We decided to focus the concept map more on HOW we will go about introducing and implementing the project. Our previous concept maps were only about the concepts covered under weather, but it did not help us to plan or implement the project.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Reflection 11
Project-based learning has many benefits for the students and the teachers. As a result of project-based learning, it will feel as though you and your students have been somewhere together. The project will leave you with memories, souvenirs, and artifacts you have collected along the way. The projects will open doors for new opportunities, including projects, discussions, and reflections.
To bring your project home, think about taking it outside of the classroom. Give students a chance to show off their work and gain a better sense of pride. Some ways to "bring it home" include sharing project ideas with colleagues, creating a project library, publishing projects to a website or printing company, or enter a contest.
I love this chapter because it has so many wonderful ideas for wrapping up the project. I love the idea of having students create a library to look back at their work, and allowing colleagues to use this library for ideas. I also like the idea of having students submit work to the media or contests.
To bring your project home, think about taking it outside of the classroom. Give students a chance to show off their work and gain a better sense of pride. Some ways to "bring it home" include sharing project ideas with colleagues, creating a project library, publishing projects to a website or printing company, or enter a contest.
I love this chapter because it has so many wonderful ideas for wrapping up the project. I love the idea of having students create a library to look back at their work, and allowing colleagues to use this library for ideas. I also like the idea of having students submit work to the media or contests.
Reflection 10
As a teacher begins to wrap up a project-based activity, it is important to take the time to reflect. By taking the time to reflect, students will feel a sense of accomplishment about their work and they will be able to commit the learning to memory. In constructivist theory, reflection is an essential element of the learning process. It allows students to creat their own meaning. It will also help students to "reveal things they might not otherwise think about: what they learned (and what they enjoyed about learning), their growth as learners, and what (and how) they want to learn in projects ahead.
Students reflection is a very important part that must not be skipped at the end of a project. Reflection allows students a chance to reflect on what they learned and how it was meaningful to them. "If it was an enriching experience that caused students to learn fundamental content, then that is an excellent outcome." It is also important for the teacher to help students think about the joyous and gratifying parts of their learning. Help students to elaborate on the project; "What does this get you wondering about next?" It is important to know where this has led your students, and what the students want to do next.
Traditions of schools are important to their identities. Some schools identify as being strong sports teams while others take pride in their science programs. All schools, no matter what they identify with, share a sense of tradition and an expectation of excellence. By asking the community to be involved, schools may find new traditions and identities.
Help your school to develop a sense of pride... CELEBRATE!! It doesn't matter if it's a big celebration or a small celebration. The point is that you take pride in your students and what they are doing. It is important that each celebration includes an opportunity to look back one more time, acknowledgement of the hard work and commitment, appreciation for those that helped, a display of what the students have learned and created, a look inside the learners with opportunities for them to talk about their process and growth, and an opportunity to showcase your products to colleagues, administrators, parents, and others in your learning community.
It is so important that our students are given a chance to reflect and elaborate at the end of our weather unit. Students will be given the opportunity to reflect by themselves and as a class, and they will be given a chance to share their wonderful work with other members of our learning community. By allowing students to celebrate, they will find pride in their work.
Students reflection is a very important part that must not be skipped at the end of a project. Reflection allows students a chance to reflect on what they learned and how it was meaningful to them. "If it was an enriching experience that caused students to learn fundamental content, then that is an excellent outcome." It is also important for the teacher to help students think about the joyous and gratifying parts of their learning. Help students to elaborate on the project; "What does this get you wondering about next?" It is important to know where this has led your students, and what the students want to do next.
Traditions of schools are important to their identities. Some schools identify as being strong sports teams while others take pride in their science programs. All schools, no matter what they identify with, share a sense of tradition and an expectation of excellence. By asking the community to be involved, schools may find new traditions and identities.
Help your school to develop a sense of pride... CELEBRATE!! It doesn't matter if it's a big celebration or a small celebration. The point is that you take pride in your students and what they are doing. It is important that each celebration includes an opportunity to look back one more time, acknowledgement of the hard work and commitment, appreciation for those that helped, a display of what the students have learned and created, a look inside the learners with opportunities for them to talk about their process and growth, and an opportunity to showcase your products to colleagues, administrators, parents, and others in your learning community.
It is so important that our students are given a chance to reflect and elaborate at the end of our weather unit. Students will be given the opportunity to reflect by themselves and as a class, and they will be given a chance to share their wonderful work with other members of our learning community. By allowing students to celebrate, they will find pride in their work.
Reflection 2
A learning organization, or learning community, is a very common term found in the education field. A learning organization is defined as "any business, work team, big or small, that engages in ongoing, collaborative problem solving focused on making the business better." The members of this learning community work together to achieve their desired results, while also learning new paterns of thinking and learning how to learn together.
In schools teachers spend a few hours a week together, but a majority of their time spent addressing schedules, addressing students issues, planning school events, and tending to other necessities. Professional learning communities change the usual ways schools operate. By creating a professional learning community, colleagues will find time to collaborate and work together.
The benefits of learning communities can improve school systems around the country. Among the many benefits, teachers will find that in a learning community there will be decreased teacher isolation, increased commitment to the mission, a shared responsibility, more powerful learning, and a higher likelihood of systematic change. "By enlisting like-minded colleagues to lobby together for necessary changes, you create a critical mass of dedicated educators who share a common goal."
When incorporating a learning community, teachers will need to have a clear sense of the mission or overall goal. In order to meet this goal, teachers will need to have a shared vision for how to achieve this goal. They will then work together to determine the best practices to achieve the mission or goals by organizing groups headed by lead-teachers. It is important to focus on the student learning, collaborate with each other, and hold the same values and beliefs. Lastly, teachers must commit themselves to continuous improvements and see themselves as life-long learners.
A learning community among students require students to work collaboratively to achieve the same overall goal. For a project-based learning community, learning will be relevant and rigorous. It will be focused on real-world situations instead of textbook materials. The students will develop the skills and dispositions necessary; such as communication, problem solving, project management, motivation, and persistence. While working together, students will share their triumphs and disappointments.
Students will have to adjust to going from a traditional education to being part of a learning community throughout our project. Students will be expected to work together, communicate, share a common goal/vision, problem solve, and stay motivated. Through this, students will learn "real-world" skills that will help them be successful throughout their lives.
In schools teachers spend a few hours a week together, but a majority of their time spent addressing schedules, addressing students issues, planning school events, and tending to other necessities. Professional learning communities change the usual ways schools operate. By creating a professional learning community, colleagues will find time to collaborate and work together.
The benefits of learning communities can improve school systems around the country. Among the many benefits, teachers will find that in a learning community there will be decreased teacher isolation, increased commitment to the mission, a shared responsibility, more powerful learning, and a higher likelihood of systematic change. "By enlisting like-minded colleagues to lobby together for necessary changes, you create a critical mass of dedicated educators who share a common goal."
When incorporating a learning community, teachers will need to have a clear sense of the mission or overall goal. In order to meet this goal, teachers will need to have a shared vision for how to achieve this goal. They will then work together to determine the best practices to achieve the mission or goals by organizing groups headed by lead-teachers. It is important to focus on the student learning, collaborate with each other, and hold the same values and beliefs. Lastly, teachers must commit themselves to continuous improvements and see themselves as life-long learners.
A learning community among students require students to work collaboratively to achieve the same overall goal. For a project-based learning community, learning will be relevant and rigorous. It will be focused on real-world situations instead of textbook materials. The students will develop the skills and dispositions necessary; such as communication, problem solving, project management, motivation, and persistence. While working together, students will share their triumphs and disappointments.
Students will have to adjust to going from a traditional education to being part of a learning community throughout our project. Students will be expected to work together, communicate, share a common goal/vision, problem solve, and stay motivated. Through this, students will learn "real-world" skills that will help them be successful throughout their lives.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Reflection 11, Chapter 11
1. Thinking beyond the set class time, thinking about and constructing their own reality, understanding of project management, big picture thinking, meeting deadlines, having a global audience, and being professional are all things that occur as a result of project based learning. If our students can leave our classroom with all of this being learned, we have done our job as a teacher. They will surely be a success in society.
2. Good projects should lead you to more projects. It should open new doors and create connections that you can build on in future projects. Make sure to reflect on the projects you are doing. This can tell you if any thing should be changed to make it better or what the next step in the project could be. Share your projects and insights with others so they can use the ideas or help you find extensions to yours. Best of all, enjoy what you have done. Enjoy the good aspects of the project with your students, and learn from the aspects that need to be changed. Have fun with what you are doing and let others have fun with you.
3. Reflection and sharing our project with others is what we will includein our project. Reflection being the most important so we can see how we could take the project to another level of learning and how to incorporate it into other subjects.
Reflection 10, Chapter 10
1. "Taking time to reflect helps students feel good about their accomplishments, and reflection can be the thing that makes the learning really stick." This is so true! If we don't look back and see the good and the bad of a project, we can't learn from it and make it better.
2. Reflecting on positive experiences helps students see that these made them confident and made them look forward to more. Reflection is an essential learning tool. Asking students why and what questions about their projects helps them really think about these questions and helps the learning stick better in their minds. Reflections can also help students see what went wrong and how they fixed it.
3. "When families, the community, and students coming up through the grades know what yu are up to, you have a foundation for tradition." Young students will be ready to learn, community members will give enthusiastic support and expect to be involved. Forming traditions are a part of life. We have traditions of thanksgiving dinner, how and when we put up our christmas tree, even taditional presents. I started a tradition of getting my daughter an angel as a present for every christmas. When we start traditions, the students will remember it and others will wait for it as they grow and reach that grade.
4. Celebrating student work is a way to build your schools identity as a place where kids get to learn through projects. Students get a sense of pride when their work is displayed and celebrated. The school I use to work always displayed the students work in the classroom and in the hall ways. The students were thrilled when they could come in and see their work on the walls and they could show their parents or relatives their work during conferences. This also gives the students a way to look back at the project and reflect on how they did it and what they learned while doing it.
5. The most important thing we will include in our project is reflection. We must use this as a learning tool and help the students really learn and help that learning stick in their minds and hearts.
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