Reading Reflection #10

                Reflection is acknowledged as being essential element in learning. Taking time to reflect helps students feel good about their accomplishments, but more importantly, reflection can be the thing that makes learning really stick. When students create their own meaning, it’s important that they look at it from all sides while meaning is taking shape, and then view it from a distance, too, as they get ready to step beyond the experience to the next learning challenge. Setting aside time for conscious reflection helps students reveal things they might not otherwise think about such as what they learned, their growth as learners, and what they want to learn in projects ahead.

                Students need to reflect and elaborate because they can look at the topic from all sides while meaning is taking shape, and then view it from a distance as they get ready to step beyond the experience to the next learning challenge and where or what more they want to learn more about the topic. By reflecting and elaborating, the students get to thinking deeper about the subject at hand. What does this get them wondering about next? What do they want to learn now, and how do they want to go about it? Students can create more projects themselves to get a deeper understanding and have a sense of pride doing their project since it’s their own responsibility.

                Schools build tradition and identity. Your class can establish a tradition of exemplary project work. Part of the recipe is building awareness in others. You have a foundation for tradition when families, the community, and students coming up through the grades know what you are up to. Younger students will be ready for the learning that awaits them. Students can anticipate the time when they get to a part of your classroom tradition. People in the community begin to notice and value students’ accomplishments and give you enthusiastic support.

                Celebrating a project is celebrating learning. This build’s your school’s identity as a place where kids get to learn through projects. By celebrating projects, students feel a sense of accomplishment and pride by displaying their projects during the celebration. Through this celebration, it encourages students to continue to do projects and to make a deeper understanding of the topic at hand.

                The concepts in this chapter relate to our project by having our students reflect on the assignments and projects they did with our project. By reflecting, students can reveal things they may not otherwise think about. It’s also important for us as teacher because it’s an opportunity to look back one more time, acknowledge of how hard work and commitment contributed to the success of the project and a culture of excellence at our school, and to give students a sense of pride on their projects.

Reading Reflection #9

    Establish anchors with the students to understand prior-knowledge of topics. Like the book talked about before, a great activity is K-W-L. This activity will help to get a better understanding of your students prior understanding. Keep in mind all students wont be at the same place or have all the same prior-knowledge so this might be a great time for a mini-lesson.


    This goes along great with the topic of understanding prior-knowledge and pretty much goes hand and hand with it. By establishing "anchors", you gain a sense of where students are starting and how far they are going as they work to meeting learning goals. When considering assessment, think about the quality of the learning experience.


    A great way to assess students is a rubric, this way they can see what the learning goals are even before the project starts and what they need to have learned and/or completed. Maybe stay away from traditional tests and give more informal that assess the analysis or real reading. Asking students what they have learned is always an idea or have them test their project in the real world. Trying something new to grade students is always a great idea and will truly test if they have really learned anything or not.


   Ideas and concepts such as new ways to grade is great when ending a project and trying to find out how much a students has really learn. Instead of just taking a boring test. As well understanding prior-knowledge is very important because you need to know where the class is with these ideas and topics to make sure they understand what is going on, if not take the time and help teach what they are unsure of before moving on.

Reading Reflection #9

               A method of understanding prior-knowledge of students is the K-W-L activity. This activity is used to have the student put down what they already know about the topic (K-know), what they want like to learn (W-want), and what they have learned (L-learned). Not everyone is starting at the same place. Similarly, the distance they travel during a project will not be the same for each learner.

                The importance of establishing anchors for a project is to find out your students’ prior understanding. You gain a sense of where students are starting and how far they are going as they work to meet learning goals. In a project-based classroom, you expand the opportunities to differentiate instruction and help all learners be successful.

                Several ways to assess what students have learned during the project are an online grade book, a traditional test at the end of a nontraditional literature project, ask students what they learned through a reflection paper or an interview, and  have students create something new that asks them to summarize or synthesize what they have learned. This novel task gives you the opportunity to look for transfer of knowledge.  Modeling real-world assessment is also a good way to assess what students have learned during the project. This promotes critical thinking and this additional level of assessment was a natural connection.

                The concepts in this chapter relate to our project because as future teachers we need to know the appropriate way as well as many ways to assess our students on what they have learned. We also need to be able to assess them to see if they got a general knowledge of the topic or if they were able to know the topic inside and out and become an expert.

Reading Reflection #8

  It's always a great way to branch out of the classroom and get experts helping with projects, a lot can be learned outside the classroom. This will also make it more fun for the students as well as more hands on. Connecting with experts on a topic online can be a great way to learn, maybe skype with the expert as a classroom or take a Field trip. A learning circle isn't just in a classroom but can be made around the world. Expand the students learning to distant countries, this can easily be done through pen pals and blogs. Learning doesn't just happen in the classroom so expand on ideas and get the students working with experts on a topic or project.

The EAST initiative model shows the benefits of using technology for a real purpose to solve problems and make improvements in their communities. EAST gets students using multimedia tools that are found in professional laboratories or design studios. They learn to master these tools and solve community problems that interest them. EAST students have used GPS to map tails of a national park. This idea started back in 1996 and now is used in over seven states and over 260 schools. The model is built on four essential ideas, these are 1. student-driven learning 2. authentic project-based learning 3. technology as tools 4. collaborations. The last critical component is training and support for teachers.

 As students become more comfortable with project-based learning they can be more than capable of leading their own projects and even coming up with the topic or idea that they care about. This will get the students more excited to learn. You will have control of the project of course but give the students a chance to lead on everything, from picking the topic, to what kind of technology and project they might put together. This will be more meaningful, getting the students working together better.

At some point it think it's would be a great idea to get the students leading on topics and projects. I believe they will get more out of it when they enjoy the project. The EAST model is great but most schools don't have this yet, so it might be cool to bring it into your classroom and project and show others how it can really help students learn . lastly branching out would be a great idea for our topic just to bring in an expert to better explain ideas to students and even me.

Reading Reflection 8

                Digital tools make it easy for students to share their work and exchange ideas with diverse audiences. Students can use blogs to connect with content experts, to reflect on their own learning, and to engage in global conversations that would otherwise take place. Digital-age projects offer almost unlimited opportunities for branching out from the classroom such as students consulting with experts in the course of researching a particular topic, students communicating with fellow learners, and students becoming more proficient at working in a culturally diverse world.

              The EAST Initiative Model demonstrates the benefits of using technology for a real purpose – to solve problems and make improvements in their communities. The projects make use of geospatial technologies and multimedia tools that are more commonly found in professional laboratories or design studios. EAST students master these sophisticated tools and applications in context while solving community problems that interest them. EAST Initiative started in rural Arkansas in 1996 and has grown to include more than 260 schools in seven states. It introduced novel ways to engage learners who were not successful in a traditional school setting. The EAST model is built on four essential ideas: 1) student-driven learning – students need to be responsible for their own learning, 2) authentic project-based learning – students should be engaged in solving real problems in their communities, 3) technology as tools – students need access to the relevant technologies that professionals use to solve real problems, and 4) collaboration – when students collaborate in teams to pursue authentic projects, they accomplish more than any one person can do in isolation.

                As teachers become more comfortable with the project approach, they sometimes find that students are quite capable of leading their own projects – starting with generating a project idea they care about. Through students leading their projects, students get to become the experts. Students get to research topics they are interested in and get to research it the way the want whether it’s through scholarly journals, newspaper articles, the World Wide Web, consulting with experts, and many other ways. By letting students “lead” their projects, it gives them a sense of responsibility and pride.

                The concepts in this chapter relate to our project because as teachers we need to understand that project-based learning lets students build connections and branch outside of just the school to other areas in the world. It’s also important that as teachers that we let students lead their own projects. By letting students lead their own projects, they become the experts of the topic and generate a project idea that they are interested in.

Reading Reflection 7

There are three different types of level of classroom discussion, the first being teacher to teacher. This is a great way to show a project to another teacher and ask them how they feel about it or just overall feedback, what might they change or do differently.  This is a great time to work together, maybe improve on old mini lesson plans. I like the idea if you want to work with teachers that are in another location and too far away to talk face-to-face start up a blog or other collaborative tool to get ideas and share thoughts. Another level of classroom discussion is student to students. It’s really important for students to be talking about the learning experiences as they happen, not only in their own groups but with other students in the class as well. As a teacher you can join in on conversation but make sure to not take over. It’s also good to model how to give effective feedback, give them opportunities to practice this with peers. The last level of discussion is teacher to student, this change with project based learning; you won’t just be standing and using a lecture format with the students. Most of the time you will be circulating, observing and talking in smaller groups of students, unless you need to give a mini lesson to make sure the whole class understand an idea.

It’s very important as a teacher to check in on students during a project, procedural is making sure we are staying on schedule. Track the progress of students and make sure they know when the deadline is coming up. Teamwork is very important, make sure all the students are working together and not just one or two students are doing all the work. Understanding, spend some time observing teams at work, ask questions. If students start to go off task bring them back to main ideas. Lastly self-assessment, ask questions that encourage self-assessment and reflection. If students don’t feel comfortable asking their questions have them post them up on a blog.

  Students who use technology will most likely learn more and have more fun than other students. It is your job to help teach different types of technology to the students, some may be great with computers and others may have a really hard time. This is when a mini lesson comes in handy, give a brief over view of the technology you plan to use for your project to the students. Also make sure the technology you are using is helping the students to learn something. Some classrooms might not even have the technology your project calls for so keep that in mind as well when planning. 

  Not having the right technology can make or break any project, as well as not being prepared. Teamwork is a huge make or breaks a project as well. You might need to help teams along or point them in the right direction. Coming up with a team contract is a great way to make sure every student put all they can into helping there group out. Make sure everyone is helping out and focusing on the same main ideas. Having them evaluate their peers in also a really great idea.

       The ideas in this chapter were very helpful when thinking about my topic. Checking in with students is so important to make sure they stay on task. Overall thinking about what can really make or break a project, we have talked a lot already about technology being a problem but thinking about students need to really work together to have a great learning experience is so important.

Reading Reflection 7

Classroom discussions take place on several levels during project implementation. One level is teacher to teacher. Teacher conversations will likely touch on everything from the procedural to formative assessment. Another level is student to student. Students should be talking about their learning experiences as they unfold. Good communication skills are part of effective teamwork and will help keep their team organized and on track. Teachers should listen in to students’ conversations. Model how to give effective feedback and then give the students opportunities to practice with their peers. The last level is teacher to student. At this level, you as the teacher may decide to lead a whole-group lesson to introduce a new concept or demonstrate a skill that all students need to understand to move their projects forward. As the teacher you may decide to use a whole-class discussion to check in on student understanding or wrap up a certain phase of the project with some class reflection. However, most likely, you are circulating, observing, and talking with smaller groups of students which is ideal for practicing your own listening skills and asking questions that push students toward higher-order thinking. Student teams are likely to be going in many directions and working at different speeds. Frame your questions to get at the information you want to discover, and use the right tools to help keep projects moving. You may want to ask questions regarding procedure, teamwork, understanding, and self-assessment. Procedural questions you the teacher can ask are: “Are we staying on schedule? Do we have the right materials available? When’s the best time to schedule a field trip, expert visitor, or other activity?” Questions regarding teamwork are: “How are team members getting along? Is one student carrying too much of the load for the whole team? Are students able to manage conflict themselves, or do they need my help?” For understanding, spend time observing teams at work, listening to student conversations, and asking probing questions. If you see students going way off task or basing their decisions on faulty information, ask questions or suggest resources to redirect them. If you see opportunities for students to go beyond expectations, encourage them to push themselves. For self-assessment, ask questions that encourage self-assessment and reflection. Project journals or blogs offer space for students to describe challenges or frustrations, to ask questions that may not feel comfortable asking in class, or to share their excitement about a project. Before using technology in the classroom, you need to consider some questions that may help you maximize the potential of technology during a project. Some of these questions are: Is technology helping students reach learning goals, or is it leading them on side trips? Is technology helping students stay organized? Are students taking advantage of available tools to help them organize their research? Are students able to use technology to expand their horizons by connecting to outside experts or a boarder community? Do students have ready access to the technologies they need? With optimum use of technology, you may find students gaining benefits you did not envision at the beginning of the project. One benefit students may gain is new insight into how to communicate with a culturally diverse audience. Troubleshooting is a 21st century skill that distinguishes effective project managers. Help students understand that real-world projects come with real-world challenges, and help them learn from setbacks and fine-tune their strategies for getting a project back on track. Teamwork is another 21st century skill that can make or break a project. If you detect trouble, help students learn to manage their own team conflicts. It’s a real-life skill that will serve them well for years to come. By making teamwork a focus of formal assessment, you help emphasize the importance of this 21st century skill. You can ask students to evaluate their peers on a teamwork-scoring rubric or you might ask students to reflect on teamwork in their project journals. The concepts in this chapter relate to my topic/project because conflict will happen. Students and teachers alike need to know how to manage conflict and work around it. We are all humans and we all make mistakes. We then have the opportunity to learn from our mistakes and make adjustments. That is what learning is about. The levels of classroom discussion also relates to our project on the student to student level because we want students to communicate with each other to create their project using good communication and teamwork skills.