Monday, December 3, 2012
Friday, November 30, 2012
Read and Reflect # 11
Students benefit greatly from Project-Based Learning. As a result of PBL, students will walk away with knowledge that they will be able to recall for a lifetime, as opposed to studying for a test, taking it, and forgetting all of the information. Students can also use what they have learned to help them in future projects. Through PBL students learn time management, project management, how to work with a team, and many other useful aspects that can help them in the real world.
In order to "bring your project home" it is important to capitalize on your investment, critique your work, share your insights, become a resource for your colleagues, enter a contest, and enjoy the journey. It is important to look back at your project and realize what planning helped to make the project successful. There may have been certain technological tools that either worked well or not so much, and that can help in planning for future projects. It is important to share your project with other teachers as they will learn from you.
These concepts apply to our project of creating the living museum because it is our hopes that they will walk away from the project with skills they can use later on in the real world, and also ideas on what they can do when they have other projects to complete. It is also important that we "bring our project home" rather than just completing it and being done abruptly.
In order to "bring your project home" it is important to capitalize on your investment, critique your work, share your insights, become a resource for your colleagues, enter a contest, and enjoy the journey. It is important to look back at your project and realize what planning helped to make the project successful. There may have been certain technological tools that either worked well or not so much, and that can help in planning for future projects. It is important to share your project with other teachers as they will learn from you.
These concepts apply to our project of creating the living museum because it is our hopes that they will walk away from the project with skills they can use later on in the real world, and also ideas on what they can do when they have other projects to complete. It is also important that we "bring our project home" rather than just completing it and being done abruptly.
Chapter 11 - Bring It Home
Looking back at the end of a lesson, using a project-based learning approach has a long list of benefits. But at the end, what you're really looking back at is the experience of working through the project. The end is really a time for reflection - how everything played out, how much the students enjoyed it, what you might do differently next time. Essentially, what you want to come away with after using a PBL approach is a sense that students truly learned something. Using this learning approach is setting students up for success in their futures; the ultimate goal at the end of the project is to have students that know truly know more about the world around them than they did when they started the project.
As the project comes to a close, it's important to reflect on everything that occurred along the way. While not being too hard on yourself (if using PBL is a first), it is an important step to critique your work; see what areas were successful, what techniques need improvement the next time around, etc. This is also the perfect time to reflect on collaboration that may have occurred with other teachers. While you once bounced ideas off each other when the project was underway, now you can give one another insight into how the pieces of the puzzle fit together. Another suggestion is sharing work with other colleagues (or with others in general). This is not only helpful for your own needs, but gives other teachers a point at which to begin their own exploration into project-based learning.
This chapter gave some wonderful insight into our topic because it gives us an endpoint as the guides in the process. Since we have built the foundation and executed the project, we now know where to go next, what to fix, and even what to expect when we implement these techniques in our future classrooms.
As the project comes to a close, it's important to reflect on everything that occurred along the way. While not being too hard on yourself (if using PBL is a first), it is an important step to critique your work; see what areas were successful, what techniques need improvement the next time around, etc. This is also the perfect time to reflect on collaboration that may have occurred with other teachers. While you once bounced ideas off each other when the project was underway, now you can give one another insight into how the pieces of the puzzle fit together. Another suggestion is sharing work with other colleagues (or with others in general). This is not only helpful for your own needs, but gives other teachers a point at which to begin their own exploration into project-based learning.
This chapter gave some wonderful insight into our topic because it gives us an endpoint as the guides in the process. Since we have built the foundation and executed the project, we now know where to go next, what to fix, and even what to expect when we implement these techniques in our future classrooms.
Chapter 10 - Celebrating and Reflecting
There is importance in making time for reflection. In this fast-paced world, students often lack the time it takes to reflect and review what information they were just given. According to the constructivist theory, this time is an essential part of the learning process, and gives students a chance to look at information at all sides, while simultaneously forming new inquires in their mind and asking questions. This practice, just as with many other steps in the learning process, is basic and needs to be remembered and utilized.
As students come to be familiar with creating and accomplishing projects, they inadvertently begin to expand their knowledge and thought processes - basically, students are elaborating on information they already knew by learning more and participating in projects. A natural progression of this is that students want to know more. Asking students what they want to know - what questions they still have, what new ideas surfaced, etc. - gives way to deeper and more elaborated learning. Taking time at the end of a project to ask students what they learned and what gaps they'd still like to fill (or even what new avenues of information they have wondered about) is a perfect opportunity to open doors to more projects.
The identity of schools and the traditions they uphold go hand-in-hand. From anything like a championship football team to award-winning Mathletes, success helps make schools known. It's never too late to put a school on the map for learning excellence - all it takes is one class to start the tradition. Implementing project-based learning early helps set young students up for the expectations that await them in their later school years. When success plays a role for multiple years and generations, notice is always taken. In many disciplines it is said that introducing a concept to children at a young age sets them up to be more proficient throughout their lives; such success in school is no different.
Along with reflecting on a completed project and being recognized throughout a community for such success, a celebration needs to be a part of the project. The ideas for creating such a celebration are endless, with only one thing to keep in mind: students should be rightly proud of all they've accomplished. Examples such as displaying student work, creating an event where the community gets a chance to view their accomplishments, even praise from parents and family - all of these ideas instill pride in hard work and greater self-esteem.
This chapter relates to our current project primarily because it gives us an idea of what to plan for as a project comes to a close (much as ours is soon). It reminds us to remember the final steps in project-based learning: reflection, elaboration, and celebration.
As students come to be familiar with creating and accomplishing projects, they inadvertently begin to expand their knowledge and thought processes - basically, students are elaborating on information they already knew by learning more and participating in projects. A natural progression of this is that students want to know more. Asking students what they want to know - what questions they still have, what new ideas surfaced, etc. - gives way to deeper and more elaborated learning. Taking time at the end of a project to ask students what they learned and what gaps they'd still like to fill (or even what new avenues of information they have wondered about) is a perfect opportunity to open doors to more projects.
The identity of schools and the traditions they uphold go hand-in-hand. From anything like a championship football team to award-winning Mathletes, success helps make schools known. It's never too late to put a school on the map for learning excellence - all it takes is one class to start the tradition. Implementing project-based learning early helps set young students up for the expectations that await them in their later school years. When success plays a role for multiple years and generations, notice is always taken. In many disciplines it is said that introducing a concept to children at a young age sets them up to be more proficient throughout their lives; such success in school is no different.
Along with reflecting on a completed project and being recognized throughout a community for such success, a celebration needs to be a part of the project. The ideas for creating such a celebration are endless, with only one thing to keep in mind: students should be rightly proud of all they've accomplished. Examples such as displaying student work, creating an event where the community gets a chance to view their accomplishments, even praise from parents and family - all of these ideas instill pride in hard work and greater self-esteem.
This chapter relates to our current project primarily because it gives us an idea of what to plan for as a project comes to a close (much as ours is soon). It reminds us to remember the final steps in project-based learning: reflection, elaboration, and celebration.
Friday, November 23, 2012
Read and reflect #10
Setting aside time for reflection is very important when students complete a project. Setting aside time for reflection helps students reveal things they might not otherwise think about including what they learned (and what they enjoyed about learning), their growth as learners, and what (and how) they want to learn in projects ahead. Students are able to reflect on how the project became personally meaningful. When thinking about reflects is is important to ask students how specific learning behaviors factored into the success of a project and their skill development.
One important factor that helps schools build tradition is building awareness in others. When families, the community, and students coming up through the grades know what you are up to, you have the foundation for tradition. As community members begin to notice and value students' accomplishments they will become enthusiastic and show support. It is helpful to ask community members to participate in learning. This way they can see how your class accomplishments are the results of students' commitments to their own learning.
Creating a celebration for a project can actually be a project in and of itself. Put students in charge of planning the celebration. Celebrating a project can help build the school's identity as a place where kids get to learn through projects.
All of these concepts relate to our project of creating a living museum. I think it would be a great idea to have students plan an event to hold for their parents and members of the community once they have experienced the living museum the students created. Planning the event could be incorporated as part of the project, giving each student an opportunity to plan some aspect of it as they are also creating the living museum. I also think that reflection upon the project could be a part of the event as it would give community members a chance to hear the students' thoughts on the living museum they worked on.
One important factor that helps schools build tradition is building awareness in others. When families, the community, and students coming up through the grades know what you are up to, you have the foundation for tradition. As community members begin to notice and value students' accomplishments they will become enthusiastic and show support. It is helpful to ask community members to participate in learning. This way they can see how your class accomplishments are the results of students' commitments to their own learning.
Creating a celebration for a project can actually be a project in and of itself. Put students in charge of planning the celebration. Celebrating a project can help build the school's identity as a place where kids get to learn through projects.
All of these concepts relate to our project of creating a living museum. I think it would be a great idea to have students plan an event to hold for their parents and members of the community once they have experienced the living museum the students created. Planning the event could be incorporated as part of the project, giving each student an opportunity to plan some aspect of it as they are also creating the living museum. I also think that reflection upon the project could be a part of the event as it would give community members a chance to hear the students' thoughts on the living museum they worked on.
Friday, November 16, 2012
Chapter 9 Reading Response
Having students write a brief summary about what they already know about the topic is a way to gain understanding of a student's prior knowledge. You can also have a student fill out a KWL and can either have the students read them aloud to the class or have them hand it in to you and read them yourselves.
By establishing an anchor, it's easier to gain a sense of where each student is starting in the project and how much work they need to put in in order to reach their learning goals. Since, in a PBL based classroom, you have more opportunities to use different forms of instruction in order to help all types of learners be successful in the project.
One type of assessment that can be utilized is to simply ask the students what they learned. You could even videotape these mini interviews with the students in order to look back on them and see how each child differed. You could have them create something new at the end of the project as a whole as a way to summarize the entire project and what they learned while they were doing it. You could evaluate the work of the students using model real-world assessment, by applying the skills of professionals in a particular discipline.
This chapter was very useful to our project subject. Since our subject is history, it can sometimes be rather difficult to find ways to assess the students. This chapter provided ample examples of ways that we could assess our students in this particularly difficult subject.
By establishing an anchor, it's easier to gain a sense of where each student is starting in the project and how much work they need to put in in order to reach their learning goals. Since, in a PBL based classroom, you have more opportunities to use different forms of instruction in order to help all types of learners be successful in the project.
One type of assessment that can be utilized is to simply ask the students what they learned. You could even videotape these mini interviews with the students in order to look back on them and see how each child differed. You could have them create something new at the end of the project as a whole as a way to summarize the entire project and what they learned while they were doing it. You could evaluate the work of the students using model real-world assessment, by applying the skills of professionals in a particular discipline.
This chapter was very useful to our project subject. Since our subject is history, it can sometimes be rather difficult to find ways to assess the students. This chapter provided ample examples of ways that we could assess our students in this particularly difficult subject.
Read and Reflect #9
One helpful tool for determining students' prior knowledge is the use of a K-W-L chart. A K-W-L chart gives the students an opportunity to describe what they already know, what they want to know, and what they learned. Almost always, not all of the students will be starting with the same knowledge level. This is also true for what they may learn by completing the project. Establishing anchors in a project is very important because you are able to gain a sense of where students are starting and how far they are going as they work to meet learning goals.
There are several ways of grading your students in a way that can really gauge what they have learning. Multiple choice tests are not one of these options. Some of the ways to assess students include asking students what they learned, having students create something new, model real-world assessment, or entering a contest or submitting their work for publication. By have students create something new at the end of the project it requires them to go back and recap what they have learned. This also helps you find out if the student can take what they have learned and apply it in a new context.
These concepts are all very important in creating our group project. I think the best method of grading the students working on our project is by having them model real-world assessment. They will be completing all the tasks it requires to create a living museum, and some of them will even be transforming themselves in to characters other than themselves.
There are several ways of grading your students in a way that can really gauge what they have learning. Multiple choice tests are not one of these options. Some of the ways to assess students include asking students what they learned, having students create something new, model real-world assessment, or entering a contest or submitting their work for publication. By have students create something new at the end of the project it requires them to go back and recap what they have learned. This also helps you find out if the student can take what they have learned and apply it in a new context.
These concepts are all very important in creating our group project. I think the best method of grading the students working on our project is by having them model real-world assessment. They will be completing all the tasks it requires to create a living museum, and some of them will even be transforming themselves in to characters other than themselves.
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