Final Concept Map

Reading Reflection #11

Chapter 11 - Bringing It Home

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

• When a successful project comes to an end, you and your students will feel as if you have "been somewhere" together. Your project should leave you with vivid memories, souvenirs and artifacts you have collected along the way, and plenty more ideas for shaping your next learning adventure. Projects open new doors and create connections that you can build into future project designs. 

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

• One way to "bring your project home" is to enter in a contest. It gives you a chance to put your best work forward. You may gain more exposure for your project and your students which all can help raise the profile of what you are doing in your classroom. 

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

• The concepts in this chapter relate to my topic by having and allowing our students to learn from the work that we did in the project and use those skills in the future. Giving students memories on the success of a project gives them positive attitudes of being independent and have them be able to create new and exciting projects in the future. 

Reading Reflection 10

1.Discussion on the importance of setting aside time for reflection
Reflection is an essential component for moving forward. Students can look back on their accomplishments with pride. Reflecting not only hardens their knowledge on the topic but they also create their own meanings by observing their work closely. These also help students find out what they want to do next for a project.

2. Discussion on the reason students need to reflect and elaborate
Students shouldn’t have too many questions left unanswered but at the same time, they shouldn’t have to answer too many questions they already know the answers to. The point of reflecting and elaborating is to look back on your work with fondness and think about what you can do for a new project. For reflection questions, focus on the few things that matter most, those that anchor the learning and get kids thinking about themselves and evolving learners. If you make the questions fun and focused on the achievements they accomplish, the students will grasp the final objective better.

3. Discussion on how schools build tradition and identity
Schools these days are known all about their sports. Students and teachers alike get so excited that they also get the community involved. The community helps by getting involved with the fun and helping financially. Schools also have the potential to be known for their academics. More importantly, they can be known for their project based learning ideas. When schools show how effective project based learning is, they can get their community involved and even help open up new resources students can use in their future projects.

4. Discussion on the importance of celebrating a project
Students work hard on the projects they do, it’s only natural that celebrating these projects motivates them and gives them a sense of accomplishment. You can hold a party, display their work, or show everything at the end of the year. Students feel a sense of pride when their projects are celebrated. This also motivates them to work harder in their next project.

5. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project
We intend to have a pizza party at the end of our unit. This will be paid for by the sales students have at the farmers market. I think the students will want to do more if they see the fruits of their labor proudly displayed.

Reading Reflection #9

1. Description of a method of understanding prior-knowledge of students
By finding out what students understand prior to the lesson, you as a teacher have a general idea of what objectives take the most importance over others. You know what areas of study will need to be addressed the most and what areas only need to be fine tuned.

2. Discussion on the importance of establishing anchors for a project
Students won’t all be in the same place learning wise at the end of the lesson. Just like they weren’t all in the same place at the beginning of the lesson. Anchors help you gain a sense of where students are starting and how far they are going as they work to meet learning goals. At the end of the lesson, you also have a better understanding of where every student is.

3. Description of several ways to assess what students learned during the project
Some ways to assess what students learned include tests, asking what they learned, creating something new, model real world assessments, and submitting work for publication or contests. A test is the most traditional way to assess students’ knowledge after a project. Asking students what they learned offers less pressure on the students and acts like a simple talk. But modeling real world assessments is the best way, I believe, because they are used in the real world. The more students get a better understanding of how they’ll be assessed in the real world, the more they’ll be prepared.

4. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project
We’ve looked at the different ways to assess what the students learned. This is difficult because each student learns at a different pace and probably learned something different than their partner. Finding the right assessment is key to growth for the next project.

Reading Reflection #10

Chapter 10 - Celebrating and Reflecting

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

• The importance of setting time aside for a reflection it is acknowledged as being an essential element in learning. Taking time to reflect helps students feel good about their accomplishments and it also helps make learning more effective. 

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

• Students need to reflect and elaborate because they will become more accomplished as professional project-doers and you will put more and more decisions for subsequent projects in their hands in the future. You must ask them question such as "What does this get you wondering about next? What do you want to learn now, and how do you want to go about it?"

3. Discussion on how schools build tradition and identity.

• Many school identities are tied to their traditions. What schools share is a sense of tradition and an expectation of excellence. Think about how your class and school can establish a tradition of exemplary project work. Once you have established a tradition of excellence, students will feel it's a privilege to honor the tradition with their hard work.

4. Discussion on the importance celebrating a project.

• Show the students' work, put on an event, create a blog, or throw a party. Any way you do it, celebrate learning by building your school's identity as a place where kids get to learn through projects. 

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

• The concept of this chapter relates to my topic/project by the use of our celebration of doing the project. Being able to celebrate by learning and engaging with one another is a great way of treating one's self and reflecting on knowledge and growth. 

Reading Reflection #9

Chapter 9: Making Assessment Meaningful

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

a)   Active learning is essential for good projects and students benefit by being actively involved even at the assessment stage. In a well-designed project, students know why they are taking on a particular task and how it leads them toward important learning goals. Students also know what “success” looks like, and they understand the various categories by which their performance will be measured.

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

a)   By establishing “anchors” the teacher gains a sense of where the students are starting and how far they are going as they work to meet learning goals. In a project-based classroom, you expand the opportunities to differentiate instruction and help all learners be successful.

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

a)   There are many ways to assess your students’ learning. For example, a teacher who teaches digital media has a circle of friends who work in the graphics and video gaming fields. She drams on these experts to help critique her students’ work, and giving them the real-world experience of having their portfolios evaluated.

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

a)   This concept relates to my topic because it is very essential to assess students on their work because it gets them prepared for the real-world and helps them take critique well.

Reading Reflection 8

1. Description of some ways to build connections and branch out beyond the classroom.
Technology is a great way to reach an authentic audience. Technology such as blogs help by connecting students and teachers and by giving students their own voice. It creates a communication medium. It also offers opportunities for students to branch out into the community or farther to research topics for their projects.

2. Description of the EAST Initiative Model.
The EAST Initiative model is the Environmental and Spacial Technologies. They work to make technology usable in the outside world. Students master these sophisticated tools and application in context while solving community problems that interest them. Technology is a hook that attracts children to contribute more into their communities.

3. Discussion on some reasons to let students “lead” their projects.
When students lead student projects, they develop an independence and leadership, learning how to interact with their peers and learning what they are most passionate about. Everyone has a part in a project and students can find their own place when they take the lead in a project they love.

4. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.
Our project is very student led and it's given us more independence. I've also learned more about my community during this project.