Final Concept Map

Reflection #11 :)

1.    What occurs as a result of using the Project-based learning approach.          

Project-based learning is a way to plan a real-world project that allows you to connect with your students and offer them a different way to learning the content in a collaborative learning environment.  When we allow students to learn in this way, we are leaving them with memories and artifacts they can hold on to, as well as real-world collaboration and critical thinking skills they will need in the real world.  When using the PBL approach correctly, we are left with many ideas for reshaping our next learning adventure for students, such as finding new ways to organize our classroom, create connections and communicate with students/parents and the community, and finding meaningful ways to use technology and reflection, etc.   In my opinion, PBL is a great way to accommodate all learning styles and by allowing students to guide their own learning, it opens the door to many wonderful unexpected experiences and outcomes.  As a result, PBL can change the entire setting of a classroom because it does not focus on one way for students to learn the material, rather it guides students to make real-world connections and create their own activities which makes learning unique, interesting, and relevant.  Overall, the PBL approach allows us to meet many instructional goals within a project and allows us to review whether students met those goals with their culminating activities.  Additionally, PBL allows us to share great project ideas as well as our insights with others.      

2.    Ways to "bring your project home."

The most excellent way to bring your project "home" is for everyone involved to reflect on the journey of developing and creating a project.  Students should reflect openly as a class about what they liked about their project and what they would change the next time.  If everyone openly reflects about their projects, other students may pick up on something they may not have thought or learned about.  However, students should not be the only ones reflecting.  We need to be thinking about what we have accomplished and where we would like to go next. It is important to make our students understand how much we value and need their feedback in order to improve future projects and share what we have learned with others.  However, my favorite way to bring a project "home" is to have a celebration in the end during which students can share their culminating activities and reflect at the same time.  This signals to students that their project was important and is a great way to acknowledge everyone's collaboration and hard work.     

3.    Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

Everything described in this chapter, as well as the entire book has been a great resource for me to understand the steps of PBL better, from brainstorming project ideas, to creating a project, to implementing a project, to grading a project, and wrapping it up.  I now understand that wrapping up a project is very important in understanding what students liked about a project or did not.  I need to analyze this information and use what I have learned to improve and change a project in order to make it more relevant to students in the future, and meet all the required learning goals that I set out to meet.  We will bring our project home during final's week when we will reflect on our project experience, our collaboration, as well as the technology we have learned to use and incorporated into our web site (culminating activity).  This will in turn guide our professor to make necessary changes based on what we really liked and what we didn't, what we found easy or difficult,or whether we incorporated the technology standards correctly, etc.

 

Reading Reflection 11

Description of what occurs as a result of using the Project-based learning approach.

 Critique your work: plan a project debrief with your planning team, use this time to to draw out each others best ideas for improvement. If collaboration occurred long distance, continue communication using whatever tools you found useful during the project.
Share your insights: 
- Share your project ides with an existing network where teachers from around the world turn to inspiration, good ideas, and ongoing projects they can join.
- Create a project library. If your school or district does not have a place to archive project plans, work with your technology coordinator or instructional leader to develop one.
- Turn your project into an archive on the web. Include on here, student work samples and teacher reflections.
- Publish your project. A variety of Web and print publications invite teachers to share examples of well-conceived projects.
Become a resource for your colleagues: Consider turning your experience into a professional development opportunity for your colleagues, and help them gain new insights into project based learning.
Enter a contest: Entering your project into a contest gives you a chance to put your best work forward. You may gain more exposure for your project and for your students which can help raise the profile of what you are doing in the classroom.
Enjoy the journey: Take time to think about how far you have come and what is coming ahead. 

Discussion on ways to “bring your project home”.

By the time a project is over, students and teachers should feel as if they have been somewhere together. The project should leave both the students and the teachers with vivid memories, artifacts, and souvenirs they have collected along the way, and plenty of new ideas to experience the next learning project. Project endings open new doors and create connections that teachers can build into future project designs. The start of the project took a lot of time investment to make the project the best it can be. It is essential to spend some more time at the end of the project to reflect on what students have learned and how you might want to share your valuable insights with others. 

Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project. 

This relates to our project because it allows us to think about what we could do after the project is over. We have planned a presentation to present our final project and that is a great way to reflect on what we have done throughout the process.  

Reading Reflection #11

1.) One of the results of using the Project-Based Learning approach is that you and your students will feel as if you’ve traveled on a magnificent voyage together. Like all good journeys, your project will leave your students with enjoyable memories and artifacts that they can treasure for as long as they want. Another result of using the Project-Based Learning approach is that you, as a teacher, will be left with plenty of ideas for shaping your next learning adventure for the students. Sure there are some potential issues with this approach, but nothing too major that should shy you away from it. Overall, the Project-Based Learning approach is an approach that I believe should be used in more classrooms. The reason why I believe this is because it’s highly beneficial for both the students and the teacher. I can honestly say that I’ll use it someday when I become a teacher.

2.) When “bringing your project home,” it’s important to understand that great projects don’t lead students to a dead end. Instead, great projects will lead students to open new doors and create connections that you can build into future project designs. One way to “bring the project home” is to have a time where, as a class, everyone can openly reflect on what they’ve learned throughout the project. By discussing things as a class, some things might be said that will help other students learn something they didn’t originally learn from the project. Another way to bring a project home is to have a party. An idea would be to watch an age-appropriate movie that relates to the project topic in some way. Have the students bring in treats and pop popcorn, just make it a blast for everyone! This is a great way to “bring the project home.”

3.) The concepts in this chapter definitely related directly to our group project. The first thing that relates is the outcomes of PBL. Obviously, our entire project is based on PBL, so it’s clear how this relates. As I mentioned earlier, I’m excited to have learned about this approach and I look forward to incorporating it into my class in the future. The other thing that relates to our project is the whole idea of “bringing the project home.” I firmly believe that the conclusion of a project is extremely important. The reason I say this is because the student’s opinion on the project will most likely be based on what happened last. With that being said, why not throw a big party to celebrate all the students’ hard work? They deserve it!

References

• Boss, Suzie, and Jane Krauss. Reinventing Project-based Learning: Your Field Guide to Real-world Projects in the Digital Age. Eugene, Or.: International Society for Technology in Education, 2007. Print.

Reading Reflection 11

1.) Project Based Learning is fantastic because not only does it leave the teachers feeling satisfied with the amount of effort that they have put into their lessons but it also helps kids connect to their own learning on the deepest level possible. If implemented correctly PBL will have helped you find new ways to organize your classroom, get in contact with your students/parents, and find ways to make learning meaningful and fun for your students through the use of technology. Project based learning is worth the investment because it opens doors for yourself and your students that could change the entire setting of a classroom based solely on the fact that PBL makes learning unique, interesting, and relevant.

2.) The best way to bring you project back to home is to spend time allowing yourself and your students to reflect on the journey. What did you like about your project? What would you change next time around? After being so heavily invested in one project it is important to give yourself the proper time to truly think about what you have accomplish and where you would like to go next. It is also a great idea to make your that your students understand how important it is for you to receive their feedback as well. Bringing the project  home will allow you tie off all loose ends and share what you have learned with others.

3.) Everything mentioned in this chapter, and in the entire book has been very helpful at giving me insight on how to work through the steps of brainstorming project ideas, creating a project, implementing a project, grading a project, and wrapping it up. The information in this chapter is particularly useful because although we might not have the actual students to get feedback from about our projects it is important to realize that after all of the time we have spent invested into our ideas it is essential to look back and reflect on how far we have come and so we can analyze what we would like to do differently next time around when we have our own real students!!

Reflection #10

1)       The importance of setting aside time for reflection &  2) The reason students need to reflect and elaborate:

                If we give students time to reflect on their projects once they have been completed, we can help students feel good about their accomplishments and help them think about what they have actually learned.  By allowing students to reflect on different aspects of the project, students are allowed to share their input and create their own meaning.  Understanding students' growths, what they liked or did not like, and whether they believe the project was relevant  to them is very helpful when we plan future projects for them.  Often it helps to ask carefully selected questions to see if learning objectives were met, such as having students think about skill development, creativity, collaboration, giving and receiving feedback, technology skills and future applications, etc.   The reflection of students after a project does not only permit them to learn about and understand their  own personal growth as learners, but is very helpful in guiding our instruction as teachers to improve our projects for future classes and projects.  If students are allowed to reflect and share how they overcame obstacles or persisted despite different challenges and share positive experiences or something they are really good at or proud of, we are allowing them to gain increased confidence to become independent learners and thinkers for future projects and the real world.     

                Students need to reflect and elaborate so they are allowed to think about themselves as evolving learners who can be critical thinkers that embrace new projects and challenges with their own set of innovative ideas and skills that they have learned.  Often times if we give students the choice to elaborate, they may come up with wonderful projects that we could never come up with on our own.   

3)       How schools build tradition and identity:

                 I agree that schools build tradition and identity by informing their students, parents, and community about things they take pride in, such as wonderful classroom projects based around themes that are offered to students as they move up in grades.  If students, parents, and the community as a whole begin to notice and value the accomplishments of students, a school can create a learning environment that is supported by others.  By allowing the community to share in the celebration of students' projects and helping them understand that a class's accomplishments are the result of the student's challenges and rewards of their hard work, as well as a commitment to their own learning, community members will begin to share their support year after year.  I actually created a project about the Earth, Sun, and Moon when I did my pre-internship and my mentor teacher asked me if she could use it for her class every year.  It was shown off at parent-teacher conferences and the feedback from parents was wonderful telling me that their students were excited about learning, and students in fifth grade asked why they did not get to do this project the previous year after it was displayed for the whole school to see.  So, I agree that if we can offer projects in school that are valuable to student's learning the objectives, we can create tradition and identity that allows us to build relationship with the community as I have experienced firsthand and was offered tremendous support for what I was doing.  The culminating product of combining fiction with fact in a brochure that was presented in each group and filmed after a ton of research on each of the celestial objects was due to all of the student's hard work and they were extremely proud of it, as well as their parents.  They were all so unique and it showcased all the unique abilities of the students.  So, if the teacher continues the project, she can lay the groundwork for a tradition at her school that students will be eager to be part of, and if she does the same culminating activity as I did, she can establish an identity where kids look forward to working hard and learning through projects.    

4)       The importance of celebrating a project:

                Based on pre-internship experience, I agree that it is very important to celebrate what students have learned/produced with the help of their culminating activity/presentation.  I showcased the final work of students and culminating project in the hallway for other teachers, the principal, parents, and others to see.  During a classroom celebration/party, each student was given a copy of their brochure (student creation), and parents were able to watch their child's group presentation on video (digital), which were also great tools for "visual" conversations.  Students were asked to point out two great things about each presentation., thus looking back one more time on what they have learned from their peers and their own projects.  By allowing students to celebrate their accomplishments, student's hard work was recognized and appreciation was given for those who helped.  I created awards in the shape of each group's celestial body which was a fun way to hide questions about the project I wanted them to answer.   When asking students to reflect about the project as a whole, it allowed them with opportunities to talk about their processes and growth, and whether they believed the project was beneficial to their learning. 

5)       How concepts in this chapter relate to our topic/project:

                This chapter confirms for me that it is important for students to reflect on their project after it is completed and have an opportunity to celebrate in a way that is meaningful to them.  I have also learned that after students completed a project, we need to allow them to use what they have learned to tackle new projects.  If once we design our project, we keep doing it with other classes each year, we create a tradition and establish an identity as a community of learners by allowing for special ways to showcase our projects.  So, at this point in time it is important to focus on our culminating activity, which is our team website and think of ways we can best show off what we have learned about what students need to know in order to create their own weather forecast/broadcast.  We will celebrate our website when we show it off during our final presentation, where we will be asked to reflect on it and share how we can elaborate on it as well.  I believe this is a very important part of our project, because it displays all  of our hard work and dedication as a group.

Reading Reflection #10

1.) Setting aside time for reflection is not only important for students, it’s also one of the most important elements of becoming a great teacher. The author says “Taking time to reflect helps students feel good about their accomplishments, but more importantly, reflection can be the thing that makes learning really stick.” (pg. 147) I really want to focus on the last line of the quote that says “reflection makes learning really stick.” I wholeheartedly believe that this is true! Some people even consider reflection to be an essential component of learning. If allow your students time to sit down and think over their whole project and what they’ve learned, it has a much better chance of sticking with them than if they didn’t reflect at all. So, the level of importance of letting your students take time to reflect on what they’ve learned is very high!

2.) It’s important that students take time to reflect and elaborate on what they’ve learned so that they’ll be excited about what’s next. The author says that “A successful project is the springboard for the next cycle of learning.” (pg. 149) One of the intentions of a good project should be that it opens up the eyes of the students and that it creates within them a desire to learn more. You should ask your students questions like “What does this get you wondering about next? And “What do you want to learn now, and how do you want to go about? (pg. 149) By asking your students questions that will promote further studies, you’re helping to develop a class of excited learners.

3.) The identity and traditions of a school are things that can be seen as a source of pride. Schools are typically proud of any long-standing traditions that they have, and they should be. The question is how do schools build their identity and traditions? The first step in building a tradition is to build up awareness in others; make sure that everyone at your school and within your community knows what you are up to. The next step is to teach the proper guidelines/rules of the tradition. Whatever the tradition, it’s important that everyone knows how to do it properly. One other thing that’s important in the process of building traditions is to invite people within the school/community to participate in the tradition (whatever it is). A crucial aspect of building a tradition is that you get a large amount of people onboard with the idea. If your tradition is accepted and liked by many people, there’s a great chance that it will live on for quite a while.

4.) Something else that needs to be stressed is the importance of celebrating a project. Projects are often lengthy and require a lot of effort. Most students do them to get a good grade, but projects should be about more than that. What’s the point of having a student do a project if they’re just going to throw it in the trash or forget about it once it’s been graded? The completion of a project is something to be proud of. For that reason, student work should be publicly displayed (if permitted by the students) and praised. Another good idea is to have a party after the project is finished. Whatever you do, make sure that you celebrate the accomplishments of your students. By celebrating learning, you’re leaving a positive memory in the minds of your students. This will most likely result in them being pumped up when it comes time for the next project.

5.) Many of the concepts in this chapter directly relate to our group project. Probably the most important piece from this chapter that we need to include in our project is setting aside some time for our students to be able to reflect on their projects. We want them to be able to predict weather when they’re older, not just for the sake of our project. Something else that really stuck out to be in this chapter is the idea of celebrating a project. I absolutely love this idea and I really think that we should include it into our project. By throwing a party at the end of the project, we’re letting the students know that we truly appreciate all their hard work. This will conclude our project on a wonderful note!

References

• Boss, Suzie, and Jane Krauss. Reinventing Project-based Learning: Your Field Guide to Real-world Projects in the Digital Age. Eugene, Or.: International Society for Technology in Education, 2007. Print.

Reflection 10

Discussion on the importance of setting aside time for reflection.

Taking time to reflect helps students feel good about their accomplishments, but more importantly, reflection can be the thing that makes learning really stick. Reflection is an essential element in learning. Setting aside time for reflection helps students reveal things that they might not otherwise think about: what they learned, their growth as learners, and what they want to learn in projects ahead.  Give students the opportunity to reflect on the ways they overcame obstacles when the work was hard. Encourage them to think about how their own creativity came into play to move the project forward. Also, help students think about how joyous and gratifying the learning journey can be. Help them remember the positive experience they had in the project.

Discussion on the reason students need to reflect and elaborate.

A successful project is the springboard for the next cycle of learning. As students become more accomplished project doers, you will put more and more decisions for subsequent projects in their hands. Projects open students eyes. Ask students to reflect and elaborate.
Ask these questions:
1. What does this get you wondering about next?
2. What do you want to learn now?
3. How do you want to go about it?
4. Where do you want to go?

Discussion on how schools build tradition and identity.

There are a large amount of schools that are popular just for traditions. Some schools are sports powerhouses. Some schools send students to science competitions where they medal year after year. Part of building school traditions is building awareness in others. When families, the community, and students coming up through the grades know what you are up to, you have a foundation for tradition. Once a school has established a tradition of excellence, students will feel it's a privilege to honor the tradition with their hard work. In projects, think of ways to showcase it that will establish your identity as a community of learners.

Discussion on the importance celebrating a project.

- Show students work
- Put on an event
- Create a blog
- Hold a party
- Classroom displays: dioramas, fully transformed classroom, classroom exhibit
- "Year in review"
These are all different ways that a project can be celebrated. Celebrating projects can help your school grow in the community and build your school's identity as a place where kids get to learn through projects. 

Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

This chapter related to our project because it helps us figure out good and effective ways to come to the end of a project. We have discussed ways to present our projects in class and we will be holding a presentation. I believe a presentation of our website and all the work we have done will be the most effective way to show an onlooker what we have accomplished. 
 

Reading Reflection 10

1.) Because the school year is something that goes by incredibly fast, it is important that we as teachers set time aside for our students to reflect on their projects and what they have learned after each new accomplishment. It has been said that reflection is what truly allows the students to ponder their new knowledge and helps the information stick in their brains. After all, students spend so much time and energy putting effort into their projects it only seems fitting to allow them to take a step back and look at the bigger picture of what they have learned. We want to prompt our students to think about how far they've come as leaners and where they want to go next. Reflection is critical to our students abilities to recognize their own good work.

2.) Reflection is important because it allows our students to think about the obstacles they overcome. Through reflection our students will feel satisfied about their learning progress, but with elaboration our students will have the opportunity to question what they know and decide for themselves where they want to go next. The key element to elaboration is that the students should be allowed to pick and choose for themselves how they want to expand their learning progress. If we allow students to chose their own subjects they will feel more attached to their own learning and more likely put in a stronger effort. Elaboration is an important element for deepening the roots of questions and ideas that our students are curious about.

3.) All schools are different, and all schools have different strengths. Some schools might be very proud of their athletic teams while other schools are very proud of their arts programs. As a teacher it can be very rewarding to the students if you set your goal to be school wide recognition of exemplary project work. Not only will your students gain excitement about coming to class but the community will recognize your for your good work as a teacher. If we can instill enough enthusiasm and creativity in our students to achieve high goals they will reap the benefits in tenfold and even pass down their ideas to younger generations.

4.) Lastly, it is a wonderful idea to celebrate the works of your students so you can show them how proud you are of how far they have all come. Every celebration should make it well known that you are truly happy for your students and you want to celebrate their accomplishments. Some ways to celebrate are to throw parties, put on events, make recognition blogs, or anything that will show them how far they have come. It is important to include parents and families so that are also aware of how outstanding their learner are. Another important tip is to ensure that you display their work through the building or the classroom so that they will feel a sense of pride for completing such an important project.

5.) The information in this chapter is useful to all of us students in EDT3470 because it allows for us to begin thinking about the bigger picture of our projects. What is the importance in doing these projects, and how do we want our students to feel when they are done? Not only can we apply these ideas to our projects right now, but even more so in the future when we have our own classrooms that need to recognized for their accomplishments.