Final Concept Map

Reading Reflection 11

The project based learning approach allows teachers and students to work collaboratively to solve a problem, rather then a teacher lecturing on how to. PBL closely relates the learning that is taking place inside of a classroom to the real world, which gives the students a stake in their own education. If students feel that what they are doing is important, they will care about the outcome of the project because, it matters! PBL is beneficial to students and teachers, but to parents and guardians as well. PBL teaches children to be community members as well as learning 21^st century skills that will help them be successful later on in their education and in life. Concepts in the chapter relate to our topic because it truly focuses on celebrating a project, and what better way to celebrate then a successful event and smiles on all of the participant’s faces!  Our students will have learned so many skills that will transfer to other aspects of learning including collaboration, teamwork, persistence, organization, dedication, and what it takes to work towards a common goal.

Reading Reflection 10

1.   It is very important to set aside time for reflection because when students reflect on things they can determine if they need to change them or if they are okay as they are. Reflection also can help students feel good about what they have accomplished thus far.

2.   Students to need reflect and elaborate because they need to determine what they have done and what is left to complete. Reflection is important to students because it helps them grow as learners and to determine what they need to change in order to become better learners. Elaboration is important because although the students may be thinking something, as teachers, we need to see it on paper in order to see if they are on the right track.

3.   Schools build tradition and identity mainly because they form communities inside the building. It is the job of schools and teachers to involve the community and to connect it with the school and the students in it. If students feel that their learning matters to the community and to their family and peers, they will most likely do better.

4.   Celebrating a project is important to the project process because depending on the project, it can take a long time to complete! Student’s interest has been kept from beginning to end and they have created something that they will be proud of, so celebration is key! When the project is completed, celebration will give students a sense of pride in their work and show them that their work really matters.

5.   Concepts in this chapter relate to our topic because for our kickball tournament, we need a lot of community support! Students will be researching on their own but presenting the information to the community in order to gain interest. If we as a school have a bad identity in the community, no one will want to take part in our project and then it will most likely fail.

Reading Reflection 9

1.   Description of a method of understanding prior-knowledge of students.

There are many great ways to determine students prior knowledge, which is needed in order to determine which what your lessons need to cover and how in depth they need to go. KWL charts are a great resource because they allow the student to track their own progress and determine their own learning goals of the project.

2.   Discussion on the importance of establishing anchors for a project.

Establishing anchors for a project are ways that the teacher and students can track progress and determine if they are on the right track. Anchors give teacher a sense of where students started, where they want to be, and where they are currently. If students are all in different places the teacher can then determine which groups to work with first whereas if all the groups are about the same spot, the teacher can spread her guidance a little differently.

3.   Description of several ways to assess what students learned during the project

There are many ways to assess students during a project, but the most effective seems to be time benchmarks and anchors. If students have to have certain parts of the project done and handed in over a period of time, a teacher can determine where they are in their discovery process each time something is or isn’t turned in.

4. Concepts in this chapter relate to our project because without benchmarks and anchors of progress we would be over loading the students with a ton of work right at the end of the unit. In order to organize a successful event, it’s important that each and every thing needs to happen in order, you can’t promote the event before you know why you are doing the event in the first place!

Reading Reflection 8

1.   Description of some ways to build connections and branch out beyond the classroom.

In order to branch out and make connections outside of the classroom, you must know what recourses are available to you and your students. Utilizing technology is a great thing that can help you do this, especially through the use of blogs. If a teacher can open doors for their students, the information and knowledge that they can gain from outside resources is endless. When students utilize the world outside of them, they are making the connections to the real world themselves therefore making their learning that much more substantial. Students need to learn how to communicate and receive information from people working in the fields they are researching in order to truly utilize the community.

2.   Description of the EAST Initiative Model.

 The Environmental and Spatial Technologies (EAST) is a model that requires students to utilize technology in a positive and engaging way. This initiative model helps students do projects that will allow them to master different technologies while solving a community problem. There are four parts to the model, which includes student driven learning, authentic project based learning, technology as tools, and collaboration. Through this model, teachers will learn to take a step back and facilitate learning rather then direct it, also known as the transition from project leader to project supervisor. The EAST model provides teachers with ongoing support and students with collaborative student based learning of technology.

3.   Discussion on some reasons to let students “lead” their projects.

Allowing students to lead their own projects allows them to determine what they want to gain from the project. When students are in charge of their own projects they have a stake in their learning and it means that much more to them. Teachers are then allowed to step back and do not have to micromanage every single student because they are collaborating and helping themselves.

4. This chapter relates to our topic because we can utilize the topics discussed to encourage connections between the classroom and the community. We can also utilize this teaching style described in the chapter to become facilitators of learning rather then  the traditional approach of teacher directed classrooms.

Reading Log 7

       1.  Description of the levels of classroom discussions.

Classroom discussions can be implemented in many ways to promote learning in any type of classroom. Teacher to teacher is one type of discussion that will happen within a classroom. Teacher to teacher is an avenue that you may utilize to take advantage of working with others. Teacher to teacher can touch on everything prom the procedural method to formative assessment, which is a great resource. Teacher to teacher allows educators to take ideas and bounce them of their peers and perfect them. Anther type of discussion is teacher to student, which includes different things in a PBL classroom. In a traditional classroom, teacher to student looks something like a teacher lecturing the students. During PBL, the teacher utilizes this type of discussion within small groups and traveling around the classroom.

2.  Discussion on the questions for “checking in” on students during a project.

PBL allows students to utilize different avenues in order to complete a project in any way they choose. Checking in is a tool to monitor student’s progress by communicating with them throughout the entirety of the project. Checking in allows touch base and stay on top of children in order for them to be hitting checkpoints and completing tasks in a timely fashion. Checking in truly allows the PBL project process to be successful.

3.  Discussion on the benefits to students when optimizing the use of technology.

a.    Technology is a very apparent thing in our world today, so utilizing it within our project process is a must. First and foremost, technology being used needs to be useful and helpful to any project. By utilizing technology, you keep the students interest while achieving learning goals, keeping them organized, expanding their technological knowledge, extend creativity and gain new insights.

4.     Discussion on the 21st-century skills that can make or break a project.

Developing 21^st skills is an important thing to do in order to be successful inside a PBL classroom as well as in the real world. In order for students to truly get a lot out of PBL projects it’s the teachers job to connect them to real world situations, and that can be done while developing 21^st century skills. Communication, collaboration, persistence, and time management are all very important skills to master in the PBL process as well as in education.

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

This chapter relates to our topic because a lot of student discussion will need to take place in order for the event to be successful. The students will be researching and providing the information found to the community and in order for that to take place they must work collaboratively with each other and produce a final product.