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.