FINAL INSPIRATION

Here is the final concept map that we used for our project:

Hi girls. Just wanted you to know I have been pretty sick all semester and they are not quite sure why. I am not in class this morning because I am throwing up. Please let me know what you decide today, what pages I should complete and if we are planning to meet this week. I will get my pages done today or tomorrow. Thanks for understanding Dianne

Reading Reflection 11

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

As a result of using the project-based learning approach, the end of a project will be a much bigger deal than if you were to implement a bunch of different lessons that did not really connect into one unit. A project-based learning approach allows a class to feel as if they have been on a journey of learning that has culminated into a final product or presentation that shows evidence of learning at each step in the process.

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

The idea of bringing a project home is about reflection and getting feedback from people other than just the classroom teacher. Students should consider how others could and have done the same project in different ways. Students should reflect on their work and their learning process as a whole. The idea of bringing the project home also means to connect a project to a real life application of the project.

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

Our project is clearly a prorject-based learning approach. The students will be working toward a the culmination of their project throughout the entire unit. Are students will also reflect and think about their project and its uses/effectiveness at the end of the process to "bring it home".

Reading Reflection Chapter 11

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

Many things happen when using this approach. Children develop a sense of teamwork. They learn new things that can be applied to the real world. Learning becomes fun again. Students will better get to know each other and themselves, being able to distinguish their strengths and weaknesses. Leadership skills will emerge. As the teacher, one will be able to develop stronger teaching skills. It’s fun and exciting-way more exciting than grading papers!

Discussion on ways to “bring your project home”.

Bringing your project home are ways to wrap up your project. This is when the project is solidified. This means things like: evaluating your/your students’ work, enter a contest, talking to other teachers and exchanging information…etc. Unless the project is finished correctly, it will be like a knitted scarf in which the final stitches are not included; it will unravel and be forgotten.

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

Just like everything else that we have discussed, if we do not wrap up our weather projects correctly and make the information relevant to each student, then our efforts will be pointless. We have to be inventive and think of ways to individualize the information-to make it more personal and really "bring home" our project.

Reading Reflection #11

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

When a project ends you want your students to feel like they have accomplished something big or “have been somewhere together.” At the end of the project you will have to make sure that you have become better prepared to use the technology in you lessons and your students have become more in touch with technology as well.  You should see the benefit in of communicating with others around the world and learning about their cultures along the way.  You want your students to feel as if they were just on a trip for a year.  They can tell you what they learned and what didn’t work so well in the project.

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

The idea of “bring your project home,” is that you need to critique your work and not be afraid to compare your work to others who have done the same project.  When you compare your work to others you find things that you did not do, that you should do and things that they are doing that you do not want to do.  The chapter says that you should enter contests to get some feedback from professionals.  You have to enjoy the journey.

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

This chapter related to the whole concept of PBL. We have to look back to see what skills and benefits the students and you have gained from PBL and make sure that those skills and benefits stay with them forever. PBL gives students a different way to learn instead of the traditional way of learning.

Reading Reflection #10

1.Discussion on the importance of setting aside time for reflection.
It is important to set aside time for reflection during and after a project is because it helps students have an understanding of their learning.  You want your students to be learning during a project so, setting aside time for them to reflect on what they are learning helps you and your students learn more.  It also makes the students feel good about what they just learned before they have a chance to move on to the next activity.  Giving your students an oppurtunity to discuss what worked and what didnt work during the project gives them a chance to reflect on what they could do better and work on for the next time.  This also helps you with how you could change a certain project to help out your other students the next year.
2.Discussion on the reason students need to reflect and elaborate.Students need time to reflect and elaborate on everything they do in the classroom.  Reflection allows the students to discover things they might not have thought of before.  Reflection lets them think about what they have already learned and want to learn more or what they would like to learn nexr.  Reflection also gives students a chance to improve themeselves.  They can think about what they would like to improve on for the next project or even that next year.  With reflection comes elaborating.  Students need to think abut what they could do next with their ideas and can elaborate on those ideas to better their learning.  These ideas will continuoulsy grow with each new lesson.
3.Discussion on how schools build tradition and identity.When you are doing fun and engaging projects in the classroom, your reputation will grow tremedously.  Doing an activity that is successful it will get the students excited about what it come as the year progresses.  You want your students to go home and rave about what they did in class that day and how they cannot wait to go back to school the next day.  When the parents and familiy members see that kind of excitement from their students they will spread the good word about your classroom throughout the years.  If you keep up your fun and engaging ways throughout the years, then the excitment will keep growing as well throughout the years.
4.Discussion on the importance celebrating a project.Finishing a project is a huge deal for the students.  They have spent many countless hours on this project and they deserve to be able to show their hard work off.  We want our students to feel proud about the work they have just completed, so celebrating is the best way students know how.  Celebrate with a party and they students can invite family members so they can display their project for all of the family memebers to see.  Their work needs to be recgnized so that they will contiue to work hard and do their best throughout the year.
5.Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.
I want to be able to set aside time for my students to reflect and elaborate on many different parts of a project. They need that time to see what they need to work on and what they have done well.  I want to give the students a chance to learn, but I want them to have fun while learning.  Keeping the spirits in the room positive during a project can help your students, but also give the students a chanceto go home and brag to their parents.  If you have the support of your parents you are golden! I want to give the students an oppurtunity to show off their hard work and dedication they had throughout a project.  I want to give my students a party so that they can invite whoever they chose to show off what they have just accoplished.

Reading Reflection 10

The importance of setting aside time for reflection:

Reflection is a crucial part of what teachers do. If you’re not looking at what you’re doing in the classroom, how do you know it is working? How do you know it doesn’t need to be tweaked? As teachers we also want to make sure we help our students to reflect on the things we do so I think it is important to practice reflection in order to properly implement it into the classroom.

The reason students need to reflect and elaborate:

Reflection is an important part of the learning process. It is important to not only give students time to reflect but also guidance on how to reflect. It is important for teachers to implement the reflection piece consistently because it will guide their student’s learning of new information so that the purpose and objectives of each lesson make an impression on students.

How schools build tradition and identity.

Schools build tradition and identity by bridging the community of learners and the community that surrounds them. In schools these days children are doing majorly impressive things and by bringing the community into the school and by taking those students out into the community, students will be celebrated by the community for their accomplishments and learning.

The importance celebrating a project.

By celebrating a project, you are celebrating the hard work of your students. To get to the end of a project, students have put in a lot of work and hard thinking and it is important to recognize this as a great accomplishment. Also, students have a chance to look back and connect everything they have done to one culminating finished product.

How concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

At the end of lessons that make up this unit, students are engaged in some sort of reflective wrap up of that new information. It is important implement this kind of reflection throughout our project so that our students have a reason and purpose for their learning. 

Reading Reflection Chapter 10

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

Reflection is very important for the teacher because it is a time where one can look at what has been working and what has not been working within the classroom. One may be able to attain huge personal and professional growth from looking at oneself with a critical eye. It is extremely important to do this often because, like this chapter says, school is very fast-paced. If one does not purposefully set aside time to reflect and gather one’s thoughts, then it will never happen by itself.

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

This gives students a chance to think deeply about what they have taken away from the lesson. They will retain things that have interested them and be able to further explore these topics on their own if they do so desire. It helps the students decide where they will go next with their new knowledge.

3. Discussion on how schools build tradition and identity.

Seriously? This is stupid. Who honestly gives a crap about this? Seriously? No one. Tradition in the school system is the deeply rooted reason as to why American schools have fallen behind the rest of the world. Since we must do everything by tradition, we become close-minded and cut off to innovation. Technology within tradition follows the “Protect, Preserve, and Progress” model, making technology to be a crutch instead of harnessing its full potential. I don’t give a flying cow if I get no points on this reflection. I refuse to answer this.

4. Discussion on the importance celebrating a project.

By rewarding the progress that has been made and by congratulating each student for his/her accomplishments, it gives a sense of reward. Students become happy and feel accomplished. The students can look back on their work, realize how much they have learned, appreciate all those who have helped them finish their research…bla bla bla etc.

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

In the end of our project, we will throw a huge class party to celebrate our student’s success. Perhaps we will take the most inventive weather tools and display them or edit clips of each of our students reporting the weather and put it together in a huge video. We will be sure to congratulate our students and thank them for all of their hard work.

Today's class

Hi ladies!

I am actually getting ready to go to the doctor's..I think I might have step throat. My plan is to go to the lab on Wednesday to make up whatever I missed today but can you guys please update me with what you worked on today and what I can do to work on the final website. Also, is there a time this week you wanted to get together to work out the details of the project? Let me know if this is necessary. Again, please let me know what I should do!

Talk to you guys soon!

Dianne

Reading Reflection 9

Understanding prior-knowledge of students:It is very important to help students tap into their prior knowledge at the beginning of a projects because it is a great way to for students and teachers to being monitoring a student’s progress throughout the project. An activity such as a KWL is a great way for students to think through what they already know when they begin a new topic. Then students can set goals for what they want to learn and at the end, this assessment can be used for students to list what they have learned. By completing a KWL throughout the project based learning process, students have a record of their learning process throughout a project.
 The importance of establishing anchors for a project:Establishing anchors for a project is an important part of the learning process. Teachers should help students go through the process of establishing a starting point setting themselves up for learning. Anchors are a good way to find out where students are starting and then monitoring learning and progress towards a project goal.
 Several ways to assess what students learned during the project:Good teachers asses everyday, multiple times a day. Assessments can be informal and formal and good way to keep strong and helpful data is to perform a variety of assessments constantly. Assessment can be a project that students complete following a rubric that is given to them by the teacher. Another assessment could be checking for understand at the end of a lesson by having students fill out an exit slip before they leave or having students list things they have learned, etc.
 How the concepts in this chapter relate to our project:We will use anchors and frequent assessments to make sure our students are learning and the project is benefitting them.