Final Inspiration

Reading Reflection #11

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

-          Students who use the project-based learning approach learn to effectively collaborate with peers to meet a goal, learn to communicate with peers and mentors, and learn to work through authentic ideas and problems with the incorporation of technology. Teachers who use the project-based learning approach develop a deeper relationship with the students as they work to solve authentic issues and problems and through reflection.

2.       Discussion on ways to “bring your project home”

-          There are a number of different ways to “bring a project home” or share projects after they are finished with the community. One way is by sharing the project with an already existing network, such as iEARN or Global SchoolNet. Another way could be by creating a library or display the projects in the school library. Another way could be by publishing the project.

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

-          The students completing our project will be sharing their completed project, a workout video, with their family and friends during a “movie night”. This is another example of “bringing a project home” and giving the students the opportunity to share all their hard work throughout the unit.

Ch. 11 Reading Reflection

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

·         As a result of project-based learning, students learn how to work collaboratively during an authentic learning experience. Teachers learn the dynamics of each student which will help them plan for upcoming projects.

2. Discussion on ways to “bring your project home”.

·         One way to bring your project home is by entering it into a contest or publishing it on the Web or in print. This is a great way to show off your work and provide resources for others.

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

·         In our project, our students will be throwing a movie night to show off their projects. By presenting their completed work, the students can educate family and community members about what they have learned during the unit.

Reading Reflection 11

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

Many things occur because of the Project-based learning approach.  It gives us ideas for our next project and students are able to look back and recall what they learned. Students are also able to reflect on the project and are able to see what they could have done differently or better. Students mature and work together to finish the project, which is an extremely important life skill.

2.       Discussion on ways to “bring your project home”.

Some ways that can finally wrap up the project are looking back and critiquing what you have done. This is the best way to improve as a teacher and should be done after every project so that the next one we teach can be better. We should also share what we have discovered with other colleagues and maybe even students. To do this we can create a project library or by using a network for teachers from all around the world. This will help you to become a resource for them, and they will seek your help and you can do the same.

We can also put the project in a contest. This will help us to see how well we did in the eyes of others and our projects will gain more exposure. You will also be able to discuss the project with colleagues and gain ideas from them. The final way to bring it home is to enjoy what we all have accomplished. Having students finish a project in PBL is a big accomplishment and we should be proud of ourselves (much like our students will be) at the end of it. Much like our students we will have done a lot of learning and will do a lot of reflecting on the process, all which will make us better teachers.

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

This is really important because I think a lot of the book focused on what our students should do but didn’t really remind us what we should be doing in entirety. I also think that we should share what we learned with people because that will make us better teachers, especially if they have comments or suggestions that may help future projects. I also like the contest idea, obviously this  is great for the students but also reflects A LOT on the teacher. I think we need to remember all of these things to keep our projects fresh and improving while we continue to work with Project-based learning.

Reading Reflection #10

1.       Discussion on the importance of setting aside time for reflection

Setting aside time for reflection is important for many reasons. First, reflection gives the students the opportunity to feel good about their accomplishments. They are able to look back at their work and either write or talk about the successes, failures, and challenges. Second, reflection also helps aid in processing and making the material learned stick. Third, reflection helps students reveal things they may not have thought about before; for example, how was the project important to you, what did you learn, how did you grow, etc.

2.       Discussion on the reason students need to reflect and elaborate.

As mentioned above, reflection is an important part of the learning process for many reasons. Asking students to reflect and to be elaborate can lead to further explorations, more learning experiences, and more knowledge gained. Reflecting and having students elaborate during reflection gives the students an opportunity to express their curiosity further. Students may still have unanswered questions or new topics they want to explore after a project is finished.

3.       Discussion on how schools build tradition and identity.

A school’s identity normally reflects that of the school’s traditions. Traditions within the school exemplify an expectation for excellence. It is important to involve the school and community in establishing a tradition and identity. The text states “when families, the community, and students coming up through the grades know what you are up to, you have a foundation for tradition” (pg. 150). Students who participate in a tradition feel privileged and show that through their hard work.

4.       Discussion on the importance of celebrating a project.

It’s important after a project is finished to show off the students’ hard work. Displaying the students’ work gives the students a sense of accomplishment and pride, as well as an opportunity to share their work with the school and the community. Putting on an event, creating a blog, or holding a party is some ways in which a teacher could celebrate a project.

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

Our group agrees that it is important to celebrate a project and to show off the students’ hard work. The students in our 5^th grade class will be putting together a workout video that they will share with friends and families at the end of the unit.

Beginning Outline

Hey guys, this is what I wrote down.

These were the pages we had decided we need:

1. Home: Inspiration, email address

2. Types of Exercise: Aerobic Exercise (link movie), Lesson plan on Types of Exercise

3. How Frequent to Exercise: How Frequent to Exercise Lesson Plan

4. Benefits of Exercise: Benefits of Exercise Video, Benefits of Exercise Lesson Plan

5. Creating A Movie: Creating a Movie Lesson Plan (Nora's Extra), Collecting Data on What Students and Teachers know/dont know.

6. Planning the Movie Night: Lesson Plan on Food Groups, Snacks to have at the movie night. (Jaimie's Extra)

7. Standards


And then in another section I have the extra things we need to have on the website but weren't sure where to put them written down:

Podcast
Map
Penpals
Lauryn's Second Lesson (because we didn't know what this was on)

Reading Reflection 10

1. Discussion on the importance of setting aside time for reflection.

Students need to look back at how much they accomplished and feel good about it. This also gives them a time to remember what they learned, because sometimes it is hard when they day is so hectic. They also may realize the things they really enjoyed, their growth and what they will take from this project and use in new projects.

2. Discussion on the reason students need to reflect and elaborate.

If students are reflecting it will really help them to work on the next project and use the tools they learned in their project in life. They will also see what parts of the project they really liked. By elaborating they will realize what questions they have that they want answered. We can also ask them where they would like to go next with their learning. This is giving students an even bigger responsibility and they take hold of their own learning.

3. Discussion on how schools build tradition and identity.

By starting our students in a project that we want to become a tradition, we need to make other students and parents aware. Younger students will hear about the project from siblings or older students will have younger students excited about the projects that await them. The community will become involved when asking experts to come talk to students becomes a normal thing and they will be eager to share their information every year. Parents will also hear about the projects from their children, or other parents, and be aware of the projects and be excited to help out their children in their learning.

4. Discussion on the importance celebrating a project.

We need to show students, parents and administrators the great work that students have done! Students should also feel the pride in all of their work and be able to show it to others to help them learn too. Showing off learning to parents and other students can also help to build tradition because they will see the final work of the students and see how interesting it is and become excited about doing these projects.

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

I think this chapter was really great because we need to be reminded that we will want to fit as much learning into the day as we can but reflecting and celebrating the work is really important in the learning process. It can really help to keep our students focused and remembering what their goal is. I also think that starting tradition is a cool idea, especially if it gets younger kids excited about coming to your classroom.