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.