At the End...

Reflection has been the over-arching theme of my semester in our Learning Disability block of classes. Our professors wanted to create an experience this semester to produce reflective teachers. Each time we are in the classroom, we reflect. Before we teach we write a pre-reflection. We think about what were are going to teach and how we feel about it, and after words we fill out a post-reflection, and think about how things went that day. At the completion of a project, reflection is vital.

Reflection allows us to think about what we did and what we can do better in the future. The key is to make reflection meaningful. I have done reflections in that past that didn't mean anything to me. I didn't put any real thought into it. The same goes for our students. We need to allow freedom with reflective thought, I feel that I can provide a guide for my students, but it will only be meaningful if my students can provide their own thoughts and feelings.

Today Marjorie and I finished our website. Upon reflection, we talked about how creating the website was actually fun. I could see this being a fantastic opportunity for my students in the future, but I will need to make some alterations to best suit the needs of my students. This is the purpose of reflecting, I thought of a way to make the activity better in the future.

Activating Prior Knowledge and Meaningful Assessment

Activating Prior Knowledge and Meaningful Assessment

It's more than a test!

Activating prior knowledge, in my opinion, is one of the most important components of teaching a successful lesson. In my current placement, the student’s experiences are significantly different than my own. I am from a small town where I can relate farming terminology and Walmart jokes into my lessons and my peers would understand. The student population I currently serve has grown up in the city and many students come from a lower income household. If I am talking about combines in relation to a social studies lesson, my students (for the most part) would have no idea what I am talking about.

Setting the stage for learning new knowledge is a must! As a pre-assessment I like to use the K from a KWL chart. The K stands for “what we want to Know” and helps me assess where my students are starting and what they already know about something. The L stands for “what we want to Learn” and helps me direct my lesson in the direction of student interest. I think this part relates well to Project Based Learning because I can focus on what the students want to find out about a topic. My W serves as my meaningful assessment at the end, and stands for “what we Learned”. This portion of the KWL allows me to evaluate the effectiveness of my lesson and whether my students met our objectives.

In relation to our project, I cannot simply assess a student on his or her prowess for acting or the ability to hit all the high notes; I have to look at multiple areas of assessment. I am more concerned about the effort put forth, the attention to what needs to be done, not merely the performance aspect. Furthermore, high stakes testing is not the "way to go" when aiming for meaningful assessment.

Before and After: Prior Knowledge and Meaningful Assessment

Before any project, large or small it is important to establish an understanding of where each student is coming from. I've definitely experienced this in classrooms. Just recently, in fact, I was working with a group of students who were reading a selection and were then supposed to answer questions. One of the questions had to do with the game of chess, and it was asking a rather abstract question that even I had difficulty understanding. The student didn't know what chess was, which obviously caused an even bigger damper on her understanding of the question. One great way of establishing prior knowledge is using a KWL chart. A KWL chart is a place for students to organize what they Know about something, what they Want to know, and after the lesson, what the Learned about the topic of study. Establishing this prior knowledge is so important, because it helps us understand where each student is coming from...where they're "anchored". When it comes to the conclusion of any lesson, the authors point out that assessments need to be meaningful. They cite an example of a student who turns in a research paper late, and is given a much lower grade than what the writing exemplifies. The paper is late, yes, but has it's tardiness contributed to the quality and content of the writing? No. Grades should be based instead on multiple categories, with student work ethic being only one. This makes a tremendous amount of sense, especially when considering my own project. When doing something like a musical, inevitably, there will be areas where some students excel and others...not so much. As an educator, I cannot base Susie's grade on whether or not she can hit a high A or not; but maybe Susie works really well at organizing things for the backstage crew, or even being a chorus member on stage. Using multiple categories for assessment makes so much more sense than one aspect of the student's abilities compromising their entire grade.

Digital Story :)

I composed a digital story about dance and choreography: a brief introduction to the different styles we might be using to choreograph our show!

Expanding...

When I think about real learning...real, deep learning, there's one thing that comes to mind: relevance. So often, students ask us questions that we don't know how to answer this. I think of my own students, and their lamenting: "When will we ever use this in the real world?" It is a legitimate question, and one that should not be brushed off. Students need to see the real world connections between their learning, and real life. One way that many teachers across the world are achieving this, is by branching out with their classrooms. Any teacher can make connections with experts and other schools. It takes time, but a teacher can generate a list of experts who are willing to help. Another way, is by connecting students to other classrooms around the world. Some classes have even made connections with university students who provided elementary students with feedback on their projects via comments on the students' blogs. The EAST (Environmental and Spatial Technology) initiative model of learning is a technology and collaboration based model that allows for project-based learning to occur using student driven learning. One of the most important aspects of this initiative, is the idea of student driven learning. As teachers, if we see potential in a student to excel at something outside the box, we should let them! Not only that, we should be thrilled that they want to take the information and run with it in a way that makes sense to them. We don't have to "micromanage" as one educator put it, because the outlines we have for projects will not always fit each individual student. I think it will be interesting to see how students respond to our project using "My Fair Lady". Connecting with the class in Europe will definitely be helpful, and we'll work on trying to get ahold of an expert in this field, perhaps a former star of the show, or a historian who knows all of the ins and outs of the show itself. Furthermore, students will always be encouraged to expand their knowledge in their own way...even if it means stepping out of the box and trying something completely different.

Digital Story!

I will be doing my digital story on how to read music, focusing on different kinds of notes and their values.

Let's Keep this Project in Motion.

Let's Keep this Project in Motion!

The most frustrated I ever felt during my schooling years certainly had to be in eighth grade. I hated when Miss M got rolling with questions, because they were always pointless. Why do we do math? Why do we do English? I wanted to say "I don't know, you tell me!"

Asking the right questions, and more importantly, asking pertinent questions, can keep our students rolling when working on a project. To me, nothing was more frustrating then being half-way through our math lesson and Miss M starting in with the stupid questions. No, I don't care why I have to know how to find the mean of these numbers, let me stumble upon it when putting my mind to use in a project!

As teachers we are not the sage on the stage, and we need to hand those reigns over to our students. Why shouldn't our students be asking each other questions and opening up to each other during our projects? I want my students to communicate among themselves and know which resources can help them do this.

I have a fear of whole class conversation. In the classroom I currently serve, we have several students with receptive learning disabilities. This basically means that when I stand there saying something, the student hears what I am saying, but the process of understanding is not happening, and my words are not being stored in the child's long-term (or even working) memory. I don't want these students to be left out in the dark when it comes to group discussions. I like to use think-pair-shares. I tend to start these off with a question I pose to the class, and then have them think independently, share with a partner, and then share out. This gives all of my students a chance to process and think.

Allowing our students to be in their groups during instruction time (while working on a project based learning excursion) can be beneficial for all. Our students will be thinking and discussing among themselves and can apply what we talk about to each groups' topic.

As teachers how do we progress monitor without interfering? I like the idea of an exit slip. Ask the students if they feel their group is making progress, or if they need any help. Every student needs to hand in a response in order to leave class, and now the teacher has information without being invasive in the group process. Teachers can encourage student reflection without being invasive as well. A five sentence summary in an individual journal at the end of a week of work can be an excellent way to gain insight and make decisions regarding the groups.

Lastly, teachers have to expect those speed bumps.We don't want our students to feel frustrated or discourage during the project, and our discreet progress monitoring can help prevent these issues from emerging. But what if something slips under our radar? I see this everyday in practicum. My students get frustrated with the work and shut down. With our topic, musicals can provide many opportunities for set backs. Lines to memorize, music to learn, dance steps... it can be daunting! We need to be prepared to address these issues and keep our students positive.

Keeping the Project Moving

There are tons of ways to generate productive classroom discussions. The key is asking good questions: questions that might just generate some discussion, and several plausible answers. A teacher-to-teacher discussion involves talking about the nuts and bolts aspect of a lesson. "What might we do tomorrow?" "How do you think that lesson went?" "I noticed that many of the groups are struggling with this concept. Perhaps we should go over it again." Basically, the teachers are maintaining communication with one another either face to face, or by using class wikis and blogs. Students also need plenty of opportunities to communicate with one another both as teams, as well as with other teams. Students should be discussing learning experiences, and talking about how they are thinking about their project. It is also beneficial for students to practice giving constructive feedback to one another, learning to do so by having the skill modeled to them by their teacher(s). Whole class conversations give teachers the opportunity to talk to their students. Traditionally, teacher to student discussions are reserved for a lecture format. With project-based-learning, a class may only use whole group conversations to make specific announcements or introduce new skills. Generally speaking, however, in this particular learning environment, the teacher is more likely to be making rounds from group to group, checking their progress periodically within the class period. While the teacher is circulating, he/she is likely to be asking important questions of the different groups. Several types of questions can be beneficial for checking the progress of the student groups. Teachers should be ensuring that the procedural aspect of the project is progressing by asking questions like "Do you guys feel like you're making good progress?" Another aspect is whether or not the team is working well together by asking questions like "How are you dividing your work up? Are you getting along well?" There should be a safe environment where students feel free to raise concerns regarding their group, or to talk about their team's progress. Teachers need to also ask questions to check the student's understanding. "Did you think about trying out a different site?" Teachers can base the questions they ask on the observations they make of group dynamics, and work progress. Finally, students should be asked questions that encourage them to be reflective. This can be achieved by maintaining a project blog or journal where students can talk about their frustrations and challenges, and ask any questions they feel uncomfortable asking in class. Using technology like a project blog or class wiki can be beneficial to students when they're working on a project. It is important, however, to ensure that the technology is being used appropriately by students. Are they staying organized? Are they able to use technology outside of the classroom? Are they getting distracted while working on more creative aspects of the project? (A google search on "awesome animal facts" could yield some very interesting results...and many rabbit trails through cyber-space.) In general, we need to ensure that the technology is benefitting the students, and they aren't getting bogged down in the process. There are some things which can send a seemingly well-planned experience down a path of destruction. A set-back in the project process can inhibit and discourage students. Teachers need to prepare students for these unforeseen detours, and instead teach them the joys of being flexible in a real-world situation. This seems a trouble likely to surface during our project, as we will be dealing with areas that some students don't know anything about, and where some students might feel intimidated. In a musical setting, there are bound to be some students who excel, and some who don't get the part they want because someone else seemed a better fit for the role. This of course can also lead to conflict within the group. We have to prepare our students for these inevitable circumstances, and teach them how to deal with them appropriately both at school, and in their future.

Got the Kinks Worked Out :)

Sorry about my posting difficulties, y'all! My brother Aidan is my computer savior right now, he got everything working again for me. Something about cookies or cache or some other work that sounds like food but really isn't... anyways I can get all my posts up now! Woot!

Ch 5. - Project Management

            On the very first day of my Special Education courses, I remember a list of important components of a great teacher being generated. Number one on every list: a great teacher has excellent classroom management skills. When considering the word “managing” I also go to time management. Classroom and time management are both key components of successful project management when undertaking an excursion in project based learning activities.

            The teacher is present to teach. The teacher coordinates the project, provides a contemporary and pertinent topic, and creates an environment conductive to learning experiences. The students have to think about time management. How will I divvy up my time allotted to complete everything we need to successfully complete this project?

            Student stress is never productive. We as teachers can limit this stress and provide project management skills by simply providing the students with a time table and a rubric of expectations. I think this is where the number of steps and due dates we use comes into play. Too many steps or dates become overwhelming and too few become stressful. Consider the needs of the students in your room, and create groups where students bring different strengths into the equation. The students could even create a link on their blog or webpage to help keep track of important dates.

            The second most important teacher attribute on that list we created on my first day in the SPED program: a great teacher is a master of organization. Lack of organization can lead to chaos, and when undertaking major project lack of organization can lead to failure. How can we help our students be better organized? Think about the group itself. Make sure the students complement each other and consider student strengths. Also, think about how your group structures coordinate with due dates. Is this a group undertaking, or is this individual work time?

Ch. 4 Reflection - Potential Pitfalls

The word “pitfall” simply sounds awful, like the pit falling out of the bottom of your stomach. I tend to associate this word with failure. When I feel like I did poorly on a test or when something goes wrong, I get that terrible feeling deep down in my tummy. I am going to be responsible for a classroom of eager learners, little blank slates I am going to guide and expose to new ideas, thoughts, and teachings. I am going to be dreaming up and providing access to project based learning, and there are some potential pitfalls and snares along the way.

I think the pitfall I am most concerned about is “long on activity, short of learning outcomes”. Right now in our Special Education department, we have been focusing on building S.M.A.R.T goals (specific, measureable, attainable, realistic, and timely) to ensure significant and positive learning outcomes. I don’t want to waste my students’ time. When I create a project, I need to have smart planning and S.M.A.R.T goals in place to ensure successful learning. We are always striving for higher-ordering thinking in terms of Bloom’s Taxonomy. I want my students to be analyzing, creating, and applying their knowledge to new thinking.

I think that step-by-step guidance can be important for working with our students, especially our students with disabilities. We need to break things down into smaller chunks, but this is not helpful to all students. Too many steps and too many details can be overwhelming, and Boom! We’ve lost them.  This can be a giant pitfall when trying to engage the class in active and creative learning. Too many steps can cause confusion and frustration. With many of our students, frustration is a giant pitfall. We cannot bring some students back once they “turn off” to learning for the day.

So how can we prevent these potential pitfalls? Well, of course it starts with me, the teacher, and the planning and effort I put into our projects. I need to allow my students to make real life connections present in the 21^st century and remember each child’s learning strengths. Nobody learns in the same way, and multiple means of representation and expression are paramount for learning.

Brainstorming about Lighting Design

Chapter 6-Launching the Project

This week we read about preparing the actual project experience. Technology can be a great way for students to reflect on their learning and look at their own learning strengths and weaknesses. A good way for this to happen is by having students create their own online blog. A blog works well for reflective learning, because students can look back on how they entered into the project, and how they have changed over time. The essential step to getting students excited about a project, is to intentionally transfer your passion about the topic, over to your students. The best way is to activate their prior knowledge on the issue. One of the ways to do this is with a K-W-L chart, or a "Know, Wonder, Learn" chart. Other areas of education refer to it as "Know, Want to Know, and Learned" chart, but the idea is the same. Basically, students begin the chart by describing what they already know about the topic. They write this in the first column. In the second column, they write questions they have about the topic, or things that they wonder about it. In the last column, after the lesson, they write down what things they learned. Before beginning a project, it's important to teach students the prerequisite skills they need to actively participate. Students need to know where they are in terms of their knowledge of a subject, as well as where they are expected to go with their learning. Students also need to know how they will be evaluated on their performance. The best way to do this is by using rubrics that cover the different dimensions of their project. When it comes to technology, we should take advantage of our technologically literate students. Teachers of course can demonstrate technology if they feel comfortable enough using it. But in this day and age, we have to remember that our students' lives are saturated with technology. We can tap into their expertise, and let them explore the technology, and even help each-other navigate through it. A great way to get students interested in the project, is by building up to it. Get students excited about the project by asking them questions, and having them ask questions of their own. I really like the idea of students using a blog to track their learning. I would apply this in our project by having students use it like a journal about their project experience. In the blog, students would talk about what they were doing, how they liked it, what they were learning, and how they might change it. In their blog they would also appeal to our sister class in Great Britain to find out what they were doing and how it related to their project overseas.

Chapter 5: Getting Organized

Personal time management has never been a forte of mine. I function on procrastination, it seems. I think this has always been a tendency of mine, since the days of elementary, middle, and high school. Unfortunately, by bad management skills have caused more trouble than good in recent weeks and months, leaving me anxious and very stressed out. This is not a good example to students and is therefore an aspect of my life which I try very hard everyday to change, because one day I will have students who depend on me to teach them these skills. They are especially essential skills during project based learning experiences, as there is a lot of information to keep track of over a long period of time. Project management is also important during the beginning stages of the project, where things such as resources, deadlines, teams and plans for assessment have to be considered. Both the teacher and the student should be prepared to keep track of what is going on and when it is going on in order to keep everyone on the same page. There are a lot of ways to help everyone involved stay organized during the project, and one of the ways becoming more and more popular is using the internet and web-based organizational tools, and even creating a class wiki where everyone in the class is given project updates as they happen. This also allows for cross-cultural learning experiences where students can connect with other students across the globe and even do projects together over the internet.

Chapter 4: Discoveries

This week we read about facing the important task of choosing a topic for and designing a project. That word keeps coming up: "authenticity". There are pitfalls to avoid when planning a project-based-learning experience. Certain things need to be avoided, such as projects with too many steps, or activities whose learning outcomes are not worth the time it took to actually attain them. Instead, we need to choose projects that can be accomplished in a timely manner and which interest our students so that they want to continue with it. One thing I really liked, and something which has always made sense to me, is the idea of establishing an environment where the students want to ask questions. That is largely the idea behind project based learning, where students become so engrossed in the real-life work that they're doing, that they look forward to it every day. The topic is so important, in fact, that learner preference alone may be all it takes to change topics at the beginning of the project if it means that interests will be peaked. This all makes so much sense, especially when I consider some of the responses I've seen from students when faced with a new topic of study. Generally, it becomes apparent who is and is not going to be engaged for the remainder of the unit. This will come into play when we introduce our topic: putting on a musical. It will be very important to introduce the idea to the class in such a way as to instill excitement in everyone in the class. On top of that, is the need for everyday learning experiences to be authentically tied into what is being achieved in the project. This helps the students see the correlation between the knowledge attained at school, and the world where they get to apply it.

Map to London

View To London! in a larger map

Virtual PenPals!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YX5cuZ-QoKHVJIoChCRz1qJE8Cl7PBqap9CPgufWHgs/edit

21st Century Learners

As I read through chapter 3, one big idea kept leaping out at me: authenticity. Now that we've determined the over-arching theme of our project, the next step is to plan for the ways that students will reach the final goal, using authentic tasks to get them there. The other, and even more important aspect, is to ensure that students are still learning their material throughout the project experience. I really liked the quote regarding textbooks: the textbook should become "a reference book rich with illustrations and supplying information written at the reading and conceptual level of the student". This rings true with me, as a student who has always loved to look through textbooks. I love, love, love the idea of encouraging students to look to their textbooks for answers. Not just for mundane nightly readings, but for real, authentic understanding. Textbooks provide a plethora of information, and are oftentimes full of pictures and captions. What better place to go to find useful information, if, say, the internet is broken? Speaking of the internet... In this age we find ourselves in, there is an overwhelming demand on students to establish the skills they need to function in the future: a future no doubt dominated by technology. One of the goals of these such projects, is to use use them as means of establishing these 21st century skills. Projects can be used to teach students research strategies, collaboration strategies, and even teaching them to be highly productive. All of these skills are needed by students to help them function technologically...to know how to find information, and talk about it later, doing so as efficiently as possible. These types of activities are also great opportunities for students of all educational backgrounds to find a niche that pertains to their own learning styles. With the discussion of learning dispositions in the reading, I couldn't help but think about my own work in special education. Every student learns differently. They all have different learning dispositions. By knowing these dispositions, we, the teachers, can better individualize our instruction. These are practices which are constantly reinforced when learning to work with students who have special needs. Thinking through this grid, it's easy to carry this idea over. Even when working in a general education classroom, teachers must be aware of the different needs of students be they educational, physical, or emotional.

Reflection Ch. 3

"Good projects get to the heart of a discipline." 

I was so excited when I read this line under the first heading. This week in practicum my co-teacher and I gave the students an "All About Me" assessment. I asked the students how they learn best, and one of my students, a young lady in the 6th grade, wrote:

"I like doing hands-on projects because art comes from the heart."

Without knowing it, this young lady put her finger on the pulse of learning. She talked about how she likes to learn, yes, but she also discussed her passion for creating something. I think this is the essence of project based learning, and it's amazing to see it captured in the writing of a 6th grade student.

The concept of a "big idea" is something we address daily in the classroom I serve. Every time we read something, we ask the students to lift out the big idea, and expand on it with 20 words. As a teacher, finding the big idea when planning and aligning our lessons with standards and curriculum expectations, finding the big idea is of equal importance. A hands-on project with a focused, main idea can create an awesome learning experience for our students.

I love that this chapter touches on the Bloom's Taxonomy and higher order thinking. Addressing the higher ordering thinking actions is important in lesson planning and in teaching. Another way to approach learning is called Multiple Intelligence's, which teaches to the student's strengths. I think both methods have their merits.

My Websites

My Websites:


Musicals 101: How to Put on a Musical


Maverick Musicals and Plays: The Maverick Guides


Arts Alive: How to put on a Play

Our Pen Pals Across the Sea :)

Our Pen Pal Map!

Chapter 2: Creating a Professional Learning Community

The world is quickly changing, letting go of the old ways to make room for the new. No longer is school a place where students sit together in a class under the authority and supervision of one teacher for the entirety of the day. No longer are teachers working by themselves to prepare and present lessons. The new idea is collaboration, that is, working together with other teachers in the school to build off of one another, offer constructive criticism, and provide support both professionally, and inevitably, socially and emotionally. These types of environments are called "learning communities". Learning communities serve to keep teachers from becoming isolated in their profession. This idea of being isolated in the school building makes sense, especially when working in Special Education. In fact, it would seem that some Special Education teachers spend most of their careers in the classroom at the end of the hallway, or downstairs in the boiler room, away from the rest of the school. How much more beneficial could these students' learning experiences be if their teacher had the opportunity to collaborate with other teachers in the school? According to Jeff Whipple, the key necessity for collaboration is respect. As a teacher participating in a learning community, one must be able to give and receive both positive and critical feedback. Learning communities need not exist in the same school. Some teachers have found their collaborative projects by joining forces with teachers halfway around the globe. These types of experiences are beneficial to everyone, I think, as the teacher is able to connect with another teacher, and the students get the experienc of not only learning with another classroom, but another classroom on the other side of the world. So often, teachers only collaborate with one another in regards to schedules, individual students, and general nit-picky details. The idea is not to abandon those necessary interactions, but to expand them to include deep conversations about what is being taught each day, so other educators might be able to provide ideas and feedback. It seems a bit strange that the idea of a learning organization, where teachers "learn to learn" originated in the business world. Origins aside, it is a beneficial effort for everyone involved.

Reflection Chapter 2

"If I could do one thing for teachers to make school better for students, I would find a way 

to have teachers have more time to work with each other and to develop collaborative 

projects" -Jeff Whipple

I love the term “learning community”. I've had several practicum experiences, and the happiest environments have been in schools which view the student body as a community of learners, working and growing together. Instead of viewing change as a terrible and scary thing, these schools look at new information as an opportunity for teachers to work together. New technology initiatives provide professional development software (for example) so that teachers can become comfortable with using technology in the classroom, especially in a collaborative way. Teachers who work in this type of community have strong ties to each other. Your co-workers are an un-tapped resource of knowledge! Combining the individual strengths of teachers can bring about some seriously cool projects. Furthermore, collaboration among teachers helps eliminate the isolation that sometimes comes with being in this field. I love the idea of collaboration and co-teaching between general ed and special ed teachers; the combined areas of expertise and the use of multi-media teaching is dynamite in the classroom. Professionals in the learning community gain that team, increase their commitment to the mission, share responsibility, and provide some pretty powerful learning experiences.

"Sometimes, change happens because an individual teacher takes the initiative to try something new. By incorporating digital-age projects into your curriculum, you are already planning for change."

A community needs leaders. In a professional learning community, students must take responsibility for their own learning, and teachers need to be that guide. Change is inevitable, and by learning how to use technology around us to enhance our teaching and challenge our students we can build the strongest possible community. 

As a collaborative teacher, can you give and receive critical feedback? Criticism can be a harsh lady, but ultimately we need to move forward. The ability to help others grow is vital in a teamwork setting, and doing so in a constructive manner. Furthermore, we need a clear sense of our mission, a shared vision, organization into groups by teacher-leaders, a strong focus on student learning, goals, collaboration, a shared system of values and beliefs, and a full commitment to the community and projects.

To put on a musical in high school, getting the type of commitment you need for a successful show is paramount. I can say from personal experience, sometimes sacrifices must be made in order to put in the work and develop the family feeling necessary to perform your best. The cast needs to feel like a little community with roles of equal importance in relation to each other. Setting small goals is quite helpful and can keep the students from feeling overwhelmed with all of the music, lines, and choreography which must be learned in a few months time. Furthermore, the students creating the sets, running the lighting, performing in the pit, and those on stage need to feel connected and share the same vision for the performance. Communication is vital and can help reduce stress and anxiety.

First Map

View Untitled in a larger map

Practice Map for Class

Link for Practice Map

Chapter 1 Reflection: "The Big Picture"

All this talk of "Project Based Learning" has got me thinking about my own experiences in middle and high school.  I must agree with the words of Mr. McDowell, who confesses his greatest high school recollection to be slicing open a dead frog.  I too can remember back to that day in middle school...the anticipation had built for weeks, knowing that soon we would be embarking on a new and exciting journey: that journey into the body cavity of a cold blooded creature, born and raised for the sole purpose of being humanely murdered and shipped to a classroom full of eager pre-teens, all adequately armed with scalpels.

In all seriousness, though, it was a great project, and to this day, I guarantee that I could successfully dissect the eyeball of any animal and correctly locate the lens.  These are the things that students remember: the gross projects and thrilling field trips.  Learning through doing, not listening to an educator drone for an hour over a subject that none can truly relate to, because none have ever had the chance to experience it for themselves.

One of the most exciting aspects of project based learning, is the idea of students taking control of their learning, and getting motivated to seek out their own questions and answers regarding the subject at hand.  No longer are teachers hailed as the all-knowing gurus in the classroom and requested at the slightest hint of misunderstanding.  Rather, teachers are there to help guide students in their learning through projects designed specifically to nurture the learning of the class.   The goal of project based learning is not that students be able to memorize and repeat definitions and theories spelled out in a textbook.  If they go away from a lesson remembering exactly how fat an armadillo can get in its lifespan, that's excellent! (120 lbs., by the way)  In the bigger scope, however, it's more important that students know how to find that information should they require it in the future. (http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/armadillo/)

Another aspect of project based learning that I really like, is the fact that students are doing actual investigative work.  How excellent would it be for a class of seventh graders to spend an entire semester drawing water samples from a local swamp to test the levels of mercury found.  All of the subject areas would inevitably be addressed: reading and writing test results, as well as consulting books and research; mapping out locations to perform experiments; communicating with peers while gathering and deciphering data...the list could go on...  This type of learning does not occur when students are stuck behind a desk shoving pencils up their nose.

In short, I think project based learning is a great way to let students experience learning rather than having to endure it.  I especially like the idea of learning being seen as "participatory, collaborative, and creative".  We don't live on the prairie anymore...it's time to start teaching students to take control of their own learning!

High School Musical Thought Bubble

Reflection Ch. 1

Where are you starting your journey? Before my third year at Western, I could work Microsoft programs fairly well. I was familiar with Excel and Word, I could knock out a pretty decent spread sheet, but that was the extent of my technology training. In one of my language arts classes, we were asked to make a digital story and relate it somehow to language. Now I was in over my head. I found Windows Movie Maker on my computer, and found myself sitting there staring at the screen. Eventually I took an online tutorial, and what can I say, I was hooked. I decided to make a connection between my passion: dance, and language acquisition. I learned how to bring in pictures, video, and music. The finished product was by far more lovingly made than any simple presentation I could have done.

This is when I found myself becoming much more tech savvy when it comes to the classroom. The students I serve need differentiated instruction, which technology and computer programming allows me to infuse into my lessons with ease.

The book states that today's students are up to the challenge and these projects will be worth the effort. I can personally attest to the truthfulness of these words. The most successful projects I have conducted in practicum have involved the use of multimedia projects and online research. The students simply get more out of mixing written text and video than me standing there talking at them.

I love the line "projects form the centerpiece of the curriculum, they are not an add-on at the end of a 'real' unit." The school I am currently serving only uses hands-on project-based learning. Some classes are doing projects about NASA. Out in the main hallway there is a "mystery scene" set up for the class studying forensics. As a teacher, I am learning these new methods of teaching as I go. I am learning how to use new technology and project-based learning to make my lessons more meaningful and allow my students real life experiences in the classroom.

Concept Map 1- Putting on a Musical

The First One

Greetings!