learning outcomes." In other words, make sure that your project focuses more on learning outcomes rather than length. If your students do a lengthy project but don't learn much from it, then it's pretty much a waste of time.
---Another potential pitfall is called "Technology layered over traditional practice." This means that you shouldn't simply assign your students a research project where they look up things on the internet and then present their findings. This is basically just a research report, not a quality project. So, be sure to focus the project on reaching significant learning outcomes.
---A third potential pitfall is titled "Trivial thematic units." It's crucial to avoid trivial thematic units because the don't give students a deep knowledge/understanding of the topic. Be sure to structure your project properly so that your students learn about many different aspects of your topic.
---The fourth and final pitfall is called "Overly scripted with many, many steps." Excellent projects are those that require students to make critical decisions about their learning path. So, it's very important to stay away from projects that are scripted. You want to make sure that your project does NOT end with "cookie cutter" work products.


2.) There are many features of a good project, I will discuss a few of them. Probably the most important feature of a good project is that it's designed loosely; good projects allow students to take different learning paths. Another feature of a good project is that it's realistic and crosses multiple disciplines. A realistic project will be very beneficial to your students. Another feature of a good project is that it reaches beyond school to involve others. If the project does this, the students will be able to learn how to collaborate with others. Another feature of a good project is that the project has the students learn by doing. Hands on activities will greatly help enhance the students' learning during the process of completing the project. One last feature of a good project is that it taps into rich data and primary resources. This will help develop the students' research skills.


3.) Project ideas can come from absolutely anywhere! Project ideas can come from other teachers. As teachers, we're all in this together to make sure that our student's continue to develop on a daily basis. With that being said, don't hesitate to ask other teachers for project ideas! Project ideas can also come from contemporary issues. When debating about a project idea, you can sometimes look to the news for interesting topic ideas. Believe it or not, project ideas can even come from classroom irritants. For example, you could even base a project around cellphones. Cellphones can be used as excellent research tools. When it comes to finding good project ideas, something that you should always remember to do is keep your eyes and your ears open because you never know when you'll come across a great idea!


4.) Designing a project is a step by step process. The first step is to revisit the framework. During this step you need to make a final list of all learning objectives for core subjects, decide on the specific 21st-century skills you want to address, and also identify learning dispositions you want to foster. The second step is to establish evidence of understanding. This involves imagining what your students will be able to do once they have learned something new and completed the project. The third step is to plan the "vehicle." Planning the theme or challenge of your project is a very crucial step. The fourth and final step is to plan excitement into the project experience. Building excitement into the project and grabbing the students' attention from the very beginning is a key component to a project's success.


5.) The information covered in this chapter directly relates to our project. In our project, we're having our "class" communicate with another 5th grade class in Sochi, Russia. This is one of the features of a good project, "reach beyond school to involve others." Also, our students will "learn by doing." Our students will be learning how to monitor weather and report on the current conditions. In doing this, our students will actually go outside and record observations about the weather. Overall, this chapter will be a very useful resource when planning our project!